Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – With a nimble stutter-step, Christian Hernandez froze an Alberta defender and launched a rocket from the middle of the box bound for the top corner.
If not for one of the best reaction saves of the Canada West season by Golden Bears goalkeeper Connor James, who got a hand on the ball to deflect it wide in the Oct. 14 contest, the MacEwan striker has his third goal of the season.
Hernandez has a pair of goals for the Griffins in just seven games of action this season after returning from a knee injury suffered in a preseason match at NAIT. His effect on the MacEwan offence as a finisher in the middle of the attacking third has been noticeable.
"He's creative and he's innovative in his movements and style of play," said Griffins head coach Adam Loga. "He's very technical and he definitely slithers and sneaks his way into pockets and seams. He's a sneaky attacking player. The ball's played through and you say 'whoa, Christian's over there.'
"With his technical skill and ability and his IQ, he's been very good for us."
Hernandez will lead the Griffins (2-9-1) into their final weekend of the season as they host Mount Royal University (4-4-4) on Saturday (Noon) and the University of Calgary (6-6-0) on Sunday (2:30 p.m., both games at Jasper Place Bowl).
Initially, when Hernandez entered MacEwan University in 2016, he had no plans of playing soccer, even though he'd been a product of both the Archbishop O'Leary and St. FX soccer academies, as well as playing all the way from his youth in the Edmonton-based Inter Soccer Club.
"I was kind of iffy," he said when initially contacted by Loga before the 2016 season. "I wanted to just focus on school because I kind of lost my passion for soccer.
"I got an ankle injury and just kind of pushed soccer aside. Loga convinced me to come back and ever since then, it just re-sparked my love for the game."
Hernandez joined the Griffins midway through the 2016 season and, despite not being in top game shape, made an almost immediate impact. His third game in, against Saskatchewan, he scored twice and finished the season with three points and 12 shots in seven games.
"He wasn't game fit, but he still found a way to be productive," said Loga. "This year he came in very fit and unfortunately picked up a knee injury. Now he's kind of coming back, yet he's still producing.
"We haven't seen the best of Christian Hernandez yet, but I'm sure it's going to be amazing when he's firing on all cylinders."
Considering he still has three years of eligibility left after this season, you can't help but get excited about his future potential. Hernandez feels he has another gear.
"Right now, I'm playing OK," he said. "I feel I can bring a lot more on the offensive – be more creative."
The son of a Mexican father and El Salvadorian mother, Hernandez has soccer in his blood. He's following in the footsteps on the pitch of his dad, who played soccer for the University of Mexico City, and three older brothers who played the game competitively all the way through youth, including one who played in the ACAC for Grande Prairie Regional College.
Then there's his younger brother Jose Hernandez, who represented Canada at the 2017 CONCACAF men's U17 championship and is currently in the Vancouver Whitecaps residency program.
"I'm so proud of him," said Christian Hernandez. "He deserves it."
The Griffins will miss the playoffs for the fourth-straight Canada West season, but they'd dearly love to end this campaign on a high note with a pair of wins this weekend. They beat MRU 3-2 earlier this season and were unlucky to not get at least a point out of their 2-1 loss at Calgary in the season opener in August.
"Being a young program, we're still kind of a team. But we want to develop into a program at MacEwan," said Loga. "Every minute of every game counts. These two games, whether there are any playoff implications or not, they're still very big for us.
"We've matched up well against both sides this season. We've got the better of one and we hope we can come out with two results."
