Oct. 27, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Just say his name: Scott Buete. Say it again, slowly and methodically: Scott Buete ... Scott Buete ... Scott Buete. The staccato, one-syllable words that make up his name create a rhythm that sounds just like a heart beating. However, his consistent play and constant movement on the soccer field are much more like a pulse than just the sound of his name. Take Buete out of the Maryland lineup, and the team may just flatline.
Buete, a midfielder, is certainly the pulse of the Terrapin soccer team. Just keep your eyes on No. 9 throughout a match. There he is winning a 50-50 ball; there he is stepping back to stop an opposing team's run; there he is going forward to score a goal. Buete never set out to be the team's "heartbeat," it's just the way he's always played soccer.
"I guess it just means that I'm always moving, I'm always working," Buete explains about called the lifeline on the team by his coach. "It's just the way I play."
"As a key central player, he is the perfect link between our backs and our forwards," head coach Sasho Cirovski says of Buete. "He's such a great two-way player that his work rate is an inspiration to the guys, and they feed off that. He's a blue-collar guy and he sets the tempo for the team because although we have the talent, we are best when we are a blue-collar team."
It's that kind of attitude that has helped transcend Buete and the Terrapins into the national spotlight. When he came to Maryland, he was overwhelmed by the talent at Maryland much like his teammate Seth Stammler was upon his arrival. He didn't have overwhelming speed or an overpowering shot, but what he did have was the 50-pound chip on his shoulder that all great players carry with them.
"I had to make two home visits to convince him that he could play here," Cirovski says. "He maybe didn't have the exposure that some of the other recruits in his class that year had, but his club coaches and teammates had this respect for him that made me feel like he really didn't know how good he could be."
"A lot of it just has to do with confidence," Buete says of his emergence. "You know, you just play more, you are able to contribute and you start to know that you belong," he says.
Buete belonged at Maryland immediately. In just his fourth game as a Terp, he delivered a game-winning goal against Virginia. The "clutch" tag (Buete has four career game-winners in his career) is more a tribute to his ability to play every game with a "Still don't believe in me?" attitude than putting extra emphasis on certain games.
"It's just kind of worked out that way," Buete says of his big goals. "I think everyone likes those 'big game' situations, but I really don't do anything different or feel a whole lot of added pressure on me."
There are plenty of big goals yet to be scored for the Terps in 2003 - and plenty more to be prevented. The Bowie, Md., native's skill and endurance make him a viable candidate to accomplish either of those things for Maryland. Because he wasn't the most sought-after recruit but has accomplished so much through his work ethic, Buete is an easy player for his teammates to respect, listen to and follow. When you're the heartbeat, everything else happens because of you.
"They call me 'Dad' sometimes because I'll tell them where to go or what to do at practice and stuff," Buete says, recognizing the age difference between a fifth-year senior and a team made up predominantly of sophomores and juniors. "The guys know that I've been around and am just trying to get the best out of them. We are a really close-knit team."
Everyone around College Park hopes that the team unity, experience, talent and depth will help lead the Terps to a national title. In addition to all of those ingredients, winning a national title takes heart, and, of course, a heartbeat.
