Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMSOC | Side kicks: Good friends and near-perfect opposites, Hansen Woodruff and Kyle Hall are keys to SU's offense
By Jason Tarr
Posted: 9/4/07, 11:33 PM EST Section: Sports
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Kyle Hall is more left-footed; Hansen Woodruff favors his right. Hall typically scores goals on crosses; Woodruff powers the ball down the field and racks up his goals from straight away. Hall scores his goals earlier in the game, Woodruff knows he's clutch.
But all the differences aside, one thing is for certain - forward/midfielders Hall and Woodruff know how to play off each other.
"Hansen is a player that goes hard. He will start a game pumped and that will make me pumped because I see his energy and I want to get up to that level," Hall said.
"It's kind of the same mentality," Woodruff countered. "I know if Kyle gets one-on-one usually 80 to 90 percent of the time, he is going to beat the guy, and if he can get a shot off, score it, (and) if not, look for me or (SU forward) Spencer (Schomaker) in the middle."
The junior transfer, Hall, and the sophomore, Woodruff, burst onto the scene last season as capable goal scorers. Hall started every game for SU last season and tallied 14 points. Woodruff's 16 points were the most by an Orange freshman since Jarett Park amassed 24 points in 2001. They are expected to be the two key components in SU's scoring unit again this season, making them both vitally important to the success of a team that has been deprived of serious offensive threats over the past few seasons.
"Their job is to score goals," SU head coach Dean Foti said. "That's the way that you judge their performance. They have to be good at scoring goals themselves and creating opportunities for others. They need to keep improving on being goal scorers."
And Foti said improving on being goal scorers involves Woodruff and Hall continuing to improve their chemistry, which is already strong.
The two players stood out on a nearly empty Hookway Field, the sun just beginning to set after a long practice. As the two friends fielded questions, they would look at each other before answering, collaborating on answers. Even then, as they answered questions about their upcoming season, they seemed to be playing off of each other.
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