Being a staple in the EMU men’s soccer team’s offense has become the norm for junior Juan Luna (Mount Jackson, Va./Stonewall Jackson). Juan took the soccer world by storm, notching four goals in two games last week, landing him a spot as the ODAC Player of the Week as well as the Royals Athlete of the Week.
The Eastern Mennonite midfielder has come in clutch, scoring the game-winning goal last Wednesday at Ferrum College with 1:35 left on the clock. Juan had scored twice earlier in the game, and with the late goal, he collected his first hat trick.
“We knew that going into this past week it was going to be a hard-fought game when we played Ferrum,” Juan explained. “If we could get a good result from that game, we knew we could ride that momentum into the Albright game.”
After the win over Ferrum, Juan and the team carried said momentum into Saturday, where he scored yet again to help the Royals beat Albright, 2-0.
With being a veteran on the pitch now, Juan is looked at to help carry the team forward.
“The pressure is not there, I go to practice and play the games with such tranquility and peace at heart,” Juan said on being a veteran presence. “I don’t think of any problems that I face in my life, everything that is negative is gone from my mind and I only focus on the ball at my feet.”
Many times, being a veteran and upperclassman naturally leads to also being a leader. For his part, Juan focuses a lot of his mentality on making sure the underclassmen are able to keep up with the speed of the game and college life in general.
“I’ve always been the guy that a lot of the underclassmen look up to because it is hard to transition from high school to the college game,” Juan stated. “I have a lot of experience both from life itself and on the pitch and the young guys really listen to when I give advice to them on things they ask.”
The men’s soccer team is off to a hot start, going 5-2-2. A lot of credit has been given to Juan alongside teammate Parker Leap (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite). The two have combined for about 75% of the team’s goals this season thus far.
“Juan has worked very hard in the off season to prepare himself for his season,” said Head Coach Roger Mast. “We are very pleased that he is being rewarded for his hard work through his fast start.”
The Old Dominion Athletic Conference noted that fast start, awarding Juan the ODAC Player of the Week honors for men’s soccer.
“Being named the ODAC Player of the Week is an absolute honor that I know could not have been achieved without the help of my teammates and coaches that push me to be the very best that I can be,” Juan said on the accolade.
Juan takes a group mentality into every practice and game, continuously leaning towards the team aspect of the game.
“My goal for the season is to be successful as a whole, not individually,” Juan stated. “So when we win, it is as a whole. When a player gets recognition for doing something well, it is because the team pushed them to become better.”
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