Sports
Hernandez Re-Injures Knee During Friday Soccer Game
It seems unlikely the senior striker will return this season.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School's boys soccer team was already playing without senior defender and co-captain Joey D'Annunzio. Now it looks like senior striker Johan Hernandez might be lost for the season.
Hernandez re-injured his left knee late in the second half of Friday's 2-1 win over A.L. Johnson in Scotch Plains. Hernandez missed all of last year after having surgery to repair tears in his lateral collateral ligaments (MCL, LCL).
Breznitsky said Hernandez bumped his knee during August's trip to Brazil and was held out of the team's last three games. He visited an orthopedist when he returned, then had a magnetic resonance imaging test. Breznitsky said during the process, Hernandez was told that he had an injury to the meniscus of the knee and was given a choice to either have arthroscopic surgery or play with it.
Wearing a brace, Hernandez twisted awkwardly and re-injured the knee Friday. He could be lost for the season, the coach said. D'Annunzio, who is waiting to receive clearance after a cyst was found in his brain, kept Hernandez company as he was carted from the field.
"It was a very bad twist on the ball," Breznitsky said.
Hernandez' loss and D'Annunzio's uncertainty will impact a team that came into the season with very high hopes. D'Annunzio is confident he'll return.
"Our two co-captains weren't in the game,'' Breznitsky said. "Didn't have either Joey or Johan. But the kids showed their resiliancy. It shows just how much depth we have and a great amount of versatility."
"We have quality depth,'' he added. "But we can't take many more of these."
Hernandez had scored goals against Summit and Elizabeth. He had an assist on Brian Kahn's goal in the first half of Friday's game.
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