If more players were like Dave Pastuna, less coaches would have things to complain about.
Entering what would have been his senior season on the Rider University men’s soccer team last year, Pastuna knew he was the No. 2 goalie behind Ryan Baird. As the season went along and Baird continued to play well, the former Robbinsville High standout was told by coach Charlie Inverso that he might be redshirted.
There was, however, a catch.
While Inverso had two other keepers in uniform, he knew Pastuna was basically equal to Baird in talent. Thus, he told him that if Baird went down with injury — even if it was in the MAAC Tournament championship game — that he would ask Pastuna to replace him, thus burning his entire redshirt year for possibly just one game.
Inverso knew that was not a request many players would react to positively.
“Most kids would say ‘I really don’t want to lose this next year,’” Inverso said. “Most kids would be difficult. They would refuse the redshirt year and just try to play that last year. Or, they would refuse to go in for just the one game because they don’t want have their whole redshirt year lost.”
It would actually be tough to blame a kid to do something like that. But Pastuna is not just any kid.
He was given the situation and didn’t blink. Yes, he would come in if needed, even if his final season consisted of one half of play.
“I was never like ‘Oh man if I play one game or two games I lose my redshirt,” Pastuna said. “I was always more like ‘Whatever we need to do to win the championship, that’s what I’ll do.’ Of course I wanted to come back for this redshirt year, but if it wasn’t in my cards and if Ryan went out, I would have to step up.”
Inverso, who has been a head college soccer coach for 30 years, admits he was impressed.
“Honestly, it is definitely up there among one of the most unselfish things I’ve ever seen from a player,” Inverso said. “Particularly in this day and age. There’s a lot of selfish kids out there.”
It is a team-first attitude that Pastuna developed as a high school sophomore, and he credited then-Ravens coach Jason Armstrong for instilling it. Pastuna had never played keeper in his life but was messing around in goal one day and the coach saw it.
Robbinsville was desperate for a keeper, as its starter hadn’t filled out his paperwork prior to the season opener. Armstrong asked Pastuna to play goalie for one game until things got figured out.
“Sure enough, I haven’t come out of the goal since,” Pastuna said. “Although I really wanted to play on the field, I was a striker; he was like ‘Listen, I understand you really want to play the field,’ but he instilled in me that if the team does well than you do well. And I think in the end, coach Armstrong’s lessons gave me the lessons I needed and made me the player I am today.”
Pastuna needed to lean heavily on those lessons in the previous two seasons. After Inverso told him in high school that he could not guarantee the goalie playing time, Dave promptly won the starting job early in his freshman year and held it through his sophomore season.
As a junior, he and Baird were splitting time when midway through the season Baird got hot and Inverso decided to ride him. The result was a MAAC championship and NCAA Tournament bid. The Broncs provided a repeat performance last year and Pastuna watched from the sideline as a redshirt.
But he stuck to Armstrong’s creed: if the team was doing well, he was doing well. Not to mention, he and Baird were best friends and the two constantly worked to improve each other and push each other.
“I 100 percent felt a part of (the MAAC titles),” Pastuna said. “Being a goalie on the bench is so much different than another position. If I became like I wasn’t into it or wasn’t there, it would reflect on Ryan as well. He would feel he’s not in a competitive situation against another goalie who’s trying to take his spot.”
With Baird graduated, Pastuna has a chance to carry Rider to school-record third straight conference title, although he has to do it with a completely different cast. The Broncs graduated 13 seniors, most who were contributors the previous two seasons.
But with a veteran talent in goal, Inverso has someone who can keep Rider in games while the youngsters mesh. The Broncs won four of their first six games and Pastuna had a 1.28 goals-against average with 19 saves and one shutout.
Inverso felt Pastuna played well in a 1-0 win over Temple on Sept. 3. “He’s come a long way in terms of organizing the defense and things in that regard, and that’s a big part of what a goalkeeper has to do,” he said.
Pastuna played for the PDL Express this past summer, so he was ready to go and did not feel rusty once the season started.
“I feel like I’m a whole new player,” said Pastuna, who plans on going to medical school after he graduates this semester. “I feel like I’ve proven it and I’m going to keep proving it. Playing for the Express was probably the best thing for my confidence. I played great and coming into this season that translated into playing well. And another thing I took away from last year is, when you’re the starting goalie you don’t practice every single day, you take days off. But I got to practice all season long and work on things.”
Inverso could only admire Pastuna as he watched it all unfold.
“Sometimes the starters don’t come to practice but Dave had to come every day and stay sharp. And he had to be ready to go into every game; and if that didn’t happen he’d have to gear himself up all over again. It’s not easy and Dave handled it all very well,” he said.
Rider University goalkeeper David Pastuna, right, in action in a 2-1 home win over La Salle University, Sept. 9, 2017.,
