BALL CONTROL: Hun School boys’ soccer player Sasha Mykhalchuk dribbles the ball in a game earlier this season. Last Wednesday, senior Mykhalchuk chipped in an assist to help second-seeded Hun defeat third-seeded Blair Academy 4-0 in the Prep A state semis. The Raiders, who defeated Peddie 8-4 in a regular season contest last Saturday to improve to 13-3-2, play at top-seeded Pennington in the Prep A final on November 6. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Sasha Mykhalchuk was downing sips of honey on the bench as he took a break in the first half when the Hun School boys’ soccer team hosted Blair Academy last Wednesday in the Prep A state semis.

When senior midfielder Mykhalchuk was on the field for Hun, he gave the squad a jolt of energy, smoothly passing for an assist in the first half and providing physical play all over the field as the second-seeded Raiders pulled away to 4-0 win over the third-seeded Buccaneers.

With just over four minutes into the contest, Mykhalchuk showed his playmaking ability, slotting a pass to Luciano Verduci who buried the ball into the back of the net to give Hun a 1-0 lead.

“I saw space, I knew that back wasn’t as fast as me so I just ran,” said Mykhalchuk. “I saw Luciano, I passed, and he scored.”

Hitting a lull after the early tally, the Raiders got rolling in the season half as Toba Olaleye scored two goals and Donovan Hayes added another.

“I feel like in the first half, we didn’t play to our best game; we took a lot of time to settle into the game,” said Mykhalchuk, a native of Kyiv, Ukraine. “Coach (Pat Quirk) was telling us to be more intense, play with more speed, with more strength, and we did. In the second half, we found the rhythm. We were playing with speed and we just smashed them.”

The Raiders will now play at top-seeded Pennington in the Prep A final on November 6.

“We know if we win, we play Pennington,” said Mykhalchuk of the Raiders, who fell 3-1 to the Red Hawks on September 18 in a regular season contest. “It is a final, we haven’t been there for like 10 years. It was a good motivation for us.”

Mykhalchuk was motivated to come to the U.S. for the combination of soccer and academics offered by Hun along with the opportunity to be reunited with his older brother.

“American can provide soccer and an education — that is why I came here,” said Mykhalchuk. “My brother is here, that is a big reason as well. I didn’t see him for three years. Being with family is very important for me as well.”

Joining the Raider team this summer for preseason training, Mykhalchuk fit right in.

“It was like a family since the first day, it was not hard to settle,” said Mykhalchuk. “I found friends, the guys are like my brothers now. It is very easy.”

Settling in with his new friends, Mykhalchuk leads the Raiders in assists with 10 and is tied for the team lead in goals with six.

“I thought I would score more goals at the start of the season,” said Mykhalchuk. “I feel like I pass more. I feel like I can pass and shoot. I am trying to provide for my teammates as well as trying to score myself. I don’t care whether I score or whether my teammates score as long as we win the game.”

Hun head coach Pat Quirk liked seeing his squad explode for the three second half goals.

“I loved it, we were just saying, ‘we had the second guys in and they were moving the ball a little bit better, one and two touch,’ which is what we were asking guys to play,” said Quirk. “We started winning more 50/50 balls, trying to get the intensity up.”

With Luke Donahue, Christopher Meehan, and Verduci also having scored six goals this season in addition to Mykhalchuk, the Raiders are featuring a balanced attack.

“All throughout the season we have been trying to get everybody in, different guys step up in different games,” said Quirk. “Luciano finally got one today. Toba finally got on the scoreboard for the first time.”

Quick credits Mykhalchuk with stepping up in big way this fall.

“Sasha has been great, he has the most assists,” said Quirk of Mykhalchuk, who had a goal and an assist as Hun defeated Peddie 8-4 last Saturday in a regular season contest to improve to 13-3-2. “I think in the preseason we might have expected him to score a little more. Now that he is getting a little more assists, it frees him up a little more to be a little more creative. He is physical, he can hold on to the ball. He can battle shoulder to shoulder with any of them.”

At the defensive end, senior goalie Diego Pena and a pair of  defenders, junior Chris Meehan and senior Bradford Barnes, held the fort for the Raiders against Blair.

“Diego in goal and the two center backs, Chris and Bradford, have been really set for us,” said Quirk.

The team’s positive chemistry has been a key factor in its success this fall.

“Everybody is stepping up,” added Quirk. “It is all spread out. It is a really nice group of kids, everybody understands their role. Guys get in, guys get out, so it has been nice.”

Things have come together nicely for Hun down the homestretch.

“I think we are in a really good spot,” said Quirk. “The Hill game (a 3-2 loss on October 19) was a little bit of a disappointment unfortunately. I think we have bounced back from that really nicely. We have had a couple of good wins since then with Lenape (2-0 on October 24) and Lawrenceville (3-0) on October 26 and this one.”

Looking ahead to the rematch with Pennington in the Prep A final, Quirk believes his squad has a good chance to turn the tables on the Red Hawks.

“We are excited, I know that they are going to be a little different than when we played them,” said Quirk. “They definitely prepare for us. We get a week to prepare for them, we are definitely excited to hopefully give them a good game.”

In Mykhalchuk’s view, the Raiders are primed to produce an exciting performance in round two against Pennington.

“It is going to be tough, it was 1-1 for 70 minutes before and then we conceded two goals,” said Mykhalchuk. “They are tough, they are our rivals. We will play our best. We don’t care who is the favorite, we are just going to go hard and try to win.”