Yencey Hernandez follows through on a penalty kick during a game against Albemarle.
UNIONVILLE – The Anson High School Bearcat Soccer Team returns from a week-long break 6 p.m. Tuesday when they host 2-7 Monroe.
The Bearcats continue looking for the first win of the season after falling in a 9-0 mercy rule to Piedmont last week.
“I take it all with a grain of salt. It’s a 4A or bigger school in a 2A or 3A conference, and we’re a 2A school that should be 1A or 2A. Population, history of playing soccer, all are things you take in stride. I don’t think anything about this game. It’s Piedmont. They won, and we can go home,” Anson coach Hunter Klein said.
Despite the loss, the Bearcats built a bit of momentum last Monday after scoring a goal against Albemarle in a 8-1 loss and previously tying South Stanly earlier this month. Klein credited players such as sophomore Yencey Hernandez for making progress despite facing players two or three years his senior.
“[Hernandez] has been a heck of an impact on the field. He’s our main leader in goals. He makes a great free kick, and he’s really a threat to every team. When I speak to the coaches after the game, they always have something to say about him. He’s a great kid,” Klein said.
With the Bearcats in a rebuild year, Klein said the main goal is daily improvements with the hopes of building up enough to give a few elite area teams a scare once the playoffs get close.
“We take each game and think about what we can improve on today, and what we did well. We try to avoid the negatives, lean into the positives and build off of it. It’s extremely important. [Winning] is what they strive for the most. They want to add that to their name, for their record. It means a lot to them. To be honest, they didn’t even like their tie. They didn’t. They were very upset. I understood it. They wanted it more than anything and believed in themselves more than anything that day. They didn’t get it, and sometimes that happens,” Klein said.