Lubende Draws State Recognition

MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Prairie Grove senior Asende Lubende scored three goals during the Tigers' 5-1 win over Gentry on Tuesday, April 9. He was named State player of the Week for March 25-31 by MaxPreps.com, an online score tracker for high school athletics.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER/Prairie Grove senior Asende Lubende scored three goals during the Tigers' 5-1 win over Gentry on Tuesday, April 9. He was named State player of the Week for March 25-31 by MaxPreps.com, an online score tracker for high school athletics.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- United Soccer Coaches and MaxPreps announced April 3 that Prairie Grove senior Asende Lubende was among 12 boys and 20 girls named the Spring United Soccer Coaches/MaxPreps High School State Players of the Week for their on-field efforts from March 25-31. According to the press release posted on Maxpreps.com, United Soccer Coaches uses results and statistics provided by MaxPreps.com to select one boy and one girl honoree from each participating state competing during the spring season. Lunbende was nominated by Prairie Grove boys soccer coach Darren Chandler, who submitted Lubende's statistics to be considered for the honor.

"He's playing like a team player. He really is," Chandler said.

"Now, obviously he got three goals in this one," Chandler said referring to a conference win over Gentry by a 5-1 score on Tuesday, April 9.

"He was able to do that, but he'll pass the ball, he'll get assists, he'll do whatever needs to be done to help us to win," Chandler said. "Tonight, it was scoring. Other nights it's playing defense and possessing the ball or sending it through to Josh (Brant) or somebody else to get some goals. He's just really versatile. He really is."

Lunbende's physical attributes allow him to maintain control in traffic, which are balanced by his poise on the field.

"He has such soft touches and such quick feet that he can just get it around anybody and he's just really calm when he's 1-on-1 with that goalkeeper," Chandler said. "He's going to go right towards him and he's going to make him pick a side and he's going to go to the other side 90 percent of the time probably. We saw one time in the first half where he was trying to do that and he couldn't quite score on the opportunity."

Sports on 04/17/2019