Scot Thompson’s athletic accomplishments speak for
themselves: 2001 UCLA Defensive MVP, a starter in every game last
season, and a member of the U.S. National Under-18, Under-20, and
Under-23 squads, among others. His modesty, however, keeps his role
as a team player and leader hidden from those who don’t know
otherwise.
“Scot Thompson is one of the main guys who makes our team
run,” said Tom Fitzgerald, new head coach of UCLA’s
men’s soccer program. “It’s a lot of
responsibility, which he willingly accepts.”
Thompson, however, doesn’t quite see himself in that
light.
“I’m no inspiration to players. I just try to do the
right thing,” he said.
He’s obviously done a number of things right throughout
high school and his years at UCLA. After playing his freshman
year for his high school in New Jersey, he moved to California to
find that his high school had just lost its soccer coach. Thompson
ran track until the soccer team was revived. His contribution to
the team won him all-league athlete of the year.
“I actually lost the county award to a football player who
goes to UCLA, but I was proud that people recognized my playing as
a soccer player and I didn’t have to be a quarterback of the
football team to be recognized,” Thompson said.
As a freshman at UCLA, Thompson said, “I thought we (the
freshmen) were horrible compared to the juniors and
seniors.”
Horrible, however, doesn’t seem to describe Thompson well
““ he was named Rookie of the Year and scored the game-tying
goal to send the Bruins into overtime against Indiana in the NCAA
semifinals.
“That goal as a freshman was huge “¦ I wish I
didn’t score the goal and we won anyway,” Thompson
said. “Once you get to the final four, that’s your
biggest goal.”
Thompson hasn’t escaped injuries either, but he seems to
shrug them off just as he does his talents.
“Matt Taylor caught my ankle one day in practice and took
me down; it was pretty hard to play and even to put weight on it.
Then I re-injured it in St. Louis, but now it’s fine,”
he said.
The transition between coaches has been relatively seamless for
Thompson as well. Thompson says Fitzgerald gives the team freedom
to “handle things on our own, which works in our
favor.”
In fact, Fitzgerald makes an effort to give responsibility to
his players to motivate each other.
“Scot’s the kind of guy who’s always pushing
everyone else,” he said. “When we do fitness runs, he
could easily finish as one of the top five guys but instead runs
with the guys who aren’t as quick as he is “¦ which is
true motivation for other members of the team.”
The team will miss this motivation once Thompson graduates. His
plans include putting his name in the Major League Soccer draft,
and later, working with children since he’s a self-proclaimed
kid at heart.
“Scot Thompson has a great future in soccer ahead of
him,” Fitzgerald said. “He’ll be a success no
matter what he does.”