MORGANTOWN — One quick visit to a soccer field anywhere across the United States and there’s a phrase that will be heard over and over.
Shoot the ball!
Most of those screaming are parents, grandparents, and friends but occasionally it will be a coach as well.
On Monday at University High School, the UHS boys’ soccer team needed no reminding from anyone.
The Hawks (1-1) took 24 shots on their way to a 3-1 victory against Weir.
“We are very fortunate that we have two strikers in our center that are very capable and smart players,” UHS head coach Michael Smith said. “I give them a little leeway there and we have talked, the past, about getting more shots on target. I think in the last couple of games we have had more attempts and definitely last year, early in the season, that wouldn’t have happened. So, we are getting there.”
Some of this early season success is due to a formation change that Smith implemented this preseason.
The Hawks switched from having one striker up top to the two-striker formation and also use a five-man backline with three midfielders for a 5-3-2 formation. But Smith said there is lots of room for his fullbacks to do some creative things.
“The mechanics and making sure everybody else is on the same page has to be there,” Smith said. “Especially on the back line, we are working through some of those issues – but we have the general idea.”
The game was scoreless in the first 20 minutes before senior defender Daniel Kaddar got the scoring going. He corralled a loose ball at midfield, worked his way through traffic, and then fired a shot from just outside the penalty box that found the back of the night with 18:40 left in the first half.
University’s second goal didn’t take long as sophomore Davion Huckaby scored on a nice through ball from senior striker Alex Maldonado with 16:24 left in the first half.
“The difference between University this year and last year is really big,” Weir coach Chris LeFever said. “They weren’t very strong last year. This year, their movement off the ball was fantastic. Their communication was excellent. They are definitely a much better team than last year, and they surprised me.”
Maldonado, who added a 35-yard plush goal of his own with 2:33 left in the first half, said the formation switch has helped the Hawks but it is still a work in progress.
“We tried to stick with what we did last year with a single striker, in the preseason, and it wasn’t working,” Maldonado said. “So, we tried out a new system and it gives us a lot more options in the offensive third.”
The second half featured plenty of shots by the Hawks, 14 of them to be exact, but none found the back of the net despite several good opportunities.
“It has been more focused on finding the right shots this year,” Maldonado said. “We have put a lot of emphasis on shooting because we know good things can happen if we put the ball on frame.”
Weir was able to put home a free kick from 37 yards out off the foot of Antonio Pittman that found the top left corner of the net.
The Red Riders finished with just eight shots on goal, while UHS keeper Connor Montgomery finished with three saves. Weir’s Ben Howard had nine saves.
University returns to action at 5:45 p.m. Thursday, when the Hawks host Parkersburg South.
By ERIC HERTER
