It hurts just to look at Vince Villanueva’s bruised face. His eyes are swollen and blackened, and his left orbital wall is fractured.
The Northern Virginia soccer coach is recovering from injuries after he says a parent beat him with a metal water bottle during a scrimmage at George Hellwig Memorial Park in Manassas on Saturday.
“I’m pretty sure I was unconscious, so I have no clue what happened,” he told NBC Washington on Monday.
Coach Vince, as he’s known, has coached youth soccer since he was 18. He works in information technology for Prince William County Public Schools and loves coaching so much that he leads the Potomac Senior High School girls’ team and youth club teams.
He was on the field on Saturday as a favor for a friend, filling in at a boys’ team scrimmage.
“I saw one of the players kind of off with his dad, and he looked upset, and I said, ‘Are you ready to go back in?’ The dad said, ‘No, he’s not OK. Can I talk to you?’ and I said, ’Sure,’” Villanueva said.
He was looking at the field as the parent walked toward him.
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“As I was turning to talk to the father, the next thing I know, I was on the ground, and then I heard like a ding noise, and I realized I was getting hit in the head with a water bottle,” he said.
Off-duty first responders helped Villanueva as parents called 911.
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“I saw parents running around, grabbing kids. There was a sense of panic all over the place. I saw people coming up to me,” he said.
Prince William County police say the man who allegedly attacked Villanueva ran away. Officers arrived and arrested him nearby. Blerand Hoxha, 45, was charged with malicious wounding. It wasn’t immediately clear if he has a lawyer.
My big thing is, just allow your kids to enjoy it. Let the volunteers and people that are out there trying to help your kids, allow them to do that too, and support them.
Coach Vince Villanueva
A CT scan taken during a hospital trip with Villanueva’s daughter revealed a fracture to his orbital wall.
Villanueva takes care of his players, according to Mike Potter, whose 8-year-old daughter is coached by him.
“He really cares about the kids. He cares about the sport. He spends a lot of time devoted to the club and others. He’s a great individual,” Potter said.
The attack has Coach Vince questioning his future.
“Seeing the escalation of violence toward coaches and game officials and stuff like that within these sports — I’m still processing thinking about, is this something that I want to continue doing?” he said.
Villanueva said that he hopes what happened will send a message to other parents about how to behave at youth sports events.
“My big thing is, just allow your kids to enjoy it,” he said. “Let the volunteers and people that are out there trying to help your kids, allow them to do that too, and support them.”
The Northern Virginia Soccer Club had no immediate comment, an attorney said.
