Anderson midfielders Angel Rodriguez and Cristian Hernández recorded a pair of hat tricks in Tuesday’s 7-0 season opener victory over Liberty Christian.
Despite Liberty Christian competing as the designated home team, the game was played on the football field turf at Anderson due to wet field conditions at Davis Park. Anderson cut the field in half for over 36 minutes of the first half, constantly placing pressure on the Lions’ back line.
Liberty Christian junior back Jude Kelly-Rigney emerged as the shield for the Lions after rejecting a volley out of the box and sliding for a classic tackle on an Anderson breakaway.
Rodriguez took control early, earning a free kick from 22 yards out just 10 minutes into the matchup. The Tribe’s junior midfielder scored an uncontested goal on his second free kick following a desperation handball by Kelly-Rigney in the 18th minute.
Rodriguez displayed his strengths at center, striking for the first goal to put the Tribe on the scoreboard. He hustled after several 50-50 loose balls and distributed the ball to his strikers before getting his opportunity in front of the net.
In his first varsity game, Anderson freshman Carter Spolyar scored on a crosser from the far side corner of the end zone in the 25th minute to increase the Tribe’s lead to 2-0. Liberty Christian failed to step out to Spolyar off the corner kick, and the freshman sent a missile through the open left bar.
Anderson coach Chris Spolyar declared a “baptism by fire” for the three freshmen, including his son, who started in the season opener. Spolyar enters his 14th season at Anderson and the 26th season of his coaching career.
Hernandez scored consecutive goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half as Liberty Christian’s back line could not recover from deep passes sliced through its defense. Anderson’s senior midfielder dribbled straight through the Lions’ defense into the red turf for a wide open goal just three minutes after the break. In the 50th minute, Hernández scored on a chip over the top from senior forward Cristyan Santiago to extend the Tribe’s lead to 4-0.
“The young players impressed me,” Hernández said. “They have got a lot to learn but have a lot of potential. What I really want to see this season is consistency, but it’s definitely going to be a good season. I trust these guys.”
Hernández is Anderson’s most creative scorer in isolation and, when paired with Rodriguez, provides an identity to the Tribe’s offensive attack.
“Cristian is a very, very, creative player,” Coach Spolyar said. “He sees things other players don’t, makes runs other players can’t. A lot of times he will make a run and won’t go get the ball because it’s such a creative run that the guys don’t know what is happening.”
Anderson took a 5-0 lead on a corner kick to Rodriguez, who scored on the header in the 58th minute. He completed the hat trick on a strike beneath the crossbar from 15 yards out to increase the Tribe’s lead to 6-0 in the 72nd minute.
Anderson limited Liberty Christian to zero shots on goal, and will host Lapel in its second official soccer game in program history Thursday on the varsity football field.
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.