MORGANTOWN — Kevin Hernandez isn’t likely to appear in many articles about the University High School boys’ soccer team.
The left back on the UHS defense is one of the Hawks captains, but he likely won’t score many goals this year or have many assists.
Still, Hernandez played a key role in a 10-0 win over visiting John Marshall on Thursday.
Sure, the senior provided a steady presence in the Hawks’ backline, but it was his voice that made most of the difference.
“Communication is frankly something that we aren’t very good at,” UHS head coach Michael Smith said. “We haven’t been all season. We had seen progress in games leading up to this, but I just don’t think the focus was there tonight with everybody.”
The lone bright spot was Hernandez, whose staccato voice could be heard all over the pitch at Mylan Pharmaceuticals Stadium.
“Move up, get back, man on – you have a drop,” Hernandez was constantly encouraging and coaching his team from his defensive position.
“If you’re not hearing (Hernandez) then there is something wrong,” Smith said. “He’s kind of a coach on the field and he knows what he’s doing. He’s a captain for a reason.”
Smith even moved Hernandez from his normal left side of the field to the center late in the contest to allow him to direct traffic a little easier.
“I know he likes playing left back, but I wanted to see him in the center, and I thought he did that pretty well,” Smith said. “It gives me something to think about moving forward.”
Communication hasn’t always been easy for Hernandez. He only began playing soccer as a sophomore and he admits that he really didn’t know the game very well.
Now, he fully understands the game and even sees things happening before they do.
“In the first half, we were so silent,” Hernandez said. “It was like we weren’t even playing a game. I got so frustrated with our team because I know our communication has always been an issue in years past. This year, I felt like our first three games were better but then we played Linsly (a 1-1 tie) and Robert C. Byrd (a 1-0 loss) and we weren’t communicating.”
Hernandez said he strives to be vocal but admits he does get a sore throat and a little hoarse from the constant chatter.
“As a captain, I have to show my leadership and I have to be the loudest one on the pitch,” Hernandez said. “These guys, especially the younger guys, they look up to me and I gotta use my voice to be a leader.”
In the game, the Hawks scored first just five minutes into the contest as Nate Lindsey collected a loose ball in the box, dribbled past a couple of John Marshall defenders and slid the ball past the diving goalkeeper into the lower left corner.
UHS (4-1-1) didn’t score again until there were 18 minutes left in the first half when Brady Grubb scored the first of his two goals in the first half. Grubb’s second goal came after Davion Huckaby scored the first of his three goals as the Hawks led 4-0 at halftime.
University finished with over 30 shots in the contest while the Monarchs (1-4) didn’t get one shot off. UHS also held a 14-1 advantage in corner kicks.
The Hawks scored six times in the second half. Andrew Ballard had two goals, Josh Espinoza had two goals and Huckaby scored the final two goals to finish off the mercy-rule contest.
“I thought Andrew did a nice job of bringing a calming presence in the second half,” Smith said as the Hawks scored those six second-half goals in 22 minutes of game action. “Quite frankly that allowed Davion to do what Davion does. He really benefited from Andrew’s ability to be composed.”
University returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Preston for an 11 a.m. contest.
By ERIC HERTER/For The Dominion Post
VOLLEYBALL
University 3, Wheeling Park 0
WHEELING — University defeated Wheeling Park in straight sets, 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-20), in Wheeling on Thursday.
University is back in action Saturday at the Philip Barbour tournament.
