Penn Hills boys soccer looking for path back to playoffs

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, November 6, 2022 | 11:01 AM

The Penn Hills boys soccer team had the worst kind of luck during the 2022 season.

For the most part, the Indians didn’t have any luck at all. Penn Hills, which entered the season seeking a second straight WPIAL Class 3A playoff berth, wasn’t able to replicate its success from last season.

What caught Penn Hills coach Ryan Hankey off guard was some of the challenges the team faced. The Indians fought non-covid illnesses all season and even had to cancel a game due to a lack of players. Penn Hills finished the season 6-10, including a 5-9 mark in Section 4-3A play.

“We had a lot of sick players this year,” Indians coach Ryan Hankey said. “We went every week with at least one kid sick, and we even had a few times where kids would come off the field and throw up. Things didn’t go our way.”

Despite the struggles, Penn Hills did have several players recognized for their efforts. Forward Alinur Zhamaldinow led the team with eight goals and six assists and was named to the all-section team.

Indians goalkeeper Landon Hankey was also chosen for the “Finest 15” in the section. Midfielder Lenny Duncan, who scored six goals and had eight assists, was chosen as honorable mention.

Penn Hills opened section play by beating Gateway and McKeesport. The Indians were hurt by how they ended section play, dropping their last four section matches.

Penn-Trafford grabbed the last playoff spot out of the section, finishing 8-5-1 in section play. With another season behind them, the Indians are now working on finding a path back to the playoffs next season.

Penn Hills will be hosting an indoor tournament in January at the Fralic Athletic Center. Hankey said the Indians will also try to participate in as many tournaments as they can at other schools.

“We want to work on strength and conditioning and try to keep the team together as much as we can,” Hankey said. “We want to keep playing together. We try to play in tournaments over the winter and in the summer.”

Getting experience will be important for the returning players. Penn Hills is losing six players to graduation but will have a solid core of juniors returning from this season.

The Indians hope to quickly find a path back to the postseason.

“The ball didn’t bounce our way this year,” Ryan Hankey said. “We weren’t able to capitalize on opportunities to put opponents away. We also had some costly red cards that took away key players from important matches.”

Tags: Penn Hills