KINGWOOD, W.Va. — A pair of brand new coaches faced off for the first time yesterday afternoon as Preston and University kicked off their boys soccer seasons, and as expected, both rivals battled hard for 80 minutes in the 4-0 Hawks win.
And while both coaches were pleased with the overall quality of the soccer and the effort, each team provided their respective sidelines with plenty to focus on for future practices as well.
Under enthusiastic coach Josh Russell, the young Knights employed a high line, trapping defensive alignment that initially surrendered several wide-open opportunities for UHS forwards sprinting free behind the PHS back wall. But junior keeper and captain J.T. Flores was intuitive and courageous when coming off his line to thwart scoring threats with saves (he finished with a whopping 20) or pressure missed shots.
Finally in the sixth minute, University midfielder Kellen Adams’ strong run and pretty pass sent forward J.M Jones to a 1-on-1 with Flores, and he calmly drilled a secure right footed shot for the opening goal.
The Knights defense began to settle in and develop a feel for trapping the aggressive Hawks in an offside position, although a foul in the box gave UHS junior Riley Nett a penalty that he converted in the 18th minute to double the lead. But for the rest of the first half and into the second 40 minutes, the match became a repeating pattern of Hawks possession and build-up, followed by offside whistles or Flores saves, some of the spectacular variety.
Nine minutes into the second half, senior Justin Parsons drilled a direct kick from just outside the box, picking the corner and adding to the Hawks’ lead. Eight minutes later, Jones closed out the scoring by repeating his opening goal sequence. Beating the Preston defense with a strong outside run, Jones kept his head up and squarely nailed a solid right foot shot past Flores from point blank range to bring the final score to 4-0.
UHS coach Michael Smith, while quite positive about most of the soccer his team produced, has recognized “from the beginning of practice” that his Hawks need work on the all-important, sometimes mystical, and often endlessly elusive scoring finish.
“We know that our job as coaches is to help our team find that sweet spot of power, touch, location and opportunity,” he said. “We are a very hard-working group, and we’re confident we’ll improve. But there’s no doubt that this was a very nice start for us.”
Speaking of improvement, Smith was quick to praise the new-looking Knights.
“Hats off to Coach Russell and what’s he’s done with his team already,” Smith said. “They look completely different in their approach, and the combination of that trap and tremendous work from their keeper bodes well for their group. It’s great to have an improving Preston presence back in the region.”
Informed of Smith’s comments, Russell agreed with the assessment and appreciated the sentiment, but with one important caveat. “We aren’t happy with the result,” Russel said while smiling. “We are a competitive bunch, so we want to win matches, first and foremost. However, that’s a huge compliment coming from the coach of one of the best teams in the state.
“We will lean heavily on J.T. all year, but we think he’s up for it. We have plenty of work to do, but we’re feeling incredibly positive about this game, and our season.”
Preston travels to Morgantown to face the Mohigans the Tuesday after Labor Day, while the Hawks face Linsley in their home opener this Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.
