Daily Journal Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year: Burlingame’s Hank Lane

Not only did Lane shut down the attack, he took the ball away. After dodging a bullet when a Dougherty Valley goal was called back because of an offside call, Burlingame’s Dylan Rossen would give Burlingame and San Mateo County its first-ever Nor Cal soccer title with a strike eight minutes into overtime.

But Lane’s play encapsulated his season.

“I remember that play well,” said Lane, a senior. “When I was pacing him, we were around the same speed. As soon as took a touch for the (penalty box), I took the ball away.”

It was that kind of defense that led Burlingame to its fourth Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division title in six years and that Nor Cal championship. And anchoring that defense was Lane, who is the San Mateo Daily Journal’s Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year.

“Ninety-eight percent of the time, he was money,” Burlingame head coach Anthony Dimech said. “He was solid all year long. I don’t think he got beat 1-on-1 all year.”

Burlingame, which finished the season 18-4-1 and went unbeaten at home while compiling a record of 12-0-1, allowed only 20 goals in 24 games. Take out eight goals given up in three losses to St. Francis, including a 2-1 loss in a Central Coast Section Division I semifinal game, and those numbers are 12 goals in 21 games.

To put it in a word, the Burlingame defense was “stingy.”

Making the accomplishment even more significant is, throughout the season, the Panthers had to use four goalkeepers, who had limited varsity experience. As such, the pressure was on Lane, one of the team’s co-captains, and the leader of the defense. The defense’s sole purpose was to not let opposing teams into the Burlingame penalty box and to force teams to shoot from distance.

It can be a dicey strategy, however, as it forces the back line to drop back a little deeper and then make a stand outside the penalty box.

“I remember during practices, [the goalkeepers] would come up to me and say, ‘Don’t let them get shots,’” Lane said. “We’d let opposing teams take shots from 20, 30 yards out.

[All our goalkeepers] played well.”

Added Dimech: “We made an emphasis a lot more this year (to keep opponents out of the penalty box) because we had some inexperience in goal there.”

Lane was a three-varsity player, but not a three-year starter. He was not one of those phenoms who came in and made an immediate impact. He had to grow into the player he is now.

“Sophomore year, he didn’t play much, but learned a lot. In practice, he was always getting better,” Dimech said. “Last year, he took a big step forward. This year, I talked to him about having a presence.”

At 6-3, Lane certainly has the stature to be a prototypical center back: tall, strong and physical. But more importantly was his mindset as a center back — one who wants to punish players for challenging him — both figuratively and literally.

“I like being able to command my teammates and tell them where to move because I can see the whole field,” Lane said. “I also like being big. It’s kind of nice to push people around. You can be a lot more physical on the back line. It’s kind of do-or-die time. You’re always under a ton of pressure.”

But Lane is not some goon who simply runs around knocking people over. He possesses all the qualities you want in a soccer player, in general, and a defender, specifically.

“He’s good on the ball, but doesn’t try to do too much with it,” Dimech said. “He did a much better job of knowing when to play the ball and when to just clear the ball.”

And then there is his mental toughness. Not only did he have the confidence he would make the play, but also confident if he didn’t.

“I think a lot of the time, I’ve going to win the battle,” Lane said. “I don’t think I’m anxious in those occasions.”

And when he got beat?

“If I get beat, there’s another play. I can’t put my head down. You have to be able to keep moving forward,” Lane said.

Lane was more than just a defender. In the the modern game of soccer, center backs are also weapons on offense, delivering free kicks and being a presence in the penalty box on set pieces. Early in the season, as the Panthers were waiting for a couple of key players to return from injury and a transfer sit-out period, Lane was the team’s free kick taker from around midfield.

“He worked on that,” Dimech said. “The way he strikes the ball was better. He worked on the technique and he got better and better, for sure. He wasn’t taking free kicks for us last year.

“He helped us because when teams were pressing us, he was able to get balls over the top (of the opposing defenses).”

And when it came to Burlingame corner kicks, Lane was a prime target. And he delivered, scoring four goals off corner kick headers. But the other half to the offensive equation is that Lane needed to have the ability to recover back to his defensive spot quickly.

“You have to have the ability to track back,” Dimech said. “Can I count on him to get back in the last 10 minutes of the game? Yes. Yes I can.”

And finally, there was Lane’s work ethic. Dimech said he was the type of player to lead by example and really took on a leadership role this year that helped the Panthers to a historic season.

“He worked his ass off. Every training session he went super hard. He hates to lose. Super competitive. Guys pick up on that,” Dimech said. “He was the heartbeat of our team back there. He always stayed calm. I knew Hank was going to defend well.”