Podcast: Santiago Somorrostro on winning Gatorade Player of the Year twice

Two-time New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year Santiago Somorrostro joined "The Goal." (Courtesy photo)

The latest guest on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast is Nashua South winger and two-time New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year, Santiago Somorrostro.

Somorrostro captured his second straight Gatorade Player of the Year award earlier this month. He scored 25 goals and passed for 16 assists last season, leading the Panthers (15-3) to the Division 1 state quarterfinals. The two-time First Team All-State selection and a two-time United Soccer Coaches High School All-American concluded his high school soccer career with 48 goals and 43 assists. He also helped Nashua South win two state championships during his time there.

Somorrostro has volunteered locally with the Humane Society of Nashua, as well as the Salvation Army. He has also donated his time on behalf of the Nashua South Student Mentor program, and as part of community beautification projects. He maintained a weighted 4.65 GPA in the classroom, and will continue his soccer career at UMass Lowell this fall.

Somorrostro joined host Matt Langone to reflect on winning his back-to-back Gatorade awards, his high school career, and he look ahead to continuing his career at Division 1 UMass Lowell.

The full podcast can be accessed below and is available on all major platforms. If you enjoy it, please leave a rating and a review.

Here are some highlights from our discussion with Somorrostro:

On winning the prestigious honor twice:

Somorrostro: “I’m happy that I can leave my legacy (at Nashua South) and leave my mark with something greater than just a (state) championship.”

On winning an award that recognizes outstanding high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character:

Somorrostro: “I mean, it’s pretty cool, because, obviously, you get involved when you’re a freshman in high school and all the things you do. But it’s kind of cool to have an award that kind of shows everything, because most people just see athletes one-sided, like, ‘oh, he just plays sports, that’s all he does.’ But it’s kind of cool to see a lot of athletes do other sports, they’re involved in the community, they’re involved with clubs and things in their school. So it’s kind of cool to see that there’s an award for not just sports but something that brings everything together.”

On what drew him to UMass Lowell:

Somorrostro: “I’ve been in New England my whole life, lived in Nashua my whole life. Lowell, I’ve never really been to. I’ve been to Boston a lot. When I was talking to coach and when I went on campus, it kind of opened my eyes, because I always heard about (Lowell).”

On how his game evolved at Nashua South:

Somorrostro: “I think (early on) I was a little nervous to take players on and just kept passing the ball back a lot. But I think over the years I’ve grown to really take the ball forward, take players on and put myself in one-on-one situations. I used to cross a lot, which was good, but now I’m cutting in more, shooting, and going down more and giving my teammates a better ball, which is taking players on and being able to create more dangerous possessions.”