Both the Central Bucks East boys and girls soccer teams will be in action in Tuesday night’s PIAA Class AAA semifinals. Check back for recaps of both contests.
Central Bucks East boasts a tradition of excellence in soccer.
That fact will be underscored on Tuesday night when both the boys and girls teams will be playing for a coveted spot in Saturday’s PIAA Class AAA finals in Hershey.
“Obviously, it’s a really remarkable but really a nice thing for both the boys and the girls,” boys’ coach Mike Gorni said. “I don’t think it happens that often.
“The two teams are representing the boys and girls side, and they’re totally different sports unto themselves, but at the same time, within that context, they’re both sitting in the state semifinal in the big school division, and that’s a pretty amazing accomplishment.”
Remarkably, neither team has lost this season. The boys’ team is 24-0 while the girls are 23-0-1.
“That speaks highly of the programs and about the quality and the expectations that we have,” girls’ coach Paul Eisold said. “You just want to be the best you can.
“For me, Mike (Gorni) has been an outstanding role model and an outstanding person to try and compete with – not a negative competition but in terms of staying up and doing the great things East is known for. The expectation is there – players know it, coaches know it, and it’s just great. We just hope we can keep challenging each other in a positive way.”
Both teams will be facing opponents boasting equally impressive records in Conestoga and Cumberland Valley. The four teams in the Eastern finals are a combined 92-2-2.
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The Central Bucks East boys will face Conestoga in a rematch of a riveting District One AAA title game that saw the Patriots earn a 2-1 win. The teams are ranked 1-2 in the most recent Southeastern PA Coaches Poll. East also is ranked 10th in last week’s NSCAA/USA Today poll. Conestoga is 21-1-1 with its only loss coming at the hands of East.
“I think we kind of expected it – both Conestoga and ourselves,” Gorni said. “It takes a lot of hard work to win those state games to get here.
“I think it really does show, this year in particular, that two of the elite teams on the boys’ side and two of the elite programs in Conestoga and East are back there. I think we’re a combined 45-1-1. I don’t think you could ask for two better teams and teams that have perennially been there. It’s not a surprise that we’re both there this year, but it will not be easy. They’re very good.”
Lafayette-bound Evan Vare leads a dangerous East attack with 41 goals, but the Patriots are hardly a one-man show. Alex Parasky, J.R. Eisold, Brian Gilligan and Justin Chomik also boast double-digit point totals.
“We have another four or five that have seven or more,” Gorni said. “It would seem that Evan is the offensive catalyst, which he certainly is; however, the balance for us on the boys’ side this year has been that we have a lot of scorers that would be a lot of programs’ highest scorers.”
This is East’s eighth trip to states in nine years and the fourth trip to the state semifinals in program history. The Patriots have scored over 80 goals and allowed just 12. Goalie Austin Prime anchors a defense that has 14 shutouts.
“We defend well, we attack well, we possess in the midfield well,” Gorni said. “I think we have been a complete team the whole year.”
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On the girls’ side, CB East will face a Cumberland Valley squad that rolled through the season to a 22-0 record but was upset in the District Three title game. Both teams boast game-changing players. Emma Loving – who has 31 goals this season – has spent her four-year career creating magic for the Patriots. Rachael Dorwart – a sophomore – has been doing the same for the Eagles and has 46 goals entering Tuesday’s state semifinal.
“There are a couple of things you can do – you can game plan and have somebody mark her, or you can make sure you’re very much understanding of her ability,” coach Paul Eisold said. “When you mark somebody, if that player gets free, everybody looks at each other – ‘Who’s marking her?’
“You just make it well known, you play as a unit and you continue to fight another day. If she’s going to pull something that’s just incredible out of her hat and we’re beaten by a player of a high caliber, then so be it.”
For the Patriots, this is their third trip to the state semifinals in four years. They have not advanced behind the semifinals in any of those three trips, last year falling to Canon-McMillan 2-1. The Patriots are hoping the third time is the charm.
“It’s different personnel, different players, different teams we’re playing,” Eisold said. “One thing we really focused on this year is the game by game.
“Last year, we were so excited, and we kind of left it slip away. We didn’t give our best effort in the semifinal. This year we’re going to give our best effort. Whether it’s good enough or not, that’s to be determined on the field, but we’re not going to let anything slip by us. If we get beat by a team that deserves to win, then we applaud them and we go home and we’re happy for our season.”
The Patriots already have a Suburban One Continental crown and the program’s first ever District One AAA title.
“What we accomplished this year has been absolutely unbelievably incredible,” Eisold said.
Boys
#1-1 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST vs. #1-2 CONESTOGA (at Souderton Area High School, Tuesday, 7 p.m.)
Central Bucks East
- 24-0-0 overall
- First undefeated, untied regular season in 21 years under coach Mike Gorni
- 14-0-0 Suburban One League Continental Conference champions
- Back-to-back District One AAA champions
- Third consecutive and tenth SOL Continental title in 12 years
- Senior forward Evan Vare leads the Patriots dangerous attack with 41 goals.
- 14 shutouts in 24 games
- Scored over 80 goals and allowed just 12.
How they got here:
- In a quarterfinal state game against Cumberland Valley on Saturday, the Patriots fell behind 1-0 but used goals by J.R. Eisold (Justin Chomik assist) and Andrew Walters to go into halftime with a 2-1 lead. They dominated play in the second half and added goals by Brian Gilligan (Evan Vare assist) and Vare (Andrew Zach assist) to earn a 4-1 win over District Three’s third-seeded squad.
- In an opening round state tournament game against Hershey, Central Bucks East received a goal midway through the first half from Edgar Mauge (Joey Bowen assist) and went into halftime with a 1-0 lead. Brian Gilligan (Justin Chomik assist) added a second half goal for the 2-0 final.
- In the District One AAA title game, top-seeded Central Bucks East defeated second-seeded Conestoga 2-1. The Patriots used goals by Andrew Zach and Alex Parasky (JR Eisold assist) to go on top 2-0 at halftime. Conestoga cut that lead in half 10 minutes into the second half. Goalie Austin Prime came up big with six saves, including a highlight reel diving save to preserve the tie.
- Evan Vare scored all four goals in CB East’s 4-1 district semifinal win over fourth-seeded West Chester Henderson. The Warriors took an early 1-0 lead, but the rest of the game belonged to Vare and the Patriots. Brian Gilligan assisted on three goals and J.R. Eisold had one helper.
- In a district quarterfinal war, the Patriots battled SOL Continental rival North Penn, the tournament’s eighth seed, to a scoreless tie after regulation and two overtimes. The Patriots – sparked by the play of keeper Austin Prime – earned a 3-1 win in penalty kicks with Evan Vare, Andrew Zach and Brian Gilligan connecting on PKs.
- After an opening round bye, the Patriots defeated 16th-seeded PW 4-0, breaking a scoreless halftime tie with four second-half goals. Evan Vare and Alex Parasky each had a pair of goals.
Conestoga
- 21-1-1 overall
- 11-0 Central League champions
- Only regular season blemish a 0-0 tie with Great Valley on Oct. 17
- 14 shutouts in 23 games
- Outscored opponents 44-5 in regular season and 57-10 for the season
- District One AAA runner-up (lost to Central Bucks East 2-1 in title game)
- Pioneers own four of 13 spots on Central League all-league first team – Matt Marcelli, Gabe Harms, Mason Miller and Will Smith
How they got here:
- In Saturday’s PIAA quarterfinal game against West Chester Henderson, Conestoga opened up a 3-0 halftime lead and went on to earn a 4-1 win. The Pioneers were 3-for-3 on corner kicks in the first half with all three goals set up by sophomore midfielder Nick Jennings’ corner kicks. Scoring goals for the Pioneers were Matt Marcelli, Zach Brink, Dan Leiser and Mason Miller.
- In a state opening round game, Conestoga battled District 11 champion Emmaus to 1-1 tie after regulation and went on to win 6-5 in penalty kicks. Chris Donovan scored a goal early in the second half, using a Blaise Milanek assist, but the Green Hornets answered with a goal of their own to send the game into overtime.
- Conestoga suffered its first loss of the season in the District One AAA title game against Central Bucks East, falling 2-1. The Patriots opened up a 2-0 halftime lead, but a goal by Zach Brink cut that lead in half. East goalie Austin Prime preserved his team’s one-goal lead with a brilliant save late in the game.
- In a district semifinal game, Conestoga scored an own goal that was credited to Logan Schwartz in the 65th minute to eke out a 1-0 win over third-seeded Springfield-Delco.
- Second-seeded Conestoga defeated seventh-seeded Abington 4-0, using a pair of goals by Chris Donovan and single goals by Pedro Acosta and Danny Leiser.
- After a first round bye, Conestoga defeated 15th-seeded Council Rock North 2-1.
Girls
#1-1 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST vs. #3-2 CUMBERLAND VALLEY (at Hamburg High School, 7 p.m.)
Central Bucks East Patriots
- 23-0-1 overall
- 13-0-1 in league play; SOL Continental Champions
- Only blemish a 1-1 tie on Oct. 21 to Souderton
- Last season: Lost in PIAA state semifinals to Canon-McMillan, 2-1.
- Offense led UPenn-commit Emma Loving, who has 31 goals.
- Captured program’s first ever District One AAA title after finishing as district runner-up in 2014.
How they got here:
- In an all-SOL state quarterfinal game against Council Rock North, the Patriots broke a scoreless tie with 17 minutes remaining when a cross by Emma Loving deflected off a North player into the net. A late goal by Loving gave the Patriots a 2-0 win over District One’s third place team.
- In a state opening round game, Central Bucks East dominated play but needed a goal by Hannah Zach in the 94th minute to earn a 1-0 overtime win over Cedar Cliff, the fourth place team from District Three.
- In the District One AAA title game, the Patriots received goals in the second half from sophomore Delaney Kennedy (Abby Brown assist) and Megan Mannato to earn a 2-0 win over 10th-seeded Downingtown West.
- CB East defeated fourth-seeded Spring-Ford 1-0 in a hard fought district semifinal battle. Senior Emma Loving found the net with a free kick with just over nine minutes remaining in regulation to account for the game’s only goal.
- In a district quarterfinal contest, the Patriots defeated archrival Central Bucks South, the tournament’s 24th seed, 2-1. A goal by Emma Loving (Megan Mannato assist) put the Patriots on top 1-0 at halftime, and Mannato’s goal in the 51st minute made it a 2-0 game before South’s Kelly Senour connected for the 2-1 final.
- After an opening round bye, the Patriots – sparked by Emma Loving’s hat trick – defeated 16th-seeded Wissahickon 6-1 in a second round game. Hannah Zach added a pair of goals, and Abby Brown scored a single goal.
Cumberland Valley
- 24-1 overall
- 14-0 Mid-Penn Commonwealth champion
- Top-seeded team entering District Three Tournament.
- Only loss of season came in District Three AAA title game when the two-time defending district champions were upset by sixth-seeded Daniel Boone 2-1 in overtime.
- Rachael Dorwart voted Penn Live’s Most Dangerous Girls’ Soccer Scorer. The sophomore standout has 46 goals and 11 assists.
- Also contributing to the attack are Kelly Hendricks (12g-6a), Brice McInroy (11g-6a), Jenny Bail (5g-13a) and Devan Noll (13a).
How they got here:
- In Saturday’s state quarterfinal round, Mallory Johnson (Brice McInroy assist) scored with 2:09 remaining in regulation to propel Cumberland Valley to a 1-0 win over Spring-Ford, the fourth place team out of District One. The win avenged back-to-back first round exits by the Eagles at the hands of Spring-Ford.
- In an opening round game against District 11 champion Parkland, Cumberland Valley found itself staring at a 3-0 halftime deficit but rallied for a dramatic 4-3 win. Rachael Dorwart scored the game winner with nine seconds remaining in regulation. Dorwart also scored the equalizer with just over five minutes remaining. Brice McInroy and Anna Hull each added single goals.
- In the District Three title game, top-seeded Cumberland Valley fell 2-1 in overtime to sixth-seeded Daniel Boone. Rachael Dorwart scored the Eagles’ only goal in the second half.
- In Cumberland Valley’s 2-0 win over 12th-seeded Cedar Cliff in the district semis, Mallory Johnson (Rachael Dorwart assist) scored late in the opening half, and that 1-0 lead held until less than three minutes remained when Dorwart found the net (Kelly Hendricks assist).
- Cumberland Valley defeated eighth-seeded Elizabethtown 2-0 in a district quarterfinal contest. Sam Perry (Jenny Bail assist) scored a goal that turned out to be the game winner in the fourth minute, and Rachael Dorwart (Paige Geatz assist) tacked on a goal in the 72nd minute.
- After an opening round bye, Cumberland Valley rolled to a 5-0 win over 17th-seeded Dover. Five different players scored goals with Emily Keitel, Kelly Hendricks, Devon Noll, Sam Perry and Rachzel Dorwart each finding the net. Keitel’s goal four minutes in proved to the be game winner. Jen Bail and Paige Geeatz both contributed two assists, and Mallory Johnson also had a helper.
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