Pressure performers — Soccer MVPs thrived in the clutch

When games and seasons and championships were on the line this spring, the 2007 Deseret Morning News boys soccer MVPs all shined.

Jordan's Jake Hustedt, Bountiful's Mike Alexander, Pine View's Francisco Arellano and Waterford's Spencer Linsley enjoyed varying degrees of success during the regular season. But when the bright lights of the postseason blasted their rays on the quartet, all four not only handled the pressure, they thrived on it.

All four turned in outstanding individual performances in the postseason, leading their respective teams to championships. And over the course of the entire season, they separated themselves in the eyes of the Deseret Morning News and have been chosen as this year's MVPs.

JAKE HUSTEDT, Jordan

From the opening whistle of Jordan's season-opener against Judge to the final whistle of Jordan's championship-game triumph over Mountain View, Hustedt enjoyed a phenomenal year.

The junior finished with a 5A-best 24 goals, averaging 1.5 goals per game. He scored four times in four playoff games, which included the semifinal and final game-winners.

Combine that with the fact he was clearly the dominant player whenever he stepped on a high school pitch, and his selection as 5A MVP is obvious.

"This year," said coach Shaine Herrin, "there's no question that he was head and shoulders above everybody else in the state."

It's pretty easy for any coach, anywhere, to have an inflated view of his own player(s), but in Hustedt's case, the assessment is right on.

Some were rankled by his swagger, but — time and again — he showed he had all kinds of game.

"He tends to be a little arrogant," said Herrin, "but he can back that up."

There are any number of examples that could be cited to illustrate Hustedt's immense worth, but perhaps a performance against arch-rival Alta will suffice.

Hustedt missed four games in the middle of the season because of an opportunity to play in Italy, and Jordan traveled to neighbor Alta in his first game back.

The rivals were tied 2-2 in overtime when Hustedt popped up with the game-winner. Shrugging off the effects of a long flight home, he beat Alta's defense in the sixth minute of overtime, handing Jordan a season sweep over the Hawks and boosting the 'Diggers' playoff position.