Men's soccer: For Horta, nationalism begets leadership

Making adjustments at a moment's notice is important for any player on the soccer field, especially the man at the center of the defense. Towson sophomore Scott Horta learned this quickly.

The day before he started a summer course this year, he received a call from Towson head coach Frank Olszewski, informing him that the Puerto Rico national team was looking for a physical defensive player with a bloodline on the island. Since Horta's grandfather a native Puerto Rican, he was eligible for the squad and in just a few days he was on the roster. After sending a copy of both his and his grandfather's birth certificates to national officials, he was on a flight to join the team.

"It was brand new. I was never taught Spanish," he said. "I picked up a little bit while playing, but thankfully they almost all spoke English. The workouts were harder, the level of play was higher. It was a great experience."

In his first international contest against Honduras, Horta started and played the full 90 minutes as one of the center backs in the lineup.

Before marching across the parking lot and down the hill from the Towson Center to the playing field Friday, head coach Frank Olszewski told Horta to stay behind while the rest of his teammates left.

"He held me up and told me 'I have to get you a new one, but wear this today,'" Horta said of the moment his coach handed him a raggedly and worn captain's armband. "He told me that now I just need to go prove that I deserve it. I'm always going to have that in mind that I have to prove I deserve this."

In just his second year, Horta was not even a member of the starting lineup to open last season. Now, he's been asked to be a leader on the team.

"It's a total change, something I was hoping for but wasn't expecting," he said.

In both cases, Horta hardly had firm ground to stand on as he became acclimated to the new settings. In Honduras, inclement weather brought pouring rain. In mud up to his ankles, the sturdily built Horta was forced to adjust quickly as he has become accustomed to.

Reacting to playing conditions, a new environment, a new role or simply a highly skilled veteran professional player sprinting full speed in his direction, Horta knows how to adjust. While playing with the Puerto Ricans, he found that in situations where he may have taken his time in the past put him at a disadvantage.

"I found that I have to make some quick decisions, ones I wasn't used to having to make," Horta said reflecting on his early encounters with members of the Honduran national team with the ball at his feet. "If I make a good play, get a takeaway or something like that, I need to move the ball quickly, make the right pass. If I don't, someone is on me and I may lose possession, give up the ball or even a goal."

He has carried the same philosophy into his approach toward his newfound captaincy of the Tigers, who are seeking a third consecutive trip to the conference finals, one where Horta hopes to capture a CAA title. He said he is not content with simply being captain or accepting the fact that people now need to listen to him. He doesn't expect players to offer their ears to listen to him simply because he wears an armband.

"If I was captain or not, I was going to make my voice heard. I was going to try to lead this team and try to win," Horta said. "You can't let something like this get to your head and I just hope the team is willing to listen to what I have to say. They aren't going to do what I say because I say it. I have to prove myself."

As a freshman, Horta was named to the CAA's All-Rookie team and also was honored as a third-team all-conference selection. His two international contests against Honduras resulted in a 6-2 aggregate loss, leaving Puerto Rico out of the World Cup. But his accomplishments and determination have earned the respect of his coaches and teammates as he seeks to transfer his personal success into team glory.

"Playing against such good competitions, players that play professionally in Puerto Rico and the United States, improved my skills and helped give me gain leadership abilities," Horta said. "I want to bring my experience to Towson and help take the team to a higher level."

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