Hayes and Lynch Reflect on a Season of Teamwork

The Upper Moreland boys’ soccer team heavily emphasis team work.

Two teammates that relied on each other this past season were seniors Tommy Hayes and Kyle Lynch.

“You have to work as one,” said Hayes. “You can’t just play offense and defense. You won’t be successful doing that. You have to help each other out.”

Both players were captains this year and showed what teamwork was all about.

Hayes was the leading scorer for Upper Moreland with 15 goals. Scoring a large amount of the Bears’ goals, Hayes needed someone to get him the ball.

That is where Lynch came in the picture. Even though Lynch didn’t play up front with Hayes, he was responsible of stopping anyone that got through the midfield.

Without the two outstanding play of these two players, the Bears may not have had a successful season after all.

“These two players especially understand that one person cant do it,” said head coach Jack Knauss. “They know their role.”

Hayes knows he is responsible for scoring as many goals as possible. The senior striker has a certain feel for the ball. He seemed to always find his way to it.

“He was very important for us,” said Knauss. “Without him there are many games we wouldn’t win. I cannot stress the important with Tommy on that. Even in the beginning of the season we won’t sure about some of the guys His piece was always where it needed to be."

The big comeback

In the beginning of the season, Upper Moreland stood at 2-4 and couldn’t seem to muster a win. Hayes knew that he needed to perform.

“Going into the year I had the mindset on that because I knew we were losing some midfielders,” said Hayes. “With Lynch and Walder back there, they held it down when we were only up a goal.”

Once Hayes started finding the back of the net, the Bears went on a streak. It also showed that Lynch was holding the defense in check.

“I believe it is very important for me to be vocal and help the team,” said Lynch. “I’ve been playing defense my whole life. The more I talk the more I am helping the team.”

Hayes even praises the work that Lynch did with the backline.

“Kyle was crucial,” said Hayes. “When the other offensive players got pass our outside backs, he was always there to clear the ball."

When Lynch heard Hayes said some kind words bout him, he was very quick to give some credit to the best offensive player on the team.

“He is very important to the team,” said Lynch. “He is our leading scorer and every team knows that. They know that they needed to stop him. I am glad I had him on my team.”

A grateful coach

With Lynch as the vocal leader of the defense, and Hayes causing havoc on offense, Knauss could sit back and coach, not worrying about any leadership issues for his team.

“There was not one time during the season that I didn’t know these guys wouldn’t step up,” said Knauss. “They would come up and take the burden on their shoulder. Tommy and Kyle both stepped up and there isn’t anything else they could’ve done to make this team better."

The playoffs

In the playoffs, when Hayes couldn’t get going offensively, Lynch made sure that the Bears were going to score either way.

Against Harriton, Lynch scored the only goal for Upper Moreland en route to a Bears victory as they moved onto the next round of the playoffs. Lynch was looking for Hayes the entire game.

“I made sure I always tried to look for Tommy during set pieces,” said Lynch. “I always look up the field for him, we have a very good connection.”

Even though Hayes didn’t score during that game, he believes that as long as another teammate scores, the entire team benefits.

“When I am inside the 30-yard line, I look to take it on myself and score,” said Hayes. “If the guy is wide open I am still going to pass it. As long as we score that is just a good as me scoring.”

Both players won’t be a part of Upper Moreland next year as they move onto college. Either way, the underclassmen had a clear example this year of how teammates are supposed to play on the soccer field.