Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Friday.
SOL National Conference
Neshaminy 3, Council Rock South 2
Thrilling finishes are becoming the norm at Neshaminy.
After rallying from two goals down to pick up a 3-2 overtime win over Bensalem earlier in the week, Neshaminy pulled off another 3-2 win on Friday when Cole Jackson played the hero, floating a long drive that found its way just under the crossbar and into the net as time expired, stunning the Golden Hawks in their National Conference battle.
“With maybe 10 seconds to go, they launch a ball upfield,” said Neshaminy coach Tom Foley. “One of my players won it, got it to Cole Jackson, and he was every bit of 40 yards out with three seconds to go. He shot it from just inside the center circle.
“It was one of those balls that stayed in the air, you’re watching the clock. Their goalkeeper was back on the six and he’s backpedaling. From my angle, I thought it was going over, but it went underneath the crossbar as the buzzer went off. My assistant coach said we’ve been coaching for 27 years, and we’ve never seen anything like that before. It was a heck of a way to win, a terrible way to lose.”
South held a 1-0 lead at halftime before Neshaminy struck to knot the score.
“Gavin Rowan broke down the left side, slotted the ball across to Jason Spencer and he tucked it in,” Foley said.
The Hawks were up 2-1 in the second half before Neshaminy netted the final two of the game in the waning minutes of the contest.
“They were pressing a little bit, but we started pressuring them a little bit better,” Foley said. “With about five minutes and change left, we got a corner. Cole Jackson hit a low hard ball that skipped across the rain-drenched field, somebody dummied it, and Manny Weagba came in and just passed it into the net.”
That set up Jackson’s dramatic game-winner as time expired.
“We’ve shown some grit as a team when we’ve faced adversity, so I’m happy we responded,” Foley said. “But overall, we want to not play with fire as much as we’ve been playing with fire the last two games. I’m ecstatic that we’re 3-0, but we haven’t played our best soccer yet, we really haven’t. We can do better. That’s going to be the focus moving forward.
“We need to play smarter, we need to be a little calmer on the defensive end. It’s good intentions, but we’re too aggressive sometimes on defense. We’ll get there. The first two weeks of the season are always trial and error. We’re still a work in progress. When you can go 3-0 in your first three and still feeling out who can do what, it’s a pretty good feeling, and your best soccer is yet to come.”
Neshaminy (3-0, 2-0 SOL) will seek to remain undefeated when it hosts Franklin Towne CHS in Monday’s non-league matchup before returning to league play hosting an improved and confident Harry S Truman squad on Tuesday. South (1-1, 2-1) will try to rebound when it hosts Quakertown on Monday.
Council Rock South 1 1—2
Neshaminy 0 3—3
Council Rock North 2, Harry S Truman 2, OT
Harry S Truman is looking for its first league win in three seasons. On Friday, the Tigers notched a tie that might just be as important to the program as any win could be.
Zack Hopely scored the game-tying goal off a Richie Hrouda assist with eight seconds left in regulation as the Tigers pulled out a gutsy 2-2 tie with the three-time defending conference champions.
“This game was a classic Suburban One battle,” said Truman coach Matt Terry. “My players were warriors today, displaying true grit and teamwork. It was exciting for our players and their family and friends. Our players love to play the game and that was so evident in today’s match.”
Truman led 1-0 at halftime on the strength of Aksel Victoria’s (Wendell Matthews assist) goal. And the Tiger defense stood tall against the Rock attackers.
“Jon Abarayak was solid in goal,” Terry said. “Our backline defenders Artie Dingley, Edwin Rivera, Jon Hamilton, and Richie were solid.”
Overall, Terry is seeing a lot of solid play from all over the field.
“Adam and Auyuob Fask moved the ball well in midfield,” the Tigers’ coach said. “Wendell Matthews has been hitting rockets the last two games and was directly responsible for creating our chance late in the first half. Aksel Victoria quietly scored his third goal of the season with the header off of Wendell’s shot. Seniors Mert Yildirim and Zack Hopely are starting to bond well together.”
Truman moves to 0-1-1 in SOL play, 1-1-1 overall.
“We played extremely disciplined and tried to take advantage with the wind and weather,” Terry said. “But a tie is still only one point. We are still looking for wins.”
Truman visits undefeated Neshaminy for another true test on Tuesday, while Council Rock North (0-1-1, 1-2-1) visits Archbishop Wood in a non-league game Saturday at 7 p.m., then returns to league action when it hosts William Tennent on Tuesday.
Council Rock North 0 2 0—2
Harry S Truman 1 1 0—2
William Tennent 3, Bensalem 1
After spotting Bensalem the opening goal of the game, William Tennent responded with three of its own to roll to a 3-1 victory over the Owls and pick up their first win of the season.
“This was a great game,” said Tennant coach Nick D’Andrea. “Bensalem is solid all-around and played with great energy. We were fortunate to respond and get a result.”
Ronaldo Montero’s goal spotted the Owls the early lead. Hunter Shey was credited with the assist.
Ben Weir tied the game at 1-1 on a corner kick, assisted by Jimmy Manning. Joey Roller followed with a goal to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead at halftime. Senior captain Sean Zolk added to the lead on penalty kick.
D’Andrea credited players from both sides in the win.
“Joe Roller and Sean Zolk played with great intensity and leadership for Tennent,” the Panthers’ coach said. “Kal Ivanov and Ryan Antry played great for Bensalem.”
The Panthers improve to 1-0 SOL, 1-1 overall, and heads to Council Rock North on Tuesday. Bensalem remains winless at 0-2, 0-4, and hosts Pennsbury on Tuesday.
William Tennant 2 1—3
Bensalem 1 1—2
SOL Continental Conference
Central Bucks South 2, Central Bucks East 0
Everything came together for Central Bucks South on Friday. With standout performances all over the field, South improved to 4-0 under first-year coach Joe Coscia with a masterful 2-0 win over Central Bucks East on Friday.
“The first half was pretty back-and-forth,” Coscia. “I wouldn’t really say that anyone got clear chances, but what we were able to do was identify their attack. The weather conditions weren’t exactly ideal, but the wind was definitely a factor at East’s stadium today.
“In the first half, they had the wind at their backs. The ease with which they cleared their lines and were springing a couple counter attacks put us under some pressure, but my backs—Jack Veith, Chris Berry and Shane Landue—did a really good job of sorting it out. Ryan Gross, our goalkeeper, did a really good job of recognizing his punts and distributions were not going anywhere in the air, and we started to play out of the back more and not give them opportunities to win 50-50s and put us right back under pressure.”
The Patriots, themselves coming off an emotional 2-1 victory over archrival Central Bucks West two days earlier, could not find an answer to Gross or the South defense. After playing a scoreless first half, South finally got on the scoreboard in the 65th minute when AJ Peev finished a Corey Bethel free kick.
Tasso Malitas made it 2-0 just seven minutes later on a rebound.
Coscia had plenty of acknowledgments to hand out after the big victory.
“Owen Davis is our center defensive midfielder, and he put in an absolutely fantastic 80 minutes, winning balls in the air, denying second chances, disrupting their passing through the middle of the field,” Coscia said. “Jake Heilig, our center attacking midfielder, is just absolutely incredible, putting in everything, creating, disrupting, and our two goal scorers were fantastic. AJ was on varsity last year as a freshman, and he’s really showing why he’s going to be a three-year starter going forward for our program.”
Central Bucks South sits atop the Continental Conference early in the season with a 2-0 record (4-0 overall). East is right behind at 1-1, 2-1. South will host Quakertown on Monday, while East faces another huge test when it visits North Penn on Monday evening.
Central Bucks South 0 2—2
Central Bucks East 0 0—0
Central Bucks West 0, Souderton 0, OT
Last season, the Souderton boys’ soccer team won only three games. The Indians split their first two games this season, and on Friday picked up a huge momentum- and confidence-booster by playing defending District 1 Champion Central Bucks West to a scoreless draw.
Riley Finger made six saves to earn the shutout for the Indians. West goalkeeper Ryan Van Pelt recorded five saves to earn his second clean sheet of the season.
“Both keepers came up with a few good saves, both backlines played really solid. It was just a typical battle between two league opponents that know each other well,” said Souderton coach Matt Benner. “It was one of those games where you figured one was going to be enough to win it. Unfortunately, neither side was able to get that goal.
“It was an even game and it was an ugly game. A bit because of the weather—it was a fast game, and the ball was skipping around. Both teams were trying to play direct and trying to get in behind the other team’s defense.”
Souderton’s backline of sophomores Dillon Barbieri, Thomas Smith, Tyler Bovel, and senior Connor Kellogg ensured that West’s opportunities to do so were rare.
“Our backline we feel is very strong,” Benner said. “They’re guys that are learning how to play together, and they all have different skill sets. They just have good balance among one another.”
Souderton sits at 0-1-1 SOL, 1-1-1 overall, but importantly, Friday’s game showed the Indians can bounce back, having played league and district powerhouse North Penn to a 1-1 halftime tie before conceding four second-half goals in their previous game.
“We were kind of disappointed after Wednesday,” Benner said. “That’s not like us, so we had some time to sit down with a group of defenders, and we talked about what makes us tick, what we needed to improve as we got ready for a tough opponent in West, and I was really happy with their response today. Looking at the results so far, there are so many good teams in our league, every game is a dogfight and you just have to prepare to play every day, and I was happy with how our boys responded after a tough loss.”
The Bucks now stand at 0-1-1, 1-1-2. They are on the road against Pennridge on Tuesday, while Souderton moves on from West to visit Central Bucks South Tuesday evening.
Central Bucks West 0 0 0—0
Souderton 0 0 0—0
Pennridge 4, Quakertown 0
Freshman Shane Velez contributed on two first-half goals and Aidan Castle scored twice as Pennridge jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the break and remained unbeaten on the season as the Rams cruised to a 4-0 victory.
After Connor Gable scored an unassisted goal five minutes into the game, Velez headed home a Bobby Brashear throw-in to make the score 2-0. In the waning moments of the opening half, Velez set up Aidan Castle for the Rams’ third goal.
Castle (Dillan Natitus assist) scored again to make it 4-0 midway through the second half.
“Overall, I’m happy with the performance,” Pennridge coach Pete Valimont said. “We got everybody in. Quakertown played tough as they always do. They’re not going to give up, especially with the crosstown rivalry.”
In addition to the offensive output, Valimont heaped praise on one of his defensive stalwarts.
“Dalton Gunthrie, one of our center backs, has done a fantastic job defensively,” Valimont said. “He’s an all-league player that hasn’t come off the field.”
Pennridge improves to 2-0 SOL, 5-0 overall, while the Panthers are still seeking their first win of the season (0-3, 0-3).
“We did well, but at the same time, a couple of point-blank shots just missed, we missed a penalty kick” Valimont said. “We’ve got to tighten that up and fix that going into next week. We’re focused on a big week. Central Bucks West was our Achilles’ heel last year. It’s going to be a good game. We’re just happy that the first time around it’s at our place.”
The Rams put their undefeated record on the line again on Tuesday, when they host Central Bucks West. Quakertown visits Council Rock South on Monday and Norristown on Tuesday.
Pennridge 3 1—4
Quakertown 0 0—0
SOL American Conference
Hatboro-Horsham 1, Wissahickon 0
Vince Buccafuri finished off a beautifully set up free kick midway through the second half to net the only goal of the game as Hatboro-Horsham earned a hard-fought 1-0 win.
“We had a free kick outside the box,” Hatters’ coach Kyle McGrath said. “Matty Harmon played a ball to the back post. Caleb Hudson headed it across to Vince, who was at the top of the six, and he just volleyed it into the goal.”
The visitors made that lone tally hold up as the Hatters, who suffered tough losses in their first two games of the season, earned a well-deserved mark in the win column.
“In the first two games, we played well, we just haven’t been able to finish,” McGrath said. “So it was kind of like, we need to get the monkey off our back in a sense to get the first win. Now we have some momentum going into next week.”
Third time was the charm in a game that was played primarily in the midfield. A strong start by the Hatters was countered as the Trojans controlled much of the rest of the half, and came close to scoring in the waning moments of the first half, but a terrific defensive play by Zach Joachim denied the effort.
“We started the game very well, and Wissahickon wrestled control away,” McGrath said. “They had the wind in the first half. At the beginning of the game, I didn’t think it was going to play a huge factor, but it started to gust.
“It was a midfield battle. They had a couple of opportunities in the first half. The second half I thought we were the better of the two teams. We were going with the wind, which helped, and we were able to clamp down on them defensively. They weren’t able to generate too many opportunities, and we finally were able to finish one.”
The Hatter defensive backfield of Buccafuri, Joachim, Jake Weiss, and Caleb Hudson clamped down in the second half to give the Hatters the chance to score their lone goal.
“They were my back four today, and they did an awesome job of keeping their forwards under control,” McGrath said.
The Hatters improve to 1-1 in SOL play, 1-2 overall, while the young Trojans drop to 0-2, 0-3. Hatboro-Horsham hosts crosstown rival Upper Moreland under the lights in a Tuesday evening game, while Wissahickon seeks its first win of the season against Roman Catholic High School in a non-league game on Saturday evening and a road game at Springfield Township on Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 0 1—1
Wissahickon 0 0—0
Upper Dublin 3, Cheltenham 2
Jordan Kahny scored off a Luke Rappaport setup as Upper Dublin completed an improbable comeback, netting three unanswered goals in the second half to rally past Cheltenham.
“The first half Cheltenham was all over us,” said Cardinals’ coach Andy Meehan. “They have a lot of speed up top and they were going through our defensive line with ease. We went into the second half knowing that we didn’t play our best and that we could come back.
“The difference this time is we made a couple of adjustments and we were able to continue our momentum once we got that second goal. Luke was able to play a through ball over the top for a quick counter and Jordan was able to bury it with a power shot to the corner.”
In addition to his assist on the game-winner, Rappaport scored the Cards’ first goal on Zach Berman’s corner kick. Junior Sean Seabrook tied the game at 2-2 on a free kick.
“Jordan ran 50 yards with a defender on his back and he just showed what I know he is capable of, and that’s coming up big in pressure situations,” Meehan said. “It wasn’t just him, though. It was a total team effort.
“The second half, the captains Nate Hillman, Chris Kenney, Jordan, and Oliver Berman along with seniors Giovanni Astorino and Ciaran Sutherland rallied them and the rest responded. Luke and Sean battled the whole game and gave us much-needed pressure on them.”
The victory moves Upper Dublin to 2-0 in SOL play, 2-2 overall. Cheltenham falls to 0-2, 2-2.
“This was a big game for us,” Meehan said. “Last year we were in the same situation. Cheltenham had our number. This year it was different. Our boys didn’t want it to end the same way it did last year and they pulled it out.”
Upper Dublin visits Abington on Tuesday, while Cheltenham travels to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday.
Cheltenham 2 0—2
Upper Dublin 0 3—3
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2, Springfield Township 1
Chad McNally and Zach Kolsun each tallied for Plymouth Whitemarsh en route to a 2-1 win over Springfield Township in Friday’s American Conference tilt.
Grant Williams (Matt Leibfreid assist) accounted for Springfield’s lone goal.
PW, which pulled ahead in the second half after heading into halftime at 1-1, improves to 2-0 SOL, 2-2 overall. Springfield falls to 0-2, 1-2. The Colonials host Cheltenham on Tuesday, while the Spartans host Wissahickon.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 1—1
Springfield Township 1 0—1
Abington 2, Upper Moreland 1
Liam Hartman scored in the first half and Nevin Baer scored the game-winner with a header in the second half as Abington handed American Conference foe Upper Moreland its first loss of the season with a 2-1 final on Friday.
With the win, Abington remains undefeated in league play at 2-0 (2-1 overall) and returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts Upper Dublin. Upper Moreland drops to 1-1, 3-1, and visits crosstown rival Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday evening for a game under the lights.
Abington 1 1—2
Upper Moreland 1 0—1
Non-League
Pennsbury 2, Malvern Prep 0
Erik Mauro scored in his second consecutive game, and this one would stand as the game-winning goal midway through the second half as Pennsbury took a 2-0 victory in Friday’s non-league contest. Jaden Haig recorded the assist on Mauro’s goal.
“I thought we did a good job on the counterattack,” Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart said. “Malvern was starting to take control of the game a little bit, but we put together a nice counter attack. Nyles Cayemitte started the whole play by coming back and holding possession so we could get forward. Jaden made a quick move, we got it across, and Erik Mauro was at the right spot for two straight games to knock it in.”
Shortly after breaking the scoreless tie, Evan Reichard added an insurance goal for the Falcons.
“Malvern really moved the ball well and they controlled things, and I was really pleased with our two center backs Trevor Hart and Josh Panaro, and (goalkeeper) Peter Beidler being able to keep a shutout and keeping everybody organized in front of them,” Stoddart said.
The Falcons improve to 3-0 overall (1-0 in National Conference play) and look to continue their winning ways when they visit league foe Bensalem on Tuesday.
Pennsbury 0 2—2
Malvern Prep 0 0—0
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