Jarrad Saffrad recaps Wednesday’s SOL boys soccer action. Check back for photos of the CR North/CR South game…CLICK HERE.
By Jarrad Saffren
Twenty Suburban One League boys soccer teams played league games on Wednesday.
Twenty won or lost. So no one was confused about how to feel.
Two teams upset 1980 Soviet Union-level powers. That is a ridiculous exaggeration. But you will do a double take when you see the results. I did.
Two other teams almost upset 1980 Soviet Union-level powers. But those powers, unlike the 1980 Soviet Union hockey team, pulled through because their coaches gave movie-worthy speeches at halftime.
(Yes, I am saying the Soviets would have pulled through if their coach had given a climactic speech between the second and third periods. Clearly I believe everything I see in sports and superhero movies.)
Now for the results and recaps.
They are…below.
SOL Continental
Central Bucks West 1, North Penn 0
North Penn entered Wednesday in first place after beating Central Bucks East last Thursday.
But the Knights ran into a wall.
Central Bucks West keeper Dylan Smith is only a sophomore. But, as we learned in 2015, Smith is precocious. He can steal games from more technical teams.
Bucks coach Stefan Szygiel said North Penn “was more dynamic and technical” on Wednesday. But Smith made six saves and earned his sixth shutout of 2016.
“Our overall record matters more than our conference record the last three years, with the power rankings,” Szygiel said. “But this is a big win. They all are. Hopefully it leads to a playoff push.”
Smith made “three great saves, three good saves,” Szygiel said. Smith’s best save happened like this: A North Penn player controlled the ball off a crossing pass. He half volleyed the ball on net. Smith lunged and finger-tipped it off the post.
He also made two other saves on breakaways.
“He was caught in a one on one,” Szygiel said. “So he came out, made himself big and came up big.”
CB West’s Dom Bianchini scored on a free kick midway through the first half. Bianchini is CB West’s right back.
“It was a great free kick, a great hit,” Szygiel said. “We collectively defended after that. The boys did a great job keeping North Penn at bay.”
“Both teams were very good tonight. North Penn is so dynamic on the ball, so quick. They missed a few chances, which we needed.”
Third place CB West (6-4-2, 4-2-2 SOL) plays fourth place Central Bucks South Friday at 3:30. North Penn (8-3, 6-2 SOL) takes on William Tennent on the same day and time.
Central Bucks West 1-0 1
North Penn 0-0 0
Central Bucks East 4, Souderton 0
Central Bucks East won. North Penn lost.
So CB East jumped back up to a familiar perch: First place in the SOL Continental standings.
The Patriots did it by doubling their season-high for goals. Joey Bowen, Jordan Stokes, Keegan Cannon and Thomas Ogonowski each scored one.
CB East lost to North Penn last Thursday and dropped to second place. The Patriots, like most teams, were playing three games a week and needed a break. They got five days to train and plan for Souderton.
“We haven’t had that really since the beginning of the season,” CB East coach Jeremiah White said. “When you have a long stretch with three games every week, it’s difficult for guys to recover.”
White also had time to strengthen East’s attack.
“We worked on game situations in practice. We’ve been working on finishing a lot,” the Patriots’ coach said. “There were a lot of situations in games where we found ourselves inside the 18. We were simulating what we experience and what we’ve been missing in those situations.”
The Patriots were getting a lot of counter attacking opportunities. They were not converting many into goals. So White “spent a lot of time on that.”
Cannon counter attacked and scored on Wednesday.
East’s offensive players needed to practice. Its defenders just needed to rest.
“We had time to work on a few things to tighten everything back up,” White said. “We refreshed what we had been doing well in the beginning.”
Will Eisold, Stephen Sheehan and Kyle Kittleson carried the Patriots before Wednesday. They didn’t need to against Souderton. But they still played lights out defense.
“Will Eisold was good,” White said. “Stephen Sheehan and Kyle Kittleson were very good.”
White also praised a new name.
“Will Tanner-Chwal was great in the defensive midfield. He was very aggressive and very mobile,” White said. “He won almost every head ball in his area.”
East keeper Karl Vandlow made five saves but “didn’t have a whole lot of activity,” White said.
CB East (7-3-2, 6-2-1 SOL) battles Pennridge Friday at 3:30. Souderton (6-7, 2-6 SOL) plays Pennridge Monday at seven.
Central Bucks East 1-3 4
Souderton 0-0 0
Central Bucks South 3, Pennridge 2
The Titans won their second straight league game.
Dom Monchek passed the ball to Colin Green in the third minute. Green blew it by the keeper. 1-nil Central Bucks South.
Pennridge’s Nick Dunn kicked the ball to Marco Grenda two minutes later. Dunn blasted it into the net. 1-1.
The Rams took a 2-1 lead in the 70th minute. Sebastian Perkowski scored. Cole Rand assisted. Pennridge was 10 minutes away from its first league win.
But CB South tied the game in the 77th minute. Colin Fagan assisted Green.
Two minutes into overtime, the Titans scored the game winner. Jake Helwig scored off a Fagan assist.
CB South (6-6-1, 4-3-1 SOL) plays CB West Friday at 3:30. Pennridge (5-6-1, 0-6-1 SOL) hosts CB East on the same day and time.
Central Bucks South 1-1-1 3
Pennridge 1-1-0 2
SOL American
Upper Dublin 2, Quakertown 1
Quakertown led 1-0 at halftime.
“They deserved their lead. They played very well, especially in the first half,” Upper Dublin coach Derek Priest said. “They closed us down, played hard and didn’t give us any space.”
The Flying Cardinals’ coach gave an impassioned halftime speech.
“I told the guys we needed to compete a little harder,” Priest said. “We won some first balls, but they won most of the second balls. Once we had the ball, we had to do something with it.”
Upper Dublin did things with the ball in the second half. Or, more accurately, Quinn Middleton did things with the ball. Middleton scored two goals. Anthony Wisdo assisted the first one. Jerry Bardol assisted the second.
Middleton started the season as an outside back. But he moved to outside midfield after four games. Priest moved Ryan Huggins to outside back.
“Quinn has shown he’s a very good technical player. He has scored more goals than I expected him to from the outside mid position,” Priest said. “Quinn can play every position on the field. He’s one of those players. Because he’s a good outside back he could play outside back. But once I knew Huggins could play outside back, it freed me up to play Quinn in more of an attacking role.”
Jason Stone made five saves for Upper Dublin. The Flying Cardinals stayed undefeated in 2016.
“We escaped and we woke up. We did play a lot better in the second half and created a lot of chances,” Priest said. “It was pleasing that we were able to up our game. But they ran us close right to the very last whistle. Quakertown played great. They played as well in the first half as anyone has against us all year.”
Upper Dublin (11-0-1, 8-0-1 SOL) takes on Wissahickon Friday at 3:30. Quakertown (3-7, 2-6 SOL) plays Saucon Valley Thursday at six.
Upper Dublin 0-2 2
Quakertown 1-0 1
Hatboro-Horsham 4, Upper Moreland 0
The Bateman brothers are one year apart. Colin is a sophomore, Danny a freshman.
Brothers born within 365 days are bound to develop a fierce rivalry in everything. It’s just science. If the rivalry is healthy, it brings out the best in both. The Bateman rivalry is very healthy.
“They’ve been playing together since they were young. Colin was one of our best players last year. Danny has come in and done a fantastic job this year,” Hatboro-Horsham coach Kyle McGrath said. “They have a brotherly rivalry. When one ups his game, the other tries to also.”
The brothers do not hide their competition. They show it for all to see.
“I definitely see the rivalry. They get on each other’s case more than the rest of the guys do,” McGrath said. “It’s not negative. They hold each other to such a high standard and bring out the best in each other. It is great that they have that kind of connection.”
The younger brother overshadowed the older brother on Wednesday. Danny scored three goals. Colin had two assists. Danny now has 10 goals.
But, again, the Brothers Bateman brought out the best in each other.
“Colin has been great for two years. But this year he’s playing with a chip because Danny gets a lot of the attention because he’s been scoring more,” McGrath said. “We joke all the time that Danny’s having a better year. Guys give Colin a hard time sometimes. Ultimately it brings out the best in Colin, having guys say Danny’s better.”
The Hatters dominate when the Batemans click together. They outshot Upper Moreland 13-2 on Wednesday.
“The first half was pretty even for a while. We scored halfway through. (Hatters keeper) Stephen (Doney) made a great save on a free kick to keep it 1-0,” McGrath said. “We scored early in the second half to make it 2-0 and upped the pressure after that. It ended 4-0. So it was a good result.”
“When both Batemans play well, we can be a dangerous team,” McGrath said. “Tonight kind of proved that.”
Hatboro-Horsham won 4-0. So other guys played well, too. Joe LaRouche scored. Ryan Cole and Chandler Ryan each assisted a goal.
Doney stopped two shots.
Hatboro-Horsham (10-1-2, 7-0-2 SOL) meets Quakertown Friday at 3:45. Upper Moreland (4-6-1, 2-6-1 SOL) hosts Cheltenham Friday at 3:30.
Hatboro-Horsham 1-3 4
Upper Moreland 0-0 0
Wissahickon 2, Plymouth Whitemarsh 1
Wissahickon went 1-3-1 in its first five games.
Then the Trojans rocked Roman Catholic 3-0, their most impressive performance of 2016. Keeper Jun Yuh was having his best game. But, with 15 minutes left, Yuh ran out to stop a breakaway, collided with a defender, bruised his ribs and left the game.
Coach Stuart Malcolm turned to forward Brad Schwartz, the 2015 All-SOL American First Team keeper who had returned to the forward line this season. Schwartz played the last 15 minutes and preserved the shutout. He still has not left the spot.
“Jun is not healing as fast as he hoped,” Malcolm said. “It was an easy decision to go to Brad. He’s good with it. He’s that kind of kid. He’ll do whatever he needs to do. He recognized we needed to keep clean sheets. And he’s been doing a good job for us.”
Schwartz improved to 4-1-1 after the win over Plymouth Whitemarsh. So did Wissahickon.
“We’d have a similar record with Jun or Brad,” Malcolm said.
Malcolm revamped his back line after the 1-3-1 start.
“We got more defensive and spent more time organizing the back line,” Malcolm said. “It seems to have worked out in terms of being more solid in that division. We’ve created more opportunities in transition.”
Malcolm also brought up defensive midfielder Justin Joo from junior varsity.
“He played well on JV and we needed to make a change,” the Trojans’ coach said. “So we slotted him in in the Roman Catholic game and we won that 3-0. He’s played every minute since then and has been a good addition.”
Wissahickon has allowed six goals in those last six games. Three came in the loss.
Wissahickon’s Jacob Cohen and Tom McHale scored on Wednesday. Cohen and David Goldstein assisted the goals.
Alex Lefkowitz scored PW’s goal.
Wissahickon (5-4-2, 3-3-1 SOL) hosts Upper Dublin Friday at 3:30. PW (4-6, 4-4 SOL) plays Springfield on the same day and time.
Wissahickon 0-2 2
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1-0 1
Springfield 4, Cheltenham 1
Springfield—the smallest school in the SOL American by far—is now tied in fourth with league power Wissahickon and two points behind other league power PW.
Four Springfield players—Trevor McCaffrey, Jake Welsh, Mike Bonacci and Zach Harley—scored on Wednesday. Welsh and Jacob Friedman notched assists.
Harry Stackhouse scored Cheltenham’s goal.
Springfield (4-7-1, 3-5-1 SOL) plays PW Friday at 3:30. Cheltenham (2-9, 2-7 SOL) takes on Upper Moreland on the same day and time.
SOL National
Abington 4, Pennsbury 3
Abington ended Pennsbury’s quest for perfection at 12-0.
The Ghosts took a 3-1 lead into halftime.
Pennsbury’s Zach LoBasso scored first. But the Ghosts answered with three goals before the break. Sean Touey scored twice. Reese Gibbs scored once. Micah Portis assisted Touey’s first goal.
The Falcons stormed back to tie the game at three in the second half. LoBasso and Obi Onuoha scored.
Touey completed his hat trick with the game winner.
Abington has won five of its last six league games after a 1-2 start. Pennsbury is still in first place at 7-1.
Abington (9-3, 6-3 SOL) battles Neshaminy Friday at 3:30. Pennsbury (12-1, 7-1 SOL) hosts Neshaminy Monday at 3:30.
Abington 3-1 4
Pennsbury 1-2 3
Neshaminy 5, Bensalem 3
Bensalem led 3-2 at halftime.
Neshaminy coach Tom Foley, like coaches in great American sports movies, like Upper Dublin coach Derek Priest, gave a legendary, Al Pacino as Tony D’Amato speech at halftime.
“I said to the guys, ‘We are not winning balls, especially in the midfield. We are backing away,’” Foley said. “I challenged guys to play with some energy and win balls. They responded. Our skill guys put pressure on their skill guys. Bensalem had us on our heels. They could have had another goal or two in the first half. We were lucky to get out of there 3-2.”
Bensalem’s Dominic Gallo threw the ball in to a wide open Dylan Molina in the third minute. Molina raced in uncontested and cranked the ball past the keeper. 1-0 Bensalem.
Dan Grindrod “answered three minutes later when he bent a ball around a wall into the back of the net,” Foley said. One minute later, Vince Hosephros scored to give Neshaminy a 2-1 lead. Jack McCourt passed him the ball.
Matt Corbett tied the game for Bensalem. Tyler Marietta assisted. Sadah Kanneh put Bensalem up 3-2 in the 29th minute.
“Bensalem’s record is surprisingly misleading. They are a pretty decent team,” Foley said. “We had a couple mental errors. But they have some kids that can play and score. They had us on our toes for a little while.”
Foley did not just give a speech at halftime. He made a key decision.
“We had been experimenting with Dylan McDonald in central midfield. We decided we needed more stability in back, so we moved him back in the first half,” Foley said. “At halftime we decided to keep him there. He’ll probably stay back there the rest of the year.”
The Owls did not score a goal in the second half.
“He solidified things and got us out of trouble a lot in the second half. He reads the game and knows where the ball will go,” Foley said. “Dylan gets there well before everybody else. Most guys are late to read it. That puts pressure on the D. He gets there two steps ahead and calmly knocks ball out of harm’s way, usually to somebody, which is great.”
McDonald also sparked Neshaminy’s offense. He headed the ball in to tie the game in the 51st minute. Dan Grindrod booted the ball 50 yards down the field to McDonald in the box.
“Dan hit a perfect ball,” Foley said.
Grindrod penalty kicked the ball into the net in the 55th minute, putting Neshaminy up for good. Chase Rider scored the last goal. Grindrod slotted him the ball.
Neshaminy (9-3, 5-2 SOL) hosts Abington Friday at 3:30. Neshaminy has won three straight league games. Abington has won five of six.
Bensalem (2-7-1, 1-6-1 SOL) plays Council Rock North on the same day and time.
Neshaminy 2-3 5
Bensalem 3-0 3
Council Rock North 7, Council Rock South 1
Council Rock North dominated possession yet again.
“Everybody we’ve played, the coach said we held possession more than they did, even Tom Stoddart of Pennsbury,” CR North coach Joe Stackhouse said.
North outshot Council Rock South 11-8.
“But we controlled the flow of play from start to finish,” Stackhouse said. “We connected on 30 straight passes at one point before the ball was intercepted. We are in a good zone right now.”
It is hard to dispute Stackhouse’s claim. The Indians scored five first half goals.
“We scored in the first minute and a half and it just opened up,” Stackhouse said.
Nikita Ilin scored three goals in the game for North.
“Nikita is a force to be reckoned with,” Stackhouse said.
Tyler Becker netted two goals. Ryan Pave and Eric Levine scored one. Noah Ehlin and Grant Bonas had two assists.
Ilin now has six goals in 2016. Levine does too, five on head balls. His fellow defender—Ehlin—often throws the ball up for him.
“Noah can throw the ball in on a line from 40 yards out,” Stackhouse said. “He threw one off the crossbar at South. Those guys are the 1-2 guards on the basketball team too. They complement each other real well in both sports.”
“We are pretty even in scoring across the board,” Stackhouse said. “Teams don’t know who to mark. We are deep.”
North’s Anthony Caruso made two saves in the first half. Backup Ed Mancinelli stoned five shots in the second half.
TJ Rodman scored South’s goal.
CR North (7-1-1, 6-1 SOL) plays Bensalem Friday at 3:30. CR South (4-6-1, 1-5-1 SOL) battles Harry S. Truman on the same day and time.
Council Rock North 5-2 7
Council Rock South 0-1 1
About the Author
