PUSHING FORWARD: Hun School boys’ soccer player Luke Donahue, right, battles for the ball in a game earlier this season. Senior forward Donahue has tallied a goal and an assist so far this fall to help Hun get off to a 5-1-2 start. In upcoming action, the Raiders play at the Blair Academy on October 5 and at the Peddie School on October 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

It is the only loss for the Hun School boys’ soccer team so far this fall, but it proved to be a sign of the squad’s quality.

Facing perennial powerhouse Pennington on September 18, Hun battled the Red Hawks to a scoreless stalemate in the first half and the foes were locked in a 1-1 tie late in the second half before the Raiders yielded two late goals to fall 3-1.

“They came with a lot of energy in the beginning and we weathered the storm and settled in really nicely,” said Hun head coach Pat Quirk. “We created a couple of opportunities. Diego [Pena] kept us in the game for sure, he made some great saves. We proved to ourselves that we can compete with anybody. We can stay in any game.”

Since that battle, the Raiders have gone 2-0-1, edging Delran 1-0 on September 21, tying Episcopal Academy (Pa.) 0-0 on September 24, and defeating Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) 4-0 last Saturday to move to 5-1-2 on the season.

In the win over Mercersburg, Hun poured it on in the second half.

“It was a slow start, it was 0-0 at halftime,” said Quirk, who got two goals from Austin Rollins in the win with Gonzalo Nunez Perez tallying a goal and an assist and Luke Donahue chipping in one goal. “It was their parents weekend so they were pretty hyped — they had a lot of energy coming out. In the second half, we turned it on. We thrive on winning 50/50 balls, winning the second one and going off each other’s energy. Once we got one, we started playing a lot better.”

A stingy defense has been a constant for the Raiders this fall.

“We have a really strong defense, beginning with Diego in goal and our two center backs, Chris Meehan and Brad Barnes,” said Quirk. “With Diego, it is almost like having an 11th field player out there. He plays such a high line and his distribution has been really good for us this year. We can play out of the back and we can feel that we can play it to him at any time. Chris and Brad have been really great back there. The two outside backs, Austin Rollins and Noah Silvestre, have been great. Marius So, Max Frost, Christian Wolfe, and Gonzalo rotate — those four are central midfielders. Each of them pick up balls from each other.”

The Raiders have displayed balance at the offensive end as seven different players have scored goals this fall.

“We are starting to find our offensive groove,” said Quirk. “What I like most about it is that it is not just the starters playing for 80 minutes, it is the starters and a bunch of bench guys that are coming in to help out. We are able to save some legs. I think the cool thing is that everyone feels a part of it, everyone is buying into their roles. I think that has been awesome in terms of playing time and people working hard for each other.”

Hun has been getting good work from Hayden Gronczewski (2 goals, 3 assists in 2024), Sasha Mykhalchuk (2 goals), Luke Donahue (1 goal, 1 assist), and Luciano Verduci (2 goals).

“Hayden came off the bench in a couple of games, he is starting now a little bit but he is creating a lot,” said Quirk. “Sasha is still trying to figure out where he fits — he takes a lot on. He is very strong on the ball, he can shoot and finish. Luke is just so athletic, he can win any ball in the air. He hustles his butt off. Luciano scored the first one against Hopewell, a game winner. He has got a knack for scoring.”

With Hun playing at the Blair Academy on October 5 and at the Peddie School on October 8, Quirk wants his players to keep hustling.

“The one thing I have been reiterating to them is you can’t get complacent,” said Quirk. “You can’t feel like we have accomplished anything. We have got a tough schedule ahead of us. It is one game at a time, keep the standards high, and keep the competition high.”