Panthers get a big boost from an unlikely athlete

At first glance, West senior Thomas Goller looks more like a chess champion than a soccer star.

Thing is, he's both.

With boyish looks and a smaller build, Goller might not intimidate or scare his soccer opponents. But put him on a pitch, and chances are he'll be outstanding.

Just like virtually everything else he does.

State chess champion. State math champion. Sterling Scholar runner-up. Possible West High valedictorian.

All are accomplishments of Goller, which says nothing of his soccer exploits. On the field, he's been part of a steady progression at West High. During four years of varsity soccer, Goller has seen the Panthers rise from being a one-win team to becoming a victor in the playoffs.

A year removed from winning a game in the 4A tournament, Goller, alongside fellow senior captains Drew Fuller and Jeff Sanders, hopes to lead West to even higher heights in 2007.

Having Goller around has been a dream for four-year coach Kris Hamlet.

"Just all-around, everything he does, he excels in," said Hamlet. "It's really nice to have players like that on your team, especially if you have them for three or four years. It makes it easy to coach."

Goller has been enjoying what appears to be the final days of his soccer career. The central midfielder has lofty plans after high school, but those plans don't include collegiate soccer.

Instead, he aims to concentrate on his studies.

Where does want to go?

"I'm hoping for Princeton," he said. "I made it in, but the financial situation's a little tricky. Maybe MIT, and the U. (of Utah) is really my main backup school."

In the meantime, he'll look to help West on the soccer pitch. Having lost eight seniors, including star defender Tobin Bennion, the Panthers' 2007 prospectus was questionable. Entering this week, however, West was the only remaining unbeaten team in Class 4A at 5-0-1.

To be fair, that's kind of deceiving.

"Most of the games, we feel like we didn't play that well. We just ended up winning, which I guess isn't a bad thing," said Hamlet. "But at the same time, we know we can be a lot better. In fact, the only game we did not win — the tie against Granger — was the game we felt we played the best in."

What does West need to do to get better?