CHARLEROI – Sophomore goalkeeper Rick Hansen posted three shutouts this season for Charleroi High’s boys soccer team. He couldn’t have picked a better time for No. 3. It came against Sec. 4 champion Chartiers Houston, the top-seeded Class A team which came to Charleroi Stadium with a 16-game winning streak, including a 3-0 victory over the Cougars, in the regular season finale. With his showing in the Cougars’ 1-0 win over the Bucs, Hansen is The Valley Independent’s Athlete of the Week. “It was probably his best game of the season.” Said first-year Charleroi coach George Watkins. “He made three or four big saves to preserve the shutout.” Watkins, who was a goalie himself, sees a bright future for Hansen. “He has good hands to catch the ball and is not afraid of anything. He has all the qualities you look for in a goalkeeper.”

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