Penn Hills boys soccer keeps battling
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Sunday, October 13, 2024 | 11:01 AM
Penn Hills defenders Aiden Quirk (left) and Hamilton Onyang (right) look to take the ball away from North Hills forward Vincios Fernandes Dos Santos on Aug. 27.
The Penn Hills boys soccer team didn’t have the benefit of a deep bench when the season started. As the Indians have gone through the rigors of Section 1-4A play, they have been battling against their opponents and a war with attrition.
Penn Hills is on a five-match losing streak and is 2-12 overall and 0-8 in section.
“I wanted to say I’ve been happy with the effort the boys have given,” Indians coach Kevin Truman said. “We’ve been down three or four starters for the past three weeks. It has allowed younger kids to get experience.”
Goalkeeper Jadon Robbins has been busy for the Indians. He has been under fire trying to keep opposing teams from putting away scoring chances.
Recently, against defending WPIAL champion Norwin, Robbins made several stops to help limit the Knights in a 2-0 Penn Hills loss.
Truman said that Penn Hills has been focused on keeping too many shots from getting in on target.
“He knew he was going to be under the gun this season,” Truman said. “He’s not just tall. He’s trained for many years. He has an approach to the game and doesn’t take it personally.”
The Indians have also made it a point to encourage Robbins during some tougher games. Penn Hills’ last victory came during a 2-1 decision against Burrell.
Since that match, Penn Hills has been outscored 19-2.
“We try to keep it positive for him,” Truman said. “We don’t put any extra pressure on him. We are playing some of the toughest teams in the WPIAL. We want to instill that we have complete confidence in him.”
Penn Hills is led in scoring by Chase Delehanty, who has scored five goals this season. The Indians have scored 10 goals this season and are still looking to break through more consistently in the final third.
Penn Hills will close the season with a nonsection match against Brashear.
“There are little things that have happened this year that are good,” Truman said. “It hasn’t translated into wins. That’s way it’s gone this year. We aren’t disappointed. We are going to keep battling and keep things positive.”
Tags: Penn Hills
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