Penn Hills boys soccer team looks to work on chemistry under new coach

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Sunday, August 11, 2024 | 11:01 a.m.

The Penn Hills boys soccer program will need time to grow.

New coach Kevin Truman has set up an under-19 team in recent months to give players the opportunity to gain experience. With a squad that included players aged 13 through to 16 or 17, the team was able to gain important experience playing together.

“We were about .500,” Truman said. “I wasn’t paying attention to the results. I was more concerned with taking reps and building chemistry.”

Penn Hills opens the season at home against Obama Academy on August 24. The Indians will play in Section 1-4A this season, along with Central Catholic, Gateway, Norwin and Plum.

Penn Hills finished 6-11-1 overall and 3-10-1 in sectional play last season in Class 3A. The Indians lost several key players from last year’s team, including all-section goalie Landon Hankey.

Penn Hills also lost All-Section players Jeremy Safran and Mack Byrnes.

Truman, a Penn Hills graduate and lifelong resident of the district, said getting to know the players was a smooth process, as he had coached many of them at the youth level.

“I was a coach with the Penn Hills Soccer Association before coaching club soccer for the last five years,” Truman said. “I knew about 80 or 85 percent of the players already.”

Truman said Penn Hills will try to build an attack across the team. Chase Delehanty will be an attacking midfielder, while Adam Alaali will be used as a striker.

“We’re not going to play with our main players,” Truman said. “We’re going to try to be a possession team, but we’re not going to play with one player.”

The Indians received support this year through a partnership with Redeemer Lutheran. Penn Hills will have three players from this school on the team.

Hamilton Anyang, who is going to Redeemer, will play in defensive midfield. Jadon Robbins, a tall goalkeeper, will try to follow in Hankey’s footsteps.

Jay Taylor will be another Penn Hills player who can make a strong contribution on defense.

“We’ve worked hard,” Truman said. “We’re a young team. We only have four seniors. … We’ve had about seven practices and everyone is confident in what we’re doing.”

Tags: Penn Hills