Penn Hills boys soccer working to build communication, confidence

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, September 1, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Building strong communication with teammates isn’t a major mystery to Penn Hills junior midfielder Chase Delahanty. Sometimes, figuring out how to better mesh with your teammates means asking questions.

Following a 10-0 loss to North Hills on Aug. 27, Delahanty and his teammates wanted to learn about how passes should go forward.

“I felt like I had an off game. There were a few balls I could have played better,” Delahanty said. “As a team, coach has mentioned in our meeting to play the final ball more over their heads rather than through their feet. We asked what ball they preferred, whether they prefer to make an outside run or inside run so we are all on the same page.”

With only one senior in the lineup, the Indians have a lot of fresh faces who need some guidance. Penn Hills (0-2) opened the season with a 5-1 loss to Obama Academy.

Building up to the Section 1-4A opener was always going to feature some bumps and bruises for the Penn Hills.

“It’s all about confidence,” first-year Penn Hills coach Kevin Truman said. “When you are in school, you may be more quiet naturally. But on the field, you have to trust your soccer IQ when you communicate. It comes down to confidence.”

North Hills asserted its dominance from early on in the match, taking the lead three minutes in on a penalty kick.

Within the first 15 minutes, North Hills midfielder Othmane Eljoufri was able to slide past a defender and wrap a shot to the corner of the net past goalkeeper Jadon Robbins.

Delahanty was forced into action at left halfback due to injury. He has played soccer for 12 years and seen action all over the field.

“I have a good understanding of what each position does,” Delahanty said. “I can help the younger players out with what they should do. If they have questions, I can help.”

Truman said that Penn Hills did film study of the North Hills match and that the team was able to identify some of its mistakes.

Penn Hills was able to connect some passes in the midfield, but couldn’t generate enough possession to threaten the North Hills keeper. Identifying when to make runs and to get into attack position is a focus for Penn Hills.

“We’ve tried different kickoff methods and before the game, they will have midfielders gather around and discuss a game plan,” Delahanty said. “Since we are playing bigger, experienced teams, we need to do different things to manipulate defenses and use our skills to our advantage.”

Truman said he knows this will be a process that will continue throughout the year for Penn Hills. The Indians will have large stretches with a lot of underclassmen on the field.

“I feel like we never quit,” Truman said. “There wasn’t any negativity with yelling at each other. We were able to keep our composure. It’s a tough pill to swallow losing 10-0 at home, but I thought the boys played as a team.”

Tags: Penn Hills