Dwayne Scantlebury has been playing soccer since he was eight years old. He played almost every position on the pitch, but likes playing center midfielder the most. From that position, he said, he can control how the game goes.
“I can honestly play anywhere on the field,” said Scantlebury. “I was actually raised to play defense from a very young age.”
Scantlebury is a junior occupational therapy student from Orlando. The 21-year-old Guyanese soccer player has played the sport for most of his life, and is team captain for Florida A&M’s Club Soccer team.
Scantlebury played soccer for Ocoee High School. He tried out for the team his sophomore year, and played at both the junior varsity and varsity level. He started on a team that went to the state semi-finals his senior year. The team placed third in the state in their division. Along with soccer, he played football and ran track in high school.
Scantlebury was not recruited for soccer coming out of high school. He did not get much exposure because of lack of support from his high school coach. Eventually, he decided to come to FAMU.
As starting center midfielder, he controls the flow of the game. He has helped lead the team to its 5-7 start and improve its defense as well.
“As the captain of the soccer team, I feel like he is a great example to the other players,” said Ebony Lamar, a sophomore civil engineering student from St. Petersburg and the team’s manager.
Forward Nate Odiari also appreciates Scantlebury’s leadership. Odiari is a junior political science student from Pembroke Pines.
“I feel like he is a good leader and he does a lot for the team,” said Odiari. “He is a great player and he loves the sport.”