West Union boys soccer standout Arbutus Wuest will continue his caeer on the pitch at Berea College. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
SHAC’s leading scorer moving to next level
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
There wasn’t an official signing ceremony held, but it is official nonetheless. Arguably one of the the best boys soccer players in West Union High School, Arbutus Wuest, has made his decision to move his athletic and academic careers to the next level. Wuest will be moving a few hours to the south to become a member of the men’s soccer program at Berea College.
Wuest has his name all over the WUHS record books and in his senior season with the Dragons, he led the Southern Hills Athletic Conference in scoring with 78 points, 37 goals and four assists. That stellar offensive performance helped lead the Dragons to an 8-8-2 record, the best in school history for boys soccer. He holds the school’s season scoring record in goals and the record for career goals scored.
Arbutus had the privilege of playing his final years at West Union under the direction of his father, boys soccer head coach Tom Wuest.
”I appreciated the strong commitment and work ethic that Arbutus demonstrated towards pushing himself to become the best player he could be,” said Coach Wuest. “This was made evident in the fact that he helped captain his senior team to the best West Union soccer record in the history of the program while also setting both in-season and career goal scoring records. Arbutus continues to work diligently every day towards his hope of playing soccer on the Berea team this August.”
Arbutus explained why he chose Berea, a decision which will keep the Wuest brothers together.
“I decided to go to Berea because my brother, Isaiah, is studying there, and we will have two years at college together,” explained Arbutus. “I’ve watched a lot of Berea games over the past few years, and the soccer team looks strong, the facilities are first-rate (including a new indoor training facility and a Bermuda grass soccer pitch). Berea also has a labor program and offers tuition scholarships to those accepted, making it really affordable.”
“I’m really excited for the new challenge ahead of me.”
The Berea College Mountaineers are an NCAA Division III school, competing in the CCS (Collegiate Conference of the South) and the men’s team finished 7-11-1 last season.
