Rider University men’s soccer goalkeeper David Pastuna slides for a save. Pastuna, a 2013 Robbinsville High graduate, has become a mainstay since he stepped into the lineup midseason.
Robbinsville High School grad solidifying his place in goal for Rider University
As a lifelong Yankee fan, Rider men’s soccer coach Charlie Inverso always welcomes the opportunity to use his Bronx Bombers as an analogy for one thing or another.
He turned to a long-standing comparison in discussing his freshman goalie David Pastuna, who took over as the Broncs’ keeper four games into the season and remained there for the next eight games.
“He started the season as the number two keeper behind other freshmen, Jimmy Quilter,” Inverso said in mid-October. “We were happy with Jimmy, and we still are. But he got hurt against Temple and that was eight games ago and David is still starting for us. He kind of has that Lou Gehrig-Wally Pipp thing going right now.”
Wally Pipp, of course, was the Yankees first baseman who complained of a headache one day. Manager Miller Huggins put Lou Gehrig in the lineup at first, and Gehrig proceeded to play 2,130 straight games while Pipp became the answer to the world’s easiest trivia question.
Asked if he even knew who Wally Pipp was, Pastuna laughed.
“Yes, I do know who he is,” the 2013 Robbinsville High graduate said. “Although that’s what happened, it can happen to the both of us because we are so similar in skill level.”
Translation: He doesn’t feel Jimmy Quilter will become the answer to a trivia question.
“I know that (Quilter) is always there pushing me to perform to the best of my ability, but at the same time, I do the same for him,” Pastuna said. “If I mess up, it’s his opportunity, and if he messes up it’s mine.”
Pastuna couldn’t have messed up too badly in his first eight games as he compiled a 4-3-1 record with a 1.26 goals against average and two shutouts. He is part of the youth brigade that has revitalized the Broncs program, which went 6-4-1 in its first 11 games and already doubled last year’s win total.
“David has been really steady for us,” Inverso said. “He has a calming presence, particularly for a freshman. And because he is getting games, he will only get better.”
There was a touch of irony in Inverso’s recruiting of Pastuna, considering the goalie and the coach started out like two neighbors who keep to themselves.
“I didn’t know that much about David when I was recruiting him,” said Inverso, a long-time Robbinsville resident. “It was a little strange that I didn’t know him because he lives about two miles from me. I usually know all of the better kids in the county.”
The fact that the Ravens were not a high level program getting a lot of publicity may have had something to do with it, but Inverso is good friends with then-assistant (now head coach) Jeff Fisher, and also reached out to other contacts.
“I called a bunch of friends who are high school coaches in the county, and they were all over it saying this kid is really good,” Inverso said. “I saw him play several times and to be honest I had some reservations because he had not been playing keeper for that long, but he has won me over.”
Pastuna started as the reluctant goalie, being asked to come off the field and play the position as an RHS sophomore. He proceeded to make third- second- and first-team All-County the next three seasons as he worked incredibly hard to learn the position.
He ended up choosing Rider out of a pool that included Lehigh, Georgian Court, Montclair State and East Stroudsburg.
“I chose Rider, though, because it was the perfect fit for me,” Pastuna said. “Rider provides a great educational environment as well as an athletic environment, but another aspect I enjoy is being close to home.”
When Pastuna arrived for preseason camp, he knew the goalie battle was between himself and Quilter, also a freshman, along with sophomore Devin Downs, a Steinert High graduate.
“I was not expecting to start because I knew these goalies personally, and I knew they were very good,” Pastuna said. “I worked hard in preseason and during the summer to make sure I had all the skills to at least compete for the starting spot.”
He continued to work hard, and actually got into games when Quilter was playing. When the South Brunswick product went down, Pastuna was ready.
“I knew it was my opportunity to step up and be the starting goalie because Jimmy and I are very similar players,” he said. “I was not certain I would remain the starting goalie, but I knew that no matter what, I had to do the best I could at practices and in games to prove I deserved the starting spot.”
Pastuna stands 6-feet, which is not overly impressive at a position where tall and rangy is often preferred. But he has persevered.
“He has done a great job for us and will only get better,” Inverso said. “I usually favor taller keepers but David is an amazing athlete. He has a great vertical (leap) and he can get to his highest (jumping) point really fast. The other physical attribute he has is that he has long arms, which is a huge asset for a keeper.”
Pastuna is one of eight freshmen who see regular time with Rider, but his situation is a little different than the field guys, if only because his mistakes are always the most visible. Also making it tough is he is constantly learning about his opponents, who he has never seen before and has no idea how they want to shoot, where they want to shoot from, and other such nuances.
“After playing the same teams every year throughout high school, I started to pick up on patterns in the way teams play,” Pastuna said. “Here, everything is new. There’s no patterns so far, but hopefully as the years pass I can pick up on a few things.
“But the biggest adjustment was the speed of the game. I’m not facing pre-adolescent kids anymore. I’m going up against men who put their bodies on the line to score. Injury is very real every time I step on to the field, but I’ve learned to block it out. Also, the players I am facing now are specialists. They know exactly what to do and how to execute it.”
One of a goalie’s biggest responsibilities is to be able to direct his defenders and control what is going on in the box. That could be a problem for a freshman, but since most of the team is young, Pastuna hasn’t dealt with the usual pitfalls of older players blowing him off.
“That plays a huge factor in it,” he said of Rider’s youth. “Also, knowing that the team supports me in goal adds another level of confidence.
“In practice everyone is supportive, but critical. So I know that I have good teammates who will support me, but at the same time get on me if I’m not doing well.”
Pastuna feels that’s the case with the entire team, and that each player will listen to what another has to say as the Broncs try to rise from the ashes in Inverso’s third season.
“The atmosphere has been great,” he said. “It starts with our team chemistry. Everyone on the team likes each other, and that’s a good thing to have.
“Winning adds to that, and it also keeps our coach happy. When we lose, though, the team knows that we need to work harder at practices, and we are constantly competing to be the best team on the field.”
And while Pastuna raves about the atmosphere, Inverso feels that he is part of the reason for the new, energized environment in Lawrenceville.
“David has all of the attributes that we are trying to establish with the new culture we have here,” the coach said. “He works tirelessly and is real competitive.
“What I also like is that with David, you know what kind of effort and mentality you are going to have every day. That is something that is really valuable to a team. He is great in the locker room and an excellent student. It sounds like a cliché’ but he is the type of kid that you want your daughter to bring home.”
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