SOL Boys’ Soccer District Preview (10-22-19)

Eleven SOL boys’ soccer teams will be in action in this week’s District One 4A Tournament. Check out the preview capsules.

#1 NORTH PENN (Opening round bye)

North Penn

17-1 overall
11-1 SOL Continental Conference champions
Senior midfielder Carter Houlihan, a Lafayette commit, is one of the area’s most dangerous offensive weapons, and junior Josh Jones is an impact player at both ends of the field. Jamie Stewart anchors the defense at central defender, and Ryan Stewart is a versatile player who sees action at various positions depending on the game situation.
Wins over #6 Hatboro-Horsham (2-0), #16 Pennridge (2-0, 1-0) & #23 CB West (5-2, 3-1) as well as Class 3A #3 Holy Ghost Prep (3-1).
Knights were shut out just once all season, and that came in their only loss to CB East (1-0) on Sept. 10.

Coach Paul Duddy says: “We’ve been number one and in the top four before, but we never saw it through. We finished 17-1, and I said to the boys, ‘We have a chance to be the best North Penn boys’ soccer team ever’ and left it at that. It’s a challenge. Any team can knock us off any day, and we know it. We can’t let it happen.”

Second round: North Penn will host the winner of the #16 Pennridge at #17 Bensalem game.

#6 HATBORO-HORSHAM (Opening round bye)

15-2-1 overall
12-1-1 SOL American Conference champions
Program’s second conference crown in three years
Defense is a calling card for the Hatters, who have 13 shutouts and have allowed only nine goals in 18 games.
Anchoring the Hatters’ defense is a back line comprised of Vince Buccafuri, Caleb Hudson, Jake Weiss and Zach Joachim in front of senior Scott Katherine, who has eight shutouts since stepping into goal after freshman Noah Schlosser suffered a season-ending injury.
Matt Harmon, who has six goals and six assists, is the team’s playmaker and Bradan Mallon is the team’s top scorer with eight goals and one assist. JD Mallinder is the Hatters’ holding midfielder.
Wins over #15 CB East (1-0), #21 Upper Dublin (2-0, 3-2) & #23 CB West (2-0).
Tied #9 Abington in initial meeting (2-2) and won second (2-1).

Coach Kyle McGrath says: “We have a bye, which is good and bad. The last time we had a bye we kind of stumbled at the beginning of the game, and it cost us. I told the guys after our last game – we need to be focused in practice. Winning the conference was the first goal they wanted to accomplish. They have more goals they want to accomplish. Everybody needs to be invested.”

Second round: Hatboro-Horsham will host the winner of the #22 West Chester Rustin at #11 Neshaminy contest.

#24 HAVERFORD at #9 ABINGTON (Tuesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.)

Abington

14-3-1 overall
11-2-1 SOL American Conference second place
Key players include attacking center mid Nevin Baer, center back Reese Gibbs, midfielder Bryce Lexow and defender Michael Burnstein.
Wins over #11 Neshaminy (3-2), #15 CB East (3-2), #20 Council Rock North (2-1) & #21 Upper Dublin (2-0, 3-1).
Tied #6 Hatboro-Horsham (2-2) in first meeting but fell in the second in double overtime (2-1).

Haverford

9-6-3 overall
Opened season with 1-3-2 record but went 8-3-1 since.
Key players include senior forward Aidan Tripler, junior forward Phil Udo-Inyang, junior midfielder Duncan Riegler, senior midfielder Evan Carfrey and senior defender Trey Emeno
Wins over #5 Conestoga (3-2) & Class 2A #5 Penncrest (2-1). Tied #19 Owen J Roberts (2-2) & Class 2A #4 Strath Haven (0-0).

Winner gets: Winner will travel to #8 Spring-Ford

#22 WEST CHESTER RUSTIN at #11 NESHAMINY (Tuesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.)

Neshaminy

12-6 overall
8-4 SOL National Conference second place
Mike Albarran – a forward and defender – is the Redskins’ leading goal scorer and the team’s go-to defender as well.
Other players to watch are Jack Rowan (Midfield), Cole Jackson (Midfield), Trevor Rush (Goalkeeper), Ryan Schoenemann (Midfield), Lou Salmi (Defense) & Ian Siwinski (Defense)
Wins over #20 Council Rock North (3-2, 2-1) & Class 3A #3 Holy Ghost Prep (4-1).
Split season series with #17 Bensalem (3-2, 1-2) & #20 Council Rock North (3-2,

Coach Tom Foley says: “We played pretty well the last half of the year. We had one clunker, but that was a game we were missing five starters, so we’ll take the mulligan on that one. We’re pretty confident if we stay the same defensively in the midfield and create turnovers like we have – we’ve shown that we can counter and cash in on mistakes – we’re going to scare some people.”

West Chester Rustin

10-6-2 overall
Senior forward Matt Scoffone, a first team All-Ches-Mont forward, leads the Golden Knights up top.
Senior Andrew D’Stefano anchors the defense in goal
Wins over #24 Haverford (1-0) & Class 3A #5 Penncrest (3-2). Tied #18 Downingtown East (2-2)

Winner gets: Winner will travel to #6 Hatboro-Horsham

#19 OWEN J ROBERTS at #14 PENNSBURY (Tuesday, Oct. 22, 3 p.m.)

Pennsbury

12-4-2 overall
9-2-1 SOL National Conference champions
Program’s first conference crown since 2009
Junior Evan Reichard leads the team in goals scored. Nyles Cayemitte and Jaden Haig are dangerous offensive weapons as well. Josh Panero has played every minute of every game at center back. Peter Beidler is a leader out of the back in goal.
Wins over #11 Neshaminy (4-0, 1-0). Tied #10 Downingtown West 1-1) & Class 1A #1 Faith Christian (2-1).
Split season series with #20 Council Rock North (2-1, 1-2). Defeated #17 Bensalem in first meeting (8-4) and tied in second (2-2).

Coach Tom Stoddart says: “Thursday’s game against Neshaminy was definitely a good test for us because it was a championship atmosphere. It will definitely be a little bit different because we’ve gotten squeezed out of the playoffs, so with the exception of a couple of my freshmen, no one has played any meaningful minutes up against elimination, so that’s definitely something we’re going to have to handle. We have really preached to the boys all year long that the game is definitely about keeping composure. If you keep your composure, more times than not you’ll come out on the proper end of things. There will be some tight spots we find ourselves in. We talked with our defenders that we really need to shore things up because at the end of the day, in the playoffs it’s more about the goals you don’t give up than it is the goals you score. It’s about really sharpening your focus and not letting that one mistake get by you. That being said, we’re a dangerous team, so we can run with teams. We should be a tough out, and we should be fairly well rested. We’re looking forward to it.”

Owen J Roberts

11-6-2 overall
5-4-1 PAC Liberty Division third place
Fell to #3 Boyertown 1-0 in PAC semifinals
Senior Zeb Smith anchors the defense in goal
Key players include seniors Kyle Storti, Gavin Zorn & Ethan Gawlik.
Win over Class 3A #2 Pottsgrove (6-0). Tied #24 Haverford (2-2).
Split season series with #3 Boyertown (2-1, 1-2)

Winner gets: Winner will travel to #3 Boyertown

#18 DOWNINGTOWN EAST at #15 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST (Tuesday, Oct. 22, 3 p.m.)

Central Bucks East

10-6-2 overall
8-3-1 SOL Continental Conference second place
The Patriots doubled their win total from 2018 when they missed out on the playoffs.
Goalkeeper Tyler Okin anchors a deep Patriot defense. The Patriots have two players at many of the positions on offense.
The Patriots lost Jack Wilde, a strong leader on and off the field, to an injury. He continues to provide inspiration from the bench. Also serving as leaders are Nolan Case, Nino Barbati, Graiden Carter & Michael Ferrante.
Wins over #16 Pennridge (2-0, 1-0), #23 CB West (2-1, 2-1) Class 2A #1 New Hope-Solebury (2-1) & Class 1A #4 Delco Christian (4-10). Tied #20 Council Rock North (1-1).
Split season series with #1 North Penn, handing the Knights their only loss in the first meeting (1-0). The Knights exacted revenge with a 1-0 win in the rematch.

Coach Josh Isaacsohn says: “The whole season is a war. Every game is an absolute battle with the league being so competitive. Basically, we want to keep on the positive path we’ve been on. We have seniors who have been injured for quite a while who are already contributing, and it’s just a one-team effort. We’re happy going back to the beginning of the season with how supportive and how much leadership our seniors have shown. The underclassmen are following suit, and basically just keep doing what they’re doing. If we take it too seriously, you start overthinking, and that’s not where we want to be, but we don’t want to be too casual either.”

Downingtown East

7-1-4 Ches-Mont National Division
16 seniors on veteran roster
Wins over #10 Downingtown West (3-0) & Class 3A #1 Bishop Shanahan (2-1). Tied #13 West Chester Henderson (0-0) & #22 West Chester Rustin (2-2)

Winner gets: Winner will travel to #2 Lower Merion

#17 PENNRIDGE at #16 BENSALEM (Tuesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.)

Pennridge

10-7-1 overall
4-7-1 SOL Continental Conference sixth place
Rams were 6-0 in non-league games
Key players include sophomore forward Aidan Castle, junior midfielder Carolos Erazo and senior midfielder Dillan Naititus.
Wins over #13 West Chester Henderson (2-1), #21 Upper Dublin (4-2), #24 Haverford (2-0), Class 3A #8 Phoenixville (3-0) & Class 2A #1 New Hope-Solebury (3-0).
Split season series with #15 CB East (2-0, 0-1).

Coach Pete Valimont says: “We are an experienced group and very excited to be in the playoffs again for the second year in a row. Getting a home game is a great reward to our seniors. Bensalem is a solid team from the SOL, and we are looking forward to the challenge.”

Bensalem

11-6-1 overall
7-4-1 SOL National Conference tied for third place
After opening the season 0-5, the Owls were 10-0-1 in their next 11 games.
Key players include Jon Larbi, who leads the team in goals scored, Jordan Lee, who anchors the defense, Brian Gibson, Ryan Antry, Hunter Shea & Chris Rowan.
Lost Kal Ivanov, a playmaker in the middle, to a season-ending injury but have received good minutes from sophomore Ronaldo Montero in his absence.
Wins over #15 CB East (3-0) & #18 Downingtown East (4-3)
Split season series with #11 Neshaminy (2-3, 2-1) & #20 Council Rock North (4-3, 0-3). Tied #14 Pennsbury 2-2 in second meeting after falling 8-4 in the first.

Coach Rob Brown says: “Coming from college (director of men’s soccer operations at St. Joseph’s University) to high school is a little different. We did very well in the summer league, so I knew we had a good group, but I didn’t know how good. We started 0-5, but my starting senior center back, Jordan Lee, didn’t play the first five games. With him in the lineup, we only lost one game. He’s a big part of what we do in the back, he settles everyone down.

“We’ll take Tuesday’s game very seriously, very business-like and just be who we are. Everyone has kind of doubted us all year, especially the way we started. We’ve had a lot of slow starts in games, and we always come back. We found a way to win. No matter what happens, you can’t get down, you have to keep playing until the final whistle.”

Winner gets: Winner will travel to #1 North Penn.

#20 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH at #13 WEST CHESTER HENDERSON (Tuesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.)

Council Rock North

10-6-2 overall
7-4-1 SOL National Conference tied for third place
Key players are midfielders Vinny Colon and Christian DeSimone and defenders Spencer Berman and Jeremy Smithline.
Indians were 3-4-1 after eight games but closed out regular season 7-2-1.
Shut out just once in 18 games and that was in the first game of season in 1-0 loss to St. Joe’s Prep.
Split season series with #14 Pennsbury (1-2, 2-1) & #17 Bensalem (3-4, 3-0), avenging losses to both teams in rematch. Tied #15 CB East (1-1).

Coach Joe Stackhouse says: “We tell them to just make themselves the most dangerous team they can be. I think West Chester Henderson is a good matchup. If we can advance past Tuesday night, who knows.”

West Chester Henderson

11-5-2 overall
Led by senior forward Kevin Kiefer, a four-year varsity player.
Wins over #8 Spring-Ford (1-0), #12 Harriton (3-2), #19 Owen J Roberts (1-0), #22 West Chester Rustin (2-1) & Class A #1 Bishop Shanahan (3-0). Tied #10 Downingtown West (0-0) & #18 Downingtown East (0-0).

Winner gets: Winner will travel to #4 Unionville.

#21 UPPER DUBLIN at #12 HARRITON (Tuesday, Oct. 22, 6 p.m.)

Upper Dublin

11-6-1 overall
10-3-1 SOL American Conference third place
Cardinals were 6-0-1 to close out the season after a 5-6 start.
Players to watch include forwards Jordan Kahny and Sean Seabrook and midfielders Luke Rappaport, Chris Kenney, Nate Hillman and Giovanni Astorino.
Split season series with #9 Abington (0-2, 3-1)

Coach Andy Meehan says: “We are a different team than in the beginning of the season. There were many issues that we worked on throughout the season that we have solved. The last seven games we were 6-0-1, so we really are starting to hit our stride heading into districts.”

Harriton

10-4-2 overall
Goalkeeper Daniel Katz has five shutouts on the season, including a 0-0 tie against #2 Lower Merion
Led by senior forward Mikkel Anderson, a first team All-Central League selection as a junior
Wins over #24 Haverford (4-0), Class 3A #1 Bishop Shanahan (4-3), #4 Strath Haven (3-1) & Class 1A #1 Faith Christian (3-0)
Won six of eight games to close out season.

Winner gets: Winner will travel to #5 Conestoga

#23 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST at #10 DOWNINGTOWN WEST (Tuesday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m.)

Central Bucks West

7-6-5 overall
5-4-3 SOL Continental Conference third place
Key players are defenders Bailey Moyer and James Lutz, goalkeeper Ryan Van Pelt, midfielder Jimi Leder and forward Alan Zlotin.
Win over Pennridge (1-0, 2-1) and tied #5 Conestoga (1-1).
Rematch of final regular season game – a 2-0 Downingtown West win.

Coach Stefan Szygiel says: “It’s going to be a really good game. Obviously, we’re the lower seed, but I don’t think that matters. It’s the old cliché – everyone is back to 0-0, a clean slate. It’s just about getting in. Records don’t matter. The SOL is a tough league. Now we’re all rooting for each other. Unfortunately, sometimes you end up playing each other. I’m happy to see we got four (teams) in from the Continental. I think once again we’re very, very strongly represented in the tournament.”

Downingtown West

12-4-2 overall
Led by senior forward Rye Jarran and senior midfielder Tobiaz Diaz Fragas. Both were first team All-Ches-Mont National Division as juniors.
Wins over #11 Neshaminy (3-0), #18 Downingtown East (3-0), #22 West Chester Rustin (1-0), #23 Central Bucks West (2-0) & Class 3A #1 Bishop Shanahan (3-1). Tied #13 West Chester Henderson (0-0) & #14 Pennsbury (1-1).

Winner gets: Winner will travel to #7 Radnor