PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles’ Ben Schneider had a decent sophomore season with four goals, but with a couple of high-scoring exchange students leaving the Roughriders soccer team this year, someone had to pick up the scoring slack.
Schneider figured, “it might as well be me.”
Schneider, in the words of Port Angeles head coach Chris Saari, took an “exponential leap” from his sophomore season, jumping from four goals scored to 12. Schneider didn’t just score, he scored from all over the field, with a huge leg and booming shot that got defenders’ attention any time he crossed midfield with the ball.
Because of his success and his dominance, Schneider was selected by the Riders as their offensive MVP. He also was selected by coaches and the staff at the Peninsula Daily News as the All-Peninsula Boys Soccer MVP.
Saari said he expected this to be a rebuilding year for Port Angeles because they lost a number of seniors and exchange students off the 2016 squad. However, partly thanks to Schneider’s offensive fireworks, the Riders went 10-6 and made the postseason.
“He took a big leap from a sophomore with his productivity. Someone had to fill in the void,” Saari said.
Schneider said he’s partly motivated by the play of his older brother Tim, an all Olympic League 2A player who graduated from Port Angeles in 2015 and played for a time at Peninsula College, and is looking at breaking his brother’s scoring records.
Schneider acknowledged he hadn’t told his brother about his plans until now.
Tim’s record is 13 goals in one season for the Roughriders, one better than Ben’s 2017 season.
Schneider said that during the season, he made a point to not keep track of his goals and didn’t know his total until after the year was over.
“I didn’t want it to go to my head,” he said.
“If I did, I won’t be a team player and that’s not good.”
In fact, while breaking his brother’s 13-goal record is one of his goals for his senior season, Schneider said another one of his big goals is to improve on his four assists from this season.
Scheider is now playing on a summer club team in Silverdale, playing with a number of players from Olympic League 2A schools. He’s working to improve various aspects of his game such as improved field awareness and “knowing where to go with the ball.” Soccer is a year-round passion of his, as he doesn’t play any other sport during the year.
Schneider also hopes to help the team have more success. He felt the Roughriders got off to a strong start, but tailed off at the end of the season, which resulted in a playoff appearance that ended after one game.
“I felt pretty good about the the season. I was a little bit disappointed in the end of the season. We seemed to fall off after spring break,” he said.
Saari said Schneider, who went back and forth between forward and outside midfielder all season, started his junior season off with a bang. He was the Roughriders’ offensive player of the match at least six or seven weeks in a row early in the season.
Schneider definitely had a big leg, hitting one goal against North Kitsap from 40-plus yards out and regularly terrorizing goaltenders with probing shots from 30 yards out and more. Even if he didn’t score from those long-range shots, he was unnerving goaltenders and forcing defenses to react to the threat he created from anywhere in the offensive zone.
“He definitely stepped up and became a dangerous player from all over the field,” Saari said. “He’s not afraid to shoot from long range.”
That big right leg of Schneider’s was not only effective in scoring, but in beating defenders. He could hit long passes and make passes across the field completely over defenders, Saari said.
“He created things for others and shared the ball. You have to be selfish to be a good scorer, but he has found a good balance,” Saari said.
Schneider said having a powerful leg takes natural ability, but that there is work “on the technique to hit the ball correctly.” He said at times this year, he actually hit the ball too hard past his defenders.
Saari said Schneider had more than just a powerful leg, however. Schneider also beat defenders and created shots for himself with his ballhandling.
Schneider plans to play soccer collegiately and has an interest in playing for Peninsula College’s powerhouse soccer program.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or plabossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.
