By Dylan Butler
Han Soo Jun didn’t surprise anyone this year. Everyone in the city knew the Flushing senior midfielder was one of the best soccer players around, yet the Korean-born speedster had his way with opponents anyway.
He drew double and triple-teams every time he touched a soccer ball, but Jun still managed to score 17 goals, good for eighth best in the city. That’s reason enough for us to name Jun the TimesLedger PSAL Soccer Player of the Year.
Despite his three-year dominance of the PSAL, many college coaches wondered aloud if the 5-foot-5, 132-pound Jun was too small for the next level.
“He’s going to be a surprise, a sleeper,” said Flushing head coach Terry McLaughlin. “He knows he has to get stronger, he’s going to have to be the fittest player when he walks on the park. He’s a great athlete and a real nice team player.”
College coaches will find out soon enough how dangerous Jun really is, especially when he gets the ball anywhere near the 18-yard box. That's where Jun, who had 17 goals and six assists for 40 points, shows an unbelievable knack for scoring goals.
“His percentage of shots on goal to goals is amazing,” McLaughlin said. “Very rarely does he put the ball over the goal. Either the keeper has to make a tremendous save or it’s a goal.”
Jun, who led the Red Devils to an 8-3-3 mark last year, is far from the first Korean-born player in McLaughlin’s 18 years coaching the Flushing soccer team.
That honor goes to Hai Young Kwak, who was a Red Devil 13 years ago. But Jun is the most talented and explosive player to come from Korea and is also a key reason several other Koreans have decided to play for the Red Devils, including last year's teammates Hye Joo Seo and Yoon Ku Chong.
“[Kwak] was a little bigger, he was a more physical player,” McLaughlin said. “But he doesn’t have the acceleration [Han Soo] has.”
Several Division I programs showed an interest, but it appears Stony Brook has won the sweepstakes as Jun is all but locked into playing for Seawolves head coach Scott Dean.
According to McLaughlin, the final sticking point was the SAT score, but he said Jun recently received a qualifying mark, which is bad news for future America East opponents.
