Justin Veltung made a name for himself statewide during his junior season on the soccer field.
Veltung scored a team-high 24 goals to go along with 16 assists which resulted in the Puyallup Vikings junior racking up awards galore due to his talents on the soccer field. He was named the South Puget Sound League South player of the year and earned first team all-league honors from his forward position. The Vikings took second place overall in the Class 4A division, falling against Bellarmine in the state championship game.
Veltung’s incredible speed is one the major reasons why he was able to manhandle his opponents this past spring.
“His first step is incredible. He’s so explosive and puts pressure on every defender he faces,” Vikings coach Matt White said. “If you look at what he did when he scored the game winning goal in the state quarterfinals against Mountain View it is a great example of it. Justin just baked their defender who is a division 1 recruit that will be at Gonzaga next year. He beat him with his first step. Once Justin cut, the defender was five yards behind him.”
Veltung said he’s been faster than most of the kids he’s competed against since he began playing soccer when he was 4 years old in 1995.
“I’ve always been fast and its given me an advantage in all of the sports I’ve played. I ran the 40 yard dash in 4.39 seconds last spring at the Competitive Edge combine. I had the fastest 40 there,” Veltung said. “My speed helps me out so much. Once I get a touch on the ball I can put it past the defender, run around him and catch up to it to get a chance to score.”
Many athletes shy away from the pressure of being the player everyone looks to when the game is on the line. Veltung is just the opposite; he embraces the role of being the go-to-guy.
“I definitely feel the pressure. I know people are counting on me when the game is getting toward the end,” Veltung said. “I like it and feel I should get the job done to help out the team when we need it. That’s how I felt against Mountain View (in the quarterfinals) when I scored at the end of the game. I wanted the ball.”
Even though Veltung is a fierce competitor, he has a natural ability of keeping his team loose whenever the team is tensed up or stressed out.
“He’s outgoing and is a goof ball,” White said. “When you have a player like that it’s good for the team. He’s a great player and a good athlete.”
The offensive quartet of Andrew Weishaar, Devin Thomas, Kyle Gaedke and Veltung wreaked havoc on Puyallup opponents all season long.
“They’re a tight-knit group of guys who set each other up all season,” White said. “They gave each other a lot of opportunities and fed off of each other well.”
Veltung said team chemistry was one of the reasons why the Vikings were so successful this season.
“It’s been a great year. All of these guys on the team are like my best friends, my best buddies,” Veltung said. “When we’re not on the field, we’re hanging together at each other’s houses on the weekend.”
When asked about the honors he attained this year, Veltung said he was proud of the achievements that have been bestowed upon him.
“It feels good to get all of these awards for my team,” Veltung said. “Hopefully I’ve lived up to the expectations of people out there this year and I hope I will do the same next year.”
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