Thomas Jefferson’s Lutz finds knack for hat tricks

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, October 1, 2018 | 9:27 PM

Senior forward Preston Lutz had a hat trick to lead the Thomas Jefferson boys soccer team to an 8-1 section win Sept. 25 against visiting McKeesport.

Lutz, a three-year letterman with a 3.5 GPA, has racked up three hat tricks this season.

“I think we’re all coming together really well as a team, even though we have a fairly young team,” Lutz said. “We want to make the most out of this season, especially the seniors.

“I plan on helping this team go as far as we can. We all just want to prove that we can compete with the top teams and win as much as possible.”

Lutz has two siblings with strong TJ soccer ties.

Cole, a 2017 TJ graduate, was an all-section, All-WPIAL and all-state selection in high school. He currently is attending Kentucky. Ava is a sophomore midfield starter on the TJ girls team.

“I try to be more and more like (Cole) on and off the soccer field every day,” Lutz said. “I can’t do anything without my team, and what really matters is winning with the team and enjoying our success together.

“All of our coaches have been very supportive of all of us this year, which goes a long way for us as players.”

Through 10 games, Lutz had accounted for 12 goals and four assists for the Jaguars. He switched positions from the midfield area to forward this season.

“Preston is an outstanding team player with excellent field skills,” coach Michael “Doc” Kulish said. “He works extremely hard in practice, and therefore his play on the pitch this year has shown improvement from last year.

“He is truly a leader on the team, and is an inspiration to the younger athletes.”

Lutz plans to continue his studies at an area college following his high school graduation.

“I would love to attend college somewhere fairly close, such as Robert Morris, to major in sports management,” he said.

The Jaguars improved to 6-1-1 in Section 4-3A, and 7-2-1 overall, with the victory over McKeesport.

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.

Tags: Thomas Jefferson