Check out the results for SOL boys/girls soccer teams in action Thursday.
Boys
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0 (2 OT)
Jack Tilley scored the game winner on a set piece with an assist from Brandon Morris one minute into the second overtime, bringing Thursday’s showdown between the sister schools to a dramatic end.
“I have a lot of faith in my senior class,” West coach Stefan Szygiel said. “When I came in, these guys were sophomores, and a good number of them were already on varsity.
“The game winner was Brandon Morris to Jack Tilley, which last year was printed a lot of times. This year, both of them to be honest, in both games against South, including today, they didn’t play particularly well, but I was going to stick with them.
“They’re two very important guys for us. Brandon is our leading goal scorer, and Jack is our leading assist getter, and I stuck with them. I could have gone to the bench, I could have brought in six or seven guys to try and catch lightening in a bottle, but I stuck with my seniors, and today they got the job done. I’m pleased that they were able to do that.”
Interestingly, it was Tilley who scored the game winner in last year’s regular season finale against South, a 2-0 West win.
“Two years in a row, when it’s really mattered, Jack has come up really big for us, and I think that’s always what has defined him,” Szygiel said. “His junior and senior years, he has come up big when we needed it most.”
The win avenged a 2-0 loss to the Titans in the initial meeting between the two teams.
“I don’t think it was a particularly good game by us,” Szygiel said. “The first game against South earlier in the year – we struggled. They played better than us for 99 percent of the game.
“My concern was that we were going to carry that into today. We were the better team in the first half. I think we generated some good chances, we had a couple of breakaway situations, but we didn’t finish.
“It was 0-0 at halftime, and in the second half, I thought South had the better run of play. We had very few quality scoring chances, and it fortunately ended 0-0. I wasn’t pleased with how we were playing, and I let them know that.
“I kind of put that on them today. At halftime, I said what I needed to say, and I walked out with six minutes to go and I let the captains take it over. I’m like – you know what, they need to figure this out. It’s the 18th game of the season, we’re playing a rival school, and our playoff lives are at stake. They need to do this together.”
Making sure the Bucks escaped with a win was Dylan Smith. The freshman keeper had six saves and recorded his 10th shutout of the season.
“As a freshman, I think Dylan Smith has been fantastic for us this year,” Szygiel said. “He’s already a leader as a freshman.”
Szygiel also acknowledged the strong play of his back line – Brady Boylan and Sam Winderman, both senior captains.
“They don’t get enough credit,” the Bucks’ coach said. “Both of those guys are so important. They’ve been under pressure a lot this year when we’ve struggled.
“We don’t have any bad losses on our resumé, and they’ve kept us in a lot of games. They’re both kind of unassuming guys – they’re not big, physical specimens. They’re just good, smart players, and they’re good kids.”
While Central Bucks South closed its season in second place with a 9-4-1 record in conference play (11-6-1 overall), the Bucks finish in fourth place with an 8-6 mark (12-6 overall). Both teams await Sunday’s district seeding meeting to find out who they will face in Tuesday’s opening round of the District One Tournament.
“I know we’re in – we won’t have a home playoff game, but whoever we draw, we’ll be ready to play them on Tuesday,” Szygiel said. “I think the boys know that a 12-6 record is a great accomplishment, but realistically, we finished fourth in the conference this year which is lower than the past two years, and that resonates with them. It’s difficult to finish 12-6 and finish fourth in the conference.”
In the most recent power rankings released Monday, the Titans were the 17th seed while the Bucks were the 20th.
Central Bucks South 0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks West 0-0-0-1 1
UPPER MORELAND 2, UPPER MERION 1 (OT)
John Reilley scored the game winner in overtime on a highlight reel play, benefitting from a great pass from Jake Winter with – according to coach Dan Mannella - an even better goal on a first-time strike to leave the goalie with no chance.
Randy Meehl (Matt Brunner assist) scored late in the second half to send the game into overtime with an impressive goal of his own.
Keeper Ryan Varela saved a penalty kick midway through the first half.
“It was a game-winning type save, and Brennan Coleman kept a clean sheet in the second half for a combined great performance in goal,” Mannella said. “It was a great team effort and an extra special performance from our seniors on Senior Night.”
Upper Moreland closed out league play with a 5-8-1 record (6-10-1 overall) while Upper Merion – in its final season in the SOL – was 6-6-2 (7-8-2 overall).
Upper Merion 1-0-0 1
Upper Moreland 0-1-1 2
ABINGTON 3, SOUDERTON 2 (2 OT)
The Ghosts staged a gutsy comeback, rallying from a 2-1 halftime deficit to earn the non-league win in double overtime. Kevin Weintraub scored the game winner with eight-and-a-half minutes remaining in the second OT period.
Abington got on the board first with an early goal by Weintraub, but six minutes later, John O’Keefe scored off a Nick Marculo header to knot the score. The Indians took a 2-1 lead when O’Keefe connected for his second goal in the 14th minute.
Neither team scored again until Matt Bachman found the back of the net to knot the score with 16:47 remaining in regulation.
Abington closed out its regular season with a 14-4 record (10-4 SOL) while Souderton was 2-11-1 in conference play (2-15-1 overall).
Souderton 2-0-0-0 2
Abington 1-1-0-1 3
Girls
ABINGTON 1, SOUDERTON 0
The Ghosts scored the game winner in the 71st minute on the strength of a Kailey Horton head ball. The Ghosts executed a short corner kick between Maddie Doyle and Julia Guarini, who served the ball to Horton.
“I thought we really dominated the play,” Abington coach Rick Tompkins said. “We had a lot of chances in the first half that we didn’t finish.
“Toni Washington threw three balls that fell inside of the six that we couldn’t get anybody on the end of, so we had chances. Their goalie made a couple of big saves early on, a real nice one on Maddie Doyle and Guarini. They really didn’t get too many shots, and that was our defense.”
Tompkins lauded the strong play of Doyle and Guarini and also credited his defense for keeping the Indians off the board.
“The defense has been playing hard all year and playing hard as a unit,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “It’s not any one particular player – they work well together.”
Defender Kathryn Gerhard, who has been nursing a leg injury, had to leave the game after being hit in the back of the head.
“Arianna Mancini came up from the jayvee to play a half, and she did a good job,” Tompkins said. “She’s only played three games – twice when Gerhard wasn’t able to go.
“She played against Upper Dublin – that was her baptism by fire, and she survived. Today she played well. She did a lot of good things.”
Both teams are battling injuries, but both are bound for the district playoffs.
“The schedule is insane,” Tompkins said. “There are too many games in too short a period of time, so it’s a war of attrition.
“We’ve had maybe one real practice since the preseason. Most of the time we’re so beat up from two or three games in a week that our practices are walk-throughs. We have to give these kids a chance to rest.”
In Monday’s power rankings, the Ghosts (12-5-1, 8-5-1 SOL) were ranked 12th and the Indians, 20th (9-7-2, 6-6-2).
“I think this probably gets us a home playoff game, so that’s big,” Tompkins said. “We had a good year, no matter what happens. Anything else is gravy.
“These kids really, really fought hard together all season long.”
Souderton 0-0 0
Abington 0-1 1
VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 2, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1
South got on the board first against the defending Class AA state champions with an own goal after a shot from Brooke Steigerwalt. The Jems came back with a combination in front of the goal and finish by Casey Gilchrist to make it a 1-1 game at the half. Early in the second half, Gilchrist connected for the game winner.
The Titans (10-6-2, 7-5-2 SOL) were minus several starters following a physical contest against archrival Central Bucks West on Wednesday.
Villa Joseph Marie 1-1 2
Central Bucks South 1-0 1
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