Penn Hills soccer teams optimistic about building process

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, August 24, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Previous Next

Penn Hills junior Freddy Takou feels a different vibe during preseason practices than he did a year ago.

The Indians played a lot of young players last year and they took their lumps in Section 1-4A. Takou, who transferred into the program from Obama Academy, said he thinks the experience has helped build confidence.

“I think this year, we have a more stable squad, attacking and defending wise,” Takou said. “We have a lot of players who can play defense, midfield and attack. I think this year compared to last year will be a better year for us. The team has come a long way from playing together.”

The Indians, who were scheduled to open the season Aug. 23 against West Mifflin at home, finished 3-14 overall last season and 0-10 in section play. Penn Hills was outscored 46-3 in section matches.

Second-year Indians coach Kevin Truman anticipates that they will need everyone to chip in to score more goals

“We have a strong striker in Freddy, but I certainly think the goals are going to be by committee this year,” Truman said. “We’re going to be looking to get goals from anywhere on the pitch, and I don’t care where they come from. I think we’ll have a stronger midfield that creates more chances.”

Penn Hills will return an experienced goalkeeper in Jadon Robbins. Junior Jesse Truman will pull double duty, playing for his dad on the soccer team while also kicking for the football team.

Junior Thomas Quirk, who plays centerback and center defensive mid, has a good feeling about the upcoming season.

“It was tough,” Quirk said. “A lot of times we just didn’t have the manpower or the experience to compete with those teams. But this year, we have a lot more experience and a lot more chemistry. I think we can compete with Plum and Norwin.”

Making life easier

Atheena Burnett turned away 40 shots in a game last season. Penn Hills girls soccer coach Myron Cook would like to see that number decline.

“We’re trying to bring it down to at least 30,” Cook joked. “The saves she made were just amazing. Not just from my perspective, but from the other coaches in the section that praised her and picked her as honorable mention for all-section.”

The Indians struggled to keep up last season in a loaded Section 1-3A that included returning WPIAL finalist Fox Chapel and perennial powerhouse Mars. Penn Hills was outscored 85-0 in section play, finishing 1-16-1 overall and 0-10 in section play.

The Indians will bring back several seniors who will be important contributors. Callie Hankey, Dulce Hernandez and Amanda Heide hope to get the program pointed back in the right direction.

Cook has been happy with the team’s work ethic. During a preseason scrimmage with Oakland Catholic, Cook said he was happy with how the team connected passes.

“They had 35 volunteer practices going back to June for them to come in and work on football skills,” Cook said. “We have three or four new kids, two of them haven’t played since eighth grade. It’s been great.”

Tags: Penn Hills