Central Bucks East boys’ soccer advanced into Saturday’s PIAA Class AAA quarterfinal round. To view photos of the CB East/Central York game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
#1-1 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2, #3-4 CENTRAL YORK 1
Central York was a four seed in name only. The Panthers, the top-seeded team entering the District 3 Tournament, brought a 21-2-1 record into Tuesday’s state opener after suffering an upset in penalty kicks in the district semifinals to Lower Dauphin.
“They were very, very good, an excellent team actually,” coach Mike Gorni said. “They played in the first round as the number three seed last year. They met Great Valley’s terrific team in the first round, and they lost 2-1, so we knew with the guys they had coming back that we had a very difficult first round draw after winning the district title.
“We are just playing at a very high level and a very good team kind of concept right now. We’re very good just in terms of how we’re playing together. We just played exceptionally well after we got by the first 20 minutes.”
It was the Panthers striking first with a goal by Pierce Miller in the 24th minute, but 14 minutes later, the Patriots responded with a goal of their own by Andrew Zach.
“Justin Chomik sent a ball in from the left side, J.R. Eisold kept it moving, and Andrew Zach scored a great goal to make it 1-1,” Gorni said. “That’s what it was at halftime.
“Fifteen or 16 minutes into the second half, Booker Farrior just sent a brilliant through ball down the left flank, and Evan (Vare) went in between two defenders and beat the keeper to the ball and hit a low lining shot into the net, and that was all that it took.”
That 2-1 lead stood the rest of the way.
“Once again, we got down, but they played very organized and within themselves, and we found a way to get back into the game, and then we were the better team in the second half,” Gorni said.
The veteran coach tipped his hat to his players after the big win.
“Once again, the whole team played great,” he said. “Austin Prime didn’t have to come up with as many big saves this game, but he still played very well.
“Will Eisold, Stephen Sheehan, Booker Farrior and Ian Lutz were great in the back. The midfield with J.R. Eisold, Brian Gilligan, and we got the best game of the season from our flank midfields. Justin Chomik, on the left side, and Julian Klokner both played great. Obviously, our forwards had to be doing something. Andrew Zach played up with Evan today, and he got a goal and Evan got a goal. It’s not cliché at this point – the entire team is playing well together.”
East’s win came on the heels of a 2-1 win by the Central Bucks East girls’ team over Ephrata in a girls/boys doubleheader at William Tennent.
“It was great,” Gorni said. “In the course of the last eight years, we’ve finished second or third in the district, and we’ve been making that really long trip to Scranton or Hershey.
“Just to have a game in our locale was great.”
East (21-2, 13-1 SOL) will take on District 3’s third place team, Mechanicsburg, in a second round game on Saturday. Mechanicsburg crushed District 2 champion Abington Heights 6-2.
“At this stage, the dynamic is a World Cup dynamic – you win and advance or you lose and go home,” Gorni said. “Our approach is just try to win the game at hand and advance.
“We’ve been staying very steady to that theme.”
Central York 1-0 1
Central Bucks East 1-1 2
#12-1 ARCHBISHOP WOOD 3, #1-4 WISSAHICKON 3 (2 OT, 3-2 PKS)
The Trojans didn’t go down quietly in Tuesday’s opening round match against the District 12 champions, matching the Vikings goal for goal until the penalty kicks.
Ryan Becker scored in the first and 20th minutes, his second goal knotting the score 2-2, but the Vikings scored in the 36th minute to go into halftime with a 3-2 lead. Cole Kropnick scored the only goal of the second half – connecting for the equalizer in the 70th minute – as the respective defenses settled in. Neither team scored again until PKs.
Alec Schwartz contributed a pair of assists for the Trojans and Ryan Becker also added an assist.
The Vikings held an 18-15 advantage in shots.
Trojan keeper John Carrozza was credited with eight saves, and his counterpart, Wood’s Ryan Hemsley, also had eight saves.
Wissahickon closed out its season with an 18-5 record overall (12-2 SOL).
Wissahickon 2-1-0-0 3
Archbishop Wood 3-0-0-0 3
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