No one can be in two places at the same time.

If that were possible, then Brandon Herb would have played both midfielder and defender at the same time for the Northwestern soccer team. He was that good and he was that versatile.For his excellent overall performance, he has been selected as the 2014 Times News Boys' Soccer Player of the Year."Wherever our team needed me to play to give us the best chance to win, then that's what I would do," said Herb, a three-time First Team Colonial League All-Star.Tigers' coach Nathan Hunsicker would evaluate an upcoming opponent and then decide whether Herb would play offense or defense."Brandon didn't have a set position," said Hunsicker. "He was a selfless player who could have scored many more goals, but our team also needed him to solidify our back line."Herb's desire to play soccer began at 5 years old after he watched his older sister, Natalie, played for the Northwestern Youth Athletic Association U8 team. He then played for NYAA until a teammate's father asked him to try out for a new premier winter league team in 2007 at Iron Lakes. For the next five years, he played year-round for Lehigh Valley United teams.Hunsicker recognized Herb's all-around soccer skills right from the start, but felt the best position for his freshman would be defense."I played most games as a defender, but when coach decided we needed more offense, he put me at the midfield. I managed to score just once that year."As a sophomore, Herb again switched from offense to defense, game by game, depending upon the strengths of their opponents.During his junior season, the Tigers won the Colonial League championship with a double overtime, 2-1 win over Moravian Academy. Herb played the entire game on defense and kept the opponent's top scorers in check.With a heavy graduation of seniors and needing more scoring punch, Hunsicker set Herb to play midfield this season. He produced, scoring 19 goals and adding 13 assists in leading Northwestern to a 17-4 record. This feat included a hat trick against Pen Argyl and several two-goal games."He can possess the ball and make runs," said Hunsicker. "In the box, he can make things happen. Wherever he played, he was a model of consistency."The Tigers went on a district playoff run that took them to the championship game.Following a first-round win over Salisbury, they came up against top-seeded Lehighton, and the Tigers took an early 1-0 lead."In soccer, the key is to get a two-goal lead because it's nearly impossible for a team to come back from that deficit," said Herb.Soon after, Keagan Coffield passed to Herb, who was in position about 15 yards from the goal."The pass was behind me, but instead of circling back, I turned around and jumped up into a bicycle kick. As I bent my head backward, I saw the ball fly past the goalie into the lower corner for a goal. It was definitely my most exciting goal."After the win over Lehighton, the Tigers met Saucon Valley in the district finals."At a team meeting before practice, it was decided that I should play defense because our best defender was just coming back from an injury," said Herb. "I was fine with it because a big part of loving to play soccer for me is helping my team in whatever way I can."Down 1-0 in the second half, Herb was kneed into his thigh by an onrushing attacker, sending him to the bench with a painful limp."I was pretty sore. I stayed out for quite some time," said Herb. "I tried stretching and wrapping my thigh, but I had to watch them take a 2-1 lead on a penalty kick."Herb hobbled back into the game to play defense, but with time winding down he was moved to the midfield to try to help get the tying goal. Unfortunately for Herb and for Northwestern, Saucon Valley scored again to win 3-1.Besides excelling on the field, he has been a straight-A student for his entire high school experience. With the intent of becoming a biomedical engineering major in college, he is looking to continue his education at schools like Lehigh University and Stevens Institute of Technology."I will attempt to make a college soccer team as a walk-on," he said."Any college coach will love to have Brandon on his roster," said Hunsicker.What's a bit unsettling is Herb's current Lehigh Valley club coach, Sean Topping, is the head soccer coach at Muhlenberg College, which unfortunately does not offer degrees in biomedical engineering.Wouldn't it be something if this scholar-athlete could go to school at a university like Lehigh and also play soccer at Muhlenberg? It seems fitting for Brandon Herb that he would excel in two different places at the same time.