RIGHT THIS WEH
Larnicho’s hat trick propels Nottingham to first win
HAMILTON » After four games with only two goals to show for its efforts, the Nottingham High boys soccer team wanted to adjust its offensive approach.
Larnicho Weh, one of head coach Mike Braender’s few returning players with varsity experience, bought into the new attack and thrived off it Monday.
Weh, who joined the varsity last season, did not score as a junior, but he made his presence known yesterday by scoring a hat trick to lead the Northstars to a 4-1 win over Ewing, their first win of 2018.
Weh opened scoring with 25:34 left in the first half when he ran onto a pass from his classmate Franklin Hytegha and kicked it past hard-working Blue Devils goalkeeper Kyle Marks (13 saves).
Exactly six minutes later, Weh struck again, this time knocking in a lead from sophomore forward Duno Clenor.
“I’m a midfielder, but I was more of a striker today,” Weh said. “I was in the midfield, but I had to go forward to help the team.”
The biggest way Weh helped his teammates was in his understanding of the offside rule. While a number of his running mates would either get too anxious when a ball headed their way or would simply camp out behind the defense, Weh knew how to time his runs forward, which paid big dividends for Nottingham (1-3-1).
“That’s something we’ve been working on,” Weh said. “Some of our guys run way too fast and don’t wait for the ball.”
The home team extended its lead with 4:18 left in the half when Zac Given sent a corner kick to the head of Hytegha, who powered the ball past Marks for a 3-0 lead.
Ewing (2-4) gave itself some hope 2:20 before intermission when senior Chris Krah took a pass from Steven Rodriguez and broke away on a 50yard dash to the goal to sneak a shot under Northstars goalkeeper Pat Luckie (nine saves).
The visitors’ luck never changed after the break, although they looked ready to score with 28:10 to go when Luckie dived through the goal crease to knock away a shot, only to see sophomore Anthony Cruz volley a shot off the crossbar, which dropped near the goal line, but no goal was awarded.
“If we get that second goal, we had the momentum, so it could have been a different game,” Blue Devils head coach Dave Waseleski said. “(The Northstars) are big and have speed up top, which makes it hard for any team trying to defend them.”
Weh and Clenor connected once more in the second half to put the game away. With Ewing using the wind to its advantage after the break, it spent a good portion of the last 40 minutes in Nottingham’s end. But Weh sealed their fate when he took a midfield lead from Clenor and went in to complete his hat trick.
“We needed this,” Braender said. “We changed our formation because we have enough speed to do that. If we use it correctly, it’s a big advantage for us.”
“It was great to get our first win,” Weh said. “To do it more, we have to keep practicing hard and get better at what we’re trying to do.”
For Weh, that may mean continuing to find the back of the net until someone else learns how to get through.
Ewing (2-4) 1 0 — 1 Nottingham(1-3-1) 3 1 — 4
Goals: Krah (E), Weh 3, Hytegha (N); Assists: Hytegha, Clenor 2, Given (N). Shots: 17 (E), 10 (N); Saves: Marks 13 (E), Luckie 9 (N).