Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Chad Gurdish
School: Bentworth
Year: Senior
Sport: Soccer
Gurdish’s week: An attacking midfielder, Gurdish led the Bearcats to three Section 4-A wins with five goals against Geibel last Tuesday, two against Beth-Center two days later and a hat trick in a 6-1 victory over California Saturday.
With his five goals against the Gators, Gurdish moved into third place in program history with 42 goals, 19 away from second place. The two-time all-section selection has 18 goals this season for Bentworth, which is searching for its first section title since 2012.
“He wasn’t producing much early in the season because other people were scoring, but we had times last week where we weren’t finishing our shots and getting goals,” Bentworth head coach Gary Amos said. “It was almost like he was putting them on his back, I guess, and he took over. He said, ‘I’ll be the one to score.'”
As he rose up the program’s scoring list, Gurdish began to closely look at how many goals he scored in each match. Now, it’s no surprise when he has a big week.
“It was exciting to move into third,” Gurdish said. “I like that. It felt good to have a week like that.”
New shot: Despite another strong season on the pitch last fall, leading Bentworth in goals and assists, Gurdish saw a need to improve his shot. So he worked all spring and summer with Sotiri Tsourekis, his head coach with the Allegheny Force.
It’s paying off. From his center midfield position, Gurdish is a threat to score every time he touches the ball in the opponent’s end of the pitch.
“My coaches on both teams helped me,” Gurdish said. “I mainly distribute the ball or (Coach Amos) will have me go one-on-one with a defender if I’m in the middle and if I can see a hole, I can go through it to create a chance.”
The Bearcats (8-0, 9-2-1) only use one forward in their formation, so Gurdish is asked to be versatile in the middle. It’s a challenge he’s embraced the past four years. He was named All-WPIAL last season and helped Bentworth return to the playoffs.
Growth: When Gurdish stepped onto the pitch for his first varsity match three years ago, he was only 5-3, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t compete. From the first day, Amos knew he had a player who could develop into a prolific scorer.
“He’s always been really skilled with the ball,” Amos said. “He’s always had a good touch, good shot and everything, but he’s gotten so much bigger. He was a small kid, he’s gotten bigger and he wrestles so he’s gotten stronger, too. He still has the skill and speed.”
Those first few games were a struggle for Gurdish. He got knocked around by upperclassmen and didn’t make much of an impact. He started every match as a freshman and the rest is history.
In wrestling, Gurdish reached the PIAA regional tournament as a sophomore, advanced to the WPIAL championships last winter and continues to lift weights to prepare himself for another rigorous wrestling season, but there’s no question that his sport is soccer.
Before he trades his jersey and shorts in for a singlet, Gurdish is looking to move up the career scoring list and help Bentworth make a lengthy playoff run.
“I want to take that second spot, but I have a long way to go,” Gurdish said with a laugh.
Compiled by Lance Lysowski