COLD SHOULDER: Hun School boys’ soccer player Chris Andrews, center, thwarts a foe as Elijah Smarr, left, backs up the play. Last Saturday, Hun got two goals from Michael Campbell as it edged the George School (Pa.) 2-1 to improve to 4-2. In upcoming action, the Raiders play at the Blair Academy on October 10 and at Princeton Day School on October 13. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

At first glance, it doesn’t appear that freshman defender Elijah Smarr is likely to have a major impact when he comes off the bench for the Hun School boys’ soccer team.

Standing at about 5 feet tall and weighing in the neighborhood of 100 pounds, the diminutive Smarr seems physically overmatched on the field.

But Smarr isn’t about to let his small stature prevent him from coming up big for the Raiders.

“It is all about making the play happen when you are on the field, not dwelling about being on the bench but enjoying the time I am on the field and trying to be the best player I can on the field,” said Smarr.

“Since I am a smaller guy, trying to play with the bigger guys is a challenge.”

Last Thursday against the Academy of New Church (Pa.), Smarr made a huge play for Hun, racing down the sideline to slide a volley into the back of the net to give the Raiders a 3-2 lead. Smarr’s tally proved to be the difference as the Raiders tacked on a late score to earn a come-from-behind 4-2 victory.

“It was more instinct than anything; the coaches were telling me keep pushing forward but don’t do it every time,” said Smarr, recalling the game-winning play. “That is what I did and it was a great reward.”

With Hun trailing ANC 2-1 at halftime, the Raider coaches were telling the players to keep pushing collectively.

“At the half we had a talk about how we are a better team than that and we shouldn’t be playing down to them,” said Smarr. “We can perform much better than we did. We tried to possess as much as we could in their half.”

Hun’s second-half possession led to a game-tying goal by Michael Campbell, which turned the tide of the contest.

“It was a great push for the team, we knew that we could do it, “ said Smarr, referring to Campbell’s tally. “It was a big step forward for us.”

Hun head coach Pat Quirk thought Hun took a step forward with its comeback win.

“We have got comeback in us which is good,” said Quirk. “I would like us to get ahead and stay ahead. Against Germantown (a 5-3 win on September 26), we went up 2-0 and they tied it, we went up 3-2 and they tied it and eventually we were able to pull away. I think we just take too many plays off at times and we stop focusing on what we need to do to win, which is to possess the ball, play to feet and win 50/50 balls.”

Hun got off to a good start against ANC, jumping out to 1-0 lead on a goal by Campbell only to yield two unanswered goals to trail 2-1 at halftime.

“You have to believe we can do it, it was only 2-1,” said Quirk. “We should have been winning by a few goals. I thought we had played some solid soccer and we were just getting overanxious. We saw these long runs and we were trying to play these long balls on the slick surface that just weren’t working. The one goal we got, we pinged it around and played it down the line on the ground, not in the air and we got a good one.”

Campbell’s solid finishing made a difference for the Raiders  “Michael can get dangerous,” said Quirk of Campbell, who scored both goals as Hun edged the George School (Pa.) last Saturday to improve to 4-2 and match last year’s win total already.

“He has got speed, he can dribble, we are trying to get him to jell. Originally we thought he could be a guy we could send long but he likes the ball at his feet and that is what we are working with. Each day we try to figure out how the guys work together.”

Smarr’s spirited work off the bench has been a spark for Hun. “Elijah is one of the most underestimated kids,” said Quirk.

“His feet are great and he has great vision of the field. He probably can’t go a full game but he is a kid that gives you a little energy off the bench because guys underestimate him. He does well against bigger kids, he is not afraid, that gets other guys going on the team. When he wins a tackle, the kids get going.”

Continuing to show improved game, junior midfielder Gunnar Schellscheidt scored the final tally for the Raiders.

“Gunnar worked really hard and he had a good game against Germantown, with a goal and an assist,” said Quirk.

“He is just a kid who works hard and goes hard on tackles. He is getting his passing better. He has stuff to build on.”

Smarr, for his part, sees good stuff ahead for Hun based on its rally against ANC.

“It shows that we have a lot of grit and a lot of heart,” said Smarr. “A lot of teams underestimate us this year since we did so poorly last year but we have a lot to offer this year. We are going to give some good teams a good battle this year.”