Bill Walleekendeh wasn’t planning to play in Philadelphia Lone Star’s second round local qualifying match against Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals on Saturday.
But when Mohamed Conde went down with an injury just before halftime, the Lone Star veteran stepped in and contributed a second half hat trick to a barrage of goals in an 8-2 win at John Bertram High School’s athletic field in southwest Philadelphia.
“I wasn’t 100 percent but the team needed me,” Walleekendeh said after the match. “It’s a big deal for us (qualifying for Open Cup). We’ve been talking about it the past couple years about how we gotta get back.