Inside the mindset of DII men’s soccer goal-scoring machines

A simple look at the history of DII men’s soccer shows how important it is to have a go-to goal scorer. The last four championships have come in shutout fashion, so having someone with a hot foot on your side isn’t a luxury — it is a necessity.

How does one become such a feared goal scorer? Let’s go to the sources themselves and ask what coaches and some of DII men’s soccer top goal-scoring machines think the secret is to consistently finding success in the back of the net.

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The mindset of a DII men’s soccer top goal scorer

Mere Escobar, F, Midwestern State

The list of accolades for Escobar is seemingly endless. He is a two-time All-American and the reigning D2CCA national player of the year, South Central player of the year and Lone Star Conference player of the year. He also happens to be DII men’s soccer’s active career goal leader with 46 and counting.

In his three full seasons (2020’s partial season excluded), Escobar has scored 11, 11, and 17 goals with 14 of those being game-winners.

“My mindset as a goal scorer is to be confident and composed, while also putting myself in the best positions to help the team,” Escobar told me. “I believe I have an instinct for goals. Knowing where to be in the box is important, and staying composed in front of a goal has been important to my career thus far. Hopefully, more goals will continue to come.”

Peter Plougmand, F, Mars Hill

Plougmand doesn’t get much attention as Mars Hill doesn’t make the tournament often, but the forward is on absolute fire to start the 2024 season. He was the first SAC player of the week, totaling three goals in his first two games and dropped four goals in a victory over Newberry a week later. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that he has more than 40 career goals (and counting) in his stellar career.

So, why is Plougmand so special? “In one word: Mentality,” said head coach Gregg Munn. “Peter has a relentless mentality to score goals. He is someone who can score in multiple different ways, and he is focused on one main thing when on the field and that is putting the ball in the back of the net.”

Twenty-five of his goals have come in the past two seasons, seven of which have been game-winners. The two-time All-SAC first teamer is currently second in active career goals and total goals in 2024. 

“For me, it’s a 100% mindset,”…