Scott Palguta

Scott Palguta

Personal information
Full name	Scott Thomas Palguta
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Rochester Rhinos (USL-1)
Number	17
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10/1/08

Scott Thomas Palguta (born August 23, 1982 in Toms River, New Jersey) is a professional American soccer player, currently in his fourth season with the Rochester Rhinos of the USL 1st Division . A big, agile, left-footed defender, Palguta is in the final year of his contract with the Rhinos. In the off-season, he spends his time between homes along the Jersey Shore in Forked River, New Jersey and Venice, Florida where he enjoys playing golf, surfing and kayaking.

Youth and High school

Palguta played with the New Jersey ODP (Olympic Development Program) from 1994 to 2002 including the Region I Team from 1999 to 2002. The ODP competition took him to Morocco, Holland, Switzerland, France and Belgium. During the later years, he was moved from the midfield to the backfield due to his size and speed. He was an Adidas ESP Nominee in 2000 and was named an Adidas All-American in 2001.

Palguta graduated in 2001 from Monsignor Donovan High School in Toms River, New Jersey, where he lettered for four years in soccer, basketball (shooting guard 17ppg) and track (miler and hurdler). A scholar-athlete, Palguta graduated 9th in his class and was highly recruited by several NCAA soccer programs. He will be inducted into the MDHS Hall of Fame on October 3, 2008.

College

Palguta played his college soccer at Cornell University from 2001-2004 under the tutelage of Head Coach Byan Scales. He was named to the All-Ivy Team twice, once as a freshman and again as a senior. Palguta led the team in scoring as a junior and was named Captain in his final year. Already a professional soccer player commuting daily between Rochester and Ithaca, New York, he graduated in 2005 with a B.S. in Hotel Administration.

Palguta played his summer collegiate soccer for the Cape Cod Crusaders of the PDL (Premier Development League) from 2002-2004. He won back-to-back national championships in 2002 and 2003 and tallied the game-winning assist in the 2003 contest. He was named Captain and led the team to the national semifinal game in 2004.

Professional

Palguta was drafted by the Rochester Raging Rhinos in March 2005 in the 2nd Round of the USL First Division College Draft. Despite the difficult task of balancing professional soccer with his studies at Cornell, Palguta impressed former Rhinos Head Coach Laurie Calloway during his rookie pre-season and immediately earned a starting position at left back. He scored his first professional goal against the MetroStars on August 3, 2005 during the Third Round of the 2005 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Palguta was the unanimous choice for "Rookie of the Year" honors in 2005, led all players in minutes played in 2006 and 2007, received All-League honors in 2008 and has been named to the USL 1st Division Team Of The Week nine times in his brief career.

Palguta was drafted by the New Jersey Ironmen as their 2nd pick in the 2nd Round of the 2007 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) Draft held on July 12, 2007. However, he opted not to play in the MISL. Instead, Palguta accepted a loan to Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer to play with their Reserve Division for the remainder of the season. He also returned to Monsignor Donovan High School to coach boys basketball during the off-season for a third consecutive year.

Palguta accepted an invitation to join the Red Bulls as a trialist in February 2008 and accompanied the team for the entire 2008 pre-season, including a two-week trip to the FC Red Bull Salzburg facility in Austria. Despite being offered a contract by the Red Bulls, the Rhinos refused to negotiate a transfer and Palguta was forced to return to Rochester for the 2008 season.

External link

• Rochester Rhinos Player Profile