Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action in Monday’s opening round of the District One Tournament. Neshaminy/Great Valley photos provided by John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos.
CLASS 4A
#6 North Penn 1, #11 Perkiomen Valley 0 (OT)
Jojo Dalwadi gets it.
The North Penn senior understands the expectations when he comes off the bench for the defending district and state champion Knights.
“Especially in overtime, I think the biggest mindset coming off the bench is to give the team a spark of energy,” the North Penn senior said.
Dalwadi gave the Knights a spark and then some in Monday’s district opener, scoring the game-winner with six minutes remaining in the first overtime period.
“Coach (Chris) DePeppe said, ‘Their left back looks a little tired,’ so he wanted fresh legs to be exploiting that left back who is tired, and he wanted me to be offensive when getting the ball,” Dalwadi said. “So I think fulfilling the ideology that we needed to be an attacking team in overtime and not so much of a defensive team – I think coach understands I’m a little bit of a defensive player.
“But in overtime, if coach tells you to play offense, you play offense. You don’t sit back and play defense. That’s the mentality I had going into it. I actually subbed onto the field about two minutes before the goal, and as I was going on, coach told me to be at the right spot basically, and that’s exactly what happened.
“I think Perkiomen Valley was going into the mentality of it going into PKs, but going into overtime we knew a goal was coming. We just thought the best thing to do was clear all the balls, don’t play possession and basically just create chances up top. Nate Kim, our right back, crossed the ball to Josh Jones far post, and Josh headed the ball to the opposite post. I just happened to be there for the tap in. That’s just the story.”
A story that had a happy ending for the Knights, who controlled play but struggled to finish in Monday’s district opener.
“If we were watching the game as a member of the team, I think we felt a little frustrated halfway through the second half,” Dalwadi said. “Just for the idea that we’re the defending state and district champs – it shouldn’t be 0-0 this late in the game, so I guess from a player’s standpoint, we did get a little frustrated, but our captains showed great leadership, and they told us a goal was coming and we just needed to be aggressive because the only thing we didn’t want was us not being aggressive, and Perkiomen Valley winning a 50-50 and setting themselves up for the offensive attack.
“We hit the post on one shot, the keeper made a couple of great saves on Josh Jones headers. We had chances throughout the game, so based off of all that, we had momentum going into overtime. With an attacking team like us, playing defensive isn’t the best odds you want to play. Heading into overtime, the frustration fizzled out because of our experience. We’ve been in late games before, considering last year’s playoff run, so we knew the mentality it would take to win in overtime.”
One person who wasn’t surprised to see Dalwadi deliver the game-winner was the Knights’ assistant coach.
“He’s the type of player who comes in and gives us great minutes all the time,” Paul Duddy said. “Sometimes he starts games, others he comes off the bench, but he just brings energy to the game and inspires us.”
Duddy also lauded the play of several other players in the win.
“Nate Kim is our right midfielder, and he probably served 10 great balls – 30-40 yards from the right midfield spot to the far post, and on the last one, Josh wins the head ball, it goes to the other post and Jojo is there to finish it,” Duddy said. “Credit also to our defense and Sawyer Meade for another clean sheet.”
Comprising the Knights’ defensive unit in front of Meade were central defenders Ryan Mindick and Kevin Murphy with Achilles Triantafyllos and Nate Kim on the outside.
Duddy also tipped his hat to the PV player assigned the task of trying to contain Jones.
“Their #21 marked Josh Jones, and the kid just did a tremendous job,” he said. “Eventually Josh got the assist anyway to win the game, and that’s just a credit to his persistence, but he did as good a job as anybody guarding Josh.”
As for the game itself, the Knights pretty much controlled the flow.
“The first three minutes we had pressure on them,” Duddy said. “For the next 10 minutes, they came at us pretty good and created some chances and probably had the better of play, but then we got back on our feet and started playing real good possession for the rest of the game.
“They probably had one great chance each half. They were very organized, they were disciplined, and they contested every ball, so credit to their coaches and the team. We had maybe a bit of a size advantage, but they contested everything.”
North Penn (9-2, 8-2 SOL) will host #14 Central Bucks South in Thursday’s quarterfinal round.
Perkiomen Valley 0-0-0 0
North Penn 0-0-1 1
#7 Neshaminy 3, #10 Great Valley 0
Neshaminy posted seven shutouts over 11 games en route to the Patriot Division title, the team’s first league crown since 2014. Neshaminy rode that defense—along with a late-season offensive surge—into the District One Class 4A playoffs, and in 
Monday’s first-round game against Great Valley, Neshaminy posted another goose egg, downing the Patriots 3-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.
“Early on in the season, we were winning games narrowly,” said senior Gavin Rowan. “When we won, it was a 1-0 game. As we went on, we found ourselves building. We would win 2-0, the next game would win 3-0. Eventually, our last few games, we found ourselves getting three goals, four goals, and we got another three tonight.”
Rowan played a part in all three, with two goals and one assist. He put Neshaminy on the board about seven minutes into the first half when he headed in a Cole Jackson corner.
“We really wanted to get the first goal, we had to come out strong,” Rowan said. “We knew Great Valley was going to be a great team. Any team can knock anyone off. Once we got the first goal, we knew we had to build on that and get the second and just keep building.”
About three minutes later, Rowan set up that insurance score.
“We had a nice build up out of the back,” said Neshaminy coach Tom Foley. “One of our backs played the ball down the line to Gavin, and Gavin made a nice run down the left side. He hit a low, hard cross, kind of pulled it away from the keeper and found Jose Rivera, who knocked it in for the second goal.
“I was really pleased. We got about 15 kids into the game in the first half, and everyone played really well. We pressured Great Valley a lot, so we’ve been very good about creating turnovers in their defensive end or our offensive zone. We put a lot of pressure on teams that way, and we were able to do that again tonight. They were a little jittery, knocking balls with no purpose. Our defenders are good enough where they can settle the ball down and get us back in motion. That’s how most of the night went because they didn’t like being pressured, so we kept it on pretty good. We rotated 
our outside forwards in quite a bit, and they all did a great job.”
Neshaminy kept up the pace as the second half began, and Rowan netted his second goal shortly after play resumed.
“We started off pretty quick in the second half,” Foley said. “We had a nice build up and got Michael Albarran sent through. He got pulled down from behind in the box, and true to form, we got a penalty kick and we missed. Fortunately, it went off the crossbar, and Gavin was crashing the net. He headed it in. We still cashed in on the PK even though we hit the crossbar. Gavin got the third goal to give us that breathing room.
“Gavin was exceptional tonight. He just missed getting a hat trick—he hit a laser off the inside of the post, but it was one of those that went straight across the goal and we couldn’t coral the rebound.”
Foley commended the play of defenders Lou Salmi, Mike Albarran, AJ Rivera, Ryan Schoenefield, and Ian Siwinski.
“And Connor Steele was a beast as a center defensive midfielder,” Foley said. “Overall, I was very, very pleased with the results.”
The reward for their victory is a quarterfinal matchup against a most familiar team. Neshaminy (9-1-2, 6-0-2 SOL) with square off against neighborhood rival Pennsbury on Thursday after the 15th-seeded Falcons eliminated second seed William Tennent in penalty kicks 1-1 (3-1 PK) in the first round. The teams battled to a scoreless tie in their first meeting, and Neshaminy took the second game, 1-0.
“It’s definitely going to be tough to play them three times, but we know what they’re capable of, and we know what we’re capable of,” Rowan said.
“Playing a team three times is a difficult task, but you have to play the teams that are in front of you,” Foley added. “If you want to be the best, you have to go through some tough teams, and Pennsbury is always difficult for us.”
Neshaminy 2 1—3
Great Valley 0 0—0
#12 Pennridge 1, #5 Abington 0
A week ago, the Rams weren’t sure they’d earn a spot in the district playoffs. On Monday, they were making all kinds of noise in the playoffs, earning an electrifying win over the fifth-seeded Ghosts when senior Carlos Erazo scored the game-winner with 40 seconds remaining in regulation.
“It was foul on their end just outside the 18, and we ran a play – it was a little bit of a mis-kick on our end,” Pennridge coach Pete Valimont said of the game-winning sequence. “We didn’t execute it exactly the way we would have liked, but the ball ended up on Carlos’ foot in a bit of a scrum on the 18. He was able to get a redirection on frame, and it got in the back of the net. There was 40 seconds left to kill the clock, and that’s a wrap.”
Fantastic finishes have become the norm for this year’s Ram squad.
“This is our eighth win – our sixth win with five minutes left and our third win with under a minute left,” Valimont said. “I’ve had teams that would find a way to stop or give up, and these guys – they don’t care. They’re going to go until it’s absolutely over.
“It was just overall effort. For Carlos to have that finishing goal – the entire group battled. Every guy on the roster – I could put his name up for credits, but Carlos tonight didn’t come off the field. He was smooth when he was on the ball, he was always where he needed to be defensively.
“He was at the right spot at the right moment in the game when it counted the most, and it worked.”
Carlos wasn’t the only player to step up. There was plenty of praise to go around.
“I would just go right down the spine – Jake Saville and Aiden Castle up top were fantastic, just grinding non-stop. Aiden Castle is getting double-teamed all the time and rightfully so, but he never quits,” Valimont said. “Ben Scary was with Carlos in the middle and just worked the entire game, didn’t give up. Their middle triangle is really good and really big. We knew that was going to be the key if we could mess that up or just be on them physically when they got the ball it would help us.
“Our defensive line (Colin) Monahan and (Shane) Velez in the center were fantastic, and Ryan Saville and Dalton Guthrie – Dalton was back roaring with energy and flying all over the field. He’s such a tough kid and did great. CJ (Dimmick), our goalie, made a handful of really close saves. That’s almost everybody, but it was a real team effort.”
The win brings to an end the successful season of the Ghosts.
“It was a fantastic game,” Valimont said. “(Abington coach) Randy Garber has been there forever. I keep telling everyone that he and (Mike) Gorni are on the Mount Rushmore of Suburban One coaches.
“His team is just fantastic. They are good at every level on the field. From the goalkeeping, defending, midfield, forwards, they have talent everywhere. Not to knock our guys for what they did – they went on the road in their second elimination game in less than a week on a brand new grass field. We haven’t played on grass all season. It was cold, windy – all the elements pretty much going against you, and we hung in until the 80th minute. Now they get rewarded and we have a home game on Thursday because Upper Dublin upset Downingtown West.”
Pennridge is the third team from the SOL Colonial in the district’s elite eight.
“It just goes to show – not just the Suburban One but our conference is no joke,” Valimont said.
Pennridge (8-5, 5-5 SOL) will host #13 Upper Dublin in a quarterfinal game Thursday. Abington – the SOL Liberty Division champion – closed out its season with a 9-2 record.
Pennridge 0-1 1
Abington 0-0 0
#13 Upper Dublin 2, #4 Downingtown West 0
Upper Dublin rode a four-game winning streak to end the regular season and secure the team’s first berth in the District One Class 4A playoffs since 2016. The Cardinals were not satisfied with simply making it to the postseason. They want to make the experience last.
Josiah Kutai put the Cardinals on the board nine minutes into Monday’s first-round game, and the goal would stand as the game-winner as the 13th-seeded Cardinals upset fourth seed Downingtown West, 2-0.
“The ball took a bounce around their box, and he was able to get it down and get a shot off,” said UD coach Andy Meehan of Kutai’s goal “It deflected off one of their players and just went right into the goal. We’re continuing our trend of good starts.
“That goal was huge. You can usually tell a lot about teams in the beginning of games. We’ve been coming out strong. Going into the playoffs, we were playing very well, so we wanted to make sure that we continued doing that because we really have something special with these boys, and I want to make sure that it continues. Once he scored, it was like, ‘All right, we can get some more.’ We had a little bit of a game plan going in, and the boys executed it to perfection. There was no player on our side that had a bad game. They all had a good game or a fantastic game. It was good team win.”
Senior Sean Seabrook added the insurance goal with 15 minutes left in the game (Sam Moss assist) on a blast that deflected off the post and into the cage.
“I don’t think there was any doubt in our mind that we were going to win today,” Seabrook said. “We knew it was going to be a challenge, but we were confident in our team and our abilities.
“I think we were coming in under the radar, one of those teams no one really expects to do much, and I think the early goal helped to show that we’re competitors. Especially this year, we have a good group of underclassmen. It took a couple games to get them situated and confident playing with older players, and I think a couple lineup changes and just building team chemistry really helped.”
Meehan praised the efforts of his defense—including Moss, goalie Spencer Bender, and defensive linemen Elias Abebe, Karan Acharya, Ethan Hill, and Dan Gorman—in shutting down West.
“Our whole defensive line had a great game,” Meehan said. “One person in particular—sophomore Elias Abebe—West had a kid that was on his side they were really trying to utilize, but Elias was able to shut him down. He had a fantastic game doing so.”
Upper Dublin improves to 7-3-1 on the season, and will look to win its sixth straight in Thursday’s quarterfinal when the Cards battle another spoiler, 12th-seeded Pennridge, which upset fifth seed Abington 1-0 in the first round of Districts.
Upper Dublin 1 1—2
Downingtown West 0 0—0
#14 Central Bucks South 3, #3 Unionville 0
Central Bucks South was not about to let its remarkable stretch run come to an end.
After struggling to find its rhythm early in the season, the Titans found the proper chemistry and won four of their final five games, running their 1-4 league record to a 5-5 final to tie for second place in the Colonial Division and earn their first District One playoff berth since 2015.
“We knew going into our last game against Pennridge it was a big one, and we were able to pull it out,” said senior center mid Corey Bethel of the Titans’ 3-1 win over the Rams. “But we don’t control the outcomes, so we waited it out. We trained and got ready as if we were going to be in the playoffs and had practice all week leading up. We were in Tuesday, we were out Wednesday, and Thursday practice we were out, but after practice, we found out we were in. It was great, the cards went the right way for us.”
“We were extremely excited because this is the first time we made playoffs in five years,” junior Tasso Malitas added “Our whole team was excited to play, and we showed it tonight.”
And while none of the Titans players had any postseason experience, the urgency of their play toward the end of the season and the quality of the Suburban One Colonial Division prepared them well for the postseason spotlight.
“Year after year, we just have battles—1-0, 2-0 games. Some of them go our way, some of them don’t, but we’re playing tough, top-notch competition,” Bethel said. “We’re ready for that. We play big, physical teams. Coming into a game like this, we weren’t sure what to expect. We didn’t know much about them, but we figured with who we play against, we would at least have a fighting chance. We were able to execute what we needed to.”
And execute they did. The Titans—who were unsure whether they’d finish in the top 16 until the final day, and pulled the 14th seed—started fast and finished strong to upset third-seeded Unionville 3-0 in Monday’s District One Class 4A first-round matchup.
“This was probably the best game we’ve played all year, hands down,” said South coach Joe Coscia. “The way that we started clicking against Pennridge in the last game of the season (a 3-1 South victory)—when we played them the first time and lost 2-0, I would say that was our worst game of the season—but in the last game when we were able to respond to them and totally shut them down and score really quality goals, what my assistant coach Mike McGonagle and I have really tried to do, it clicked. Maybe it was a little bit later in the season than we hoped, but we’re playing real soccer and we’re beating teams playing real soccer. The more and more we continue to execute it, the potential is there to go as far as they want as long as they put the work in.”
Midway through the first half, AJ Peev put the Titans on the board with what would hold up as the game-winning goal on a beautiful play assisted by Sean Reiber. They took that lead into halftime.
“Mike and I looked at each other after AJ scored the first goal – I hope one of my parents was recording it because it was probably the most beautiful goal in my five seasons at CB South,” Coscia said. “It was absolutely perfect give-and-go soccer with a brilliant finish. The Unionville defenders were just sticking their legs out and were two feet behind the ball already. It was excellent.”
“None of us have really played in a playoff game before, so the energy was extremely high, and we kind of jumped on them right from the start,” added Bethel, who also played a part in the first goal. “We high pressed them and were able to get a couple of turnovers. Once they started turning the ball over, we gained confidence, and we were just able to have a really good combo play for our first goal. After that, we got a better grip on the game, and we were able to possess the ball on them a lot better.”
Malitas netted both insurance goals for South, the first midway through the second half assisted by Mike Monser, while Kyle Rychlak set up the final tally with 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
“We high pressed a lot and made the team make mistakes, and we capitalized from there,” Malitas said. “We were very confident and had a lot of energy to play.”
“Tasso is coming together at the right time of the season,” Coscia added. “My defense has always been solid, and to secure the shutout on top of everything was the cherry on top. I have to give props to Corey Bethel, Logan Campbell, and my goalkeeper, Ryan Gross. They were so solid today and so clean in the back.”
Central Bucks South (6-5 overall) will see a familiar foe next, as the Titans will meet sixth seed North Penn in Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup. North Penn won both regular-season match-ups by identical 1-0 scores.
Central Bucks South 1-2 3
Unionville 0-0 0
#15 Pennsbury 1, #2 William Tennent 1 (Pennsbury wins in PKs 3-1)
In a game that neither team deserved to lose, it was the Falcons eking out a win in penalty kicks, bringing to an end a perfect season for the Panthers.
“In technical terms, it comes down as a tie and you advance on PKs, so you never really win in a game like that,” Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart said. “On the other hand, it’s only fair because then that allows William Tennent to end with an undefeated season, which they more than deserve.
“Our guys were focused in on shootouts, including our keeper (Michael Caissie). He made two saves, and they missed one. It was everything you would expect out of a playoff game. It was a great experience.”
The Panthers, according to the Falcons’ coach, came oh so close to winning it in the final seconds of overtime.
“With 10 seconds to go, I thought for sure it was all but won for William Tennent,” Stoddart said. “There was a wild scramble inside the box. Somehow our players just kept throwing their body on top of it, so our keeper dug it out.
“It was literally like a football fumble. It was a bizarre set of turns, but fate was definitely on our side.”
Earlier, the Falcons got on the scoreboard 15 minutes into the contest on a goal by Zach Summer.
“We moved Jaden Haig off the left flank and put him up high, we moved Zach up onto the left flank from the left back, and basically, Jaden made a run and took two defenders and the goalkeeper’s vision with him and left Zach behind,” Stoddart said. “Zach just made a great individual play and actually had a pretty easy time of finding the corner and knocking it in. I think they were so keyed on Jaden going across the goal mouth that seemed to take everyone’s attention away.
“We were very good in the first 40 even though we were going into the wind. We had probably two other (goals) we should have gotten and just didn’t. That allowed William Tennent to find their way back in the game. I thought by the end of the first half they were fully footed and back into the game. When the sides switched, we would have the wind at our back, but Tennent was having none of it, and they definitely went toe to toe with us.”
The Panthers knotted the score in the second half.
“There was a call that didn’t go our way, and they were able to put it down and catch us on a counter attack,” Stoddart said. “Their kid had a fantastic finish. He just couldn’t have done any better with it.
“They were able to hold us off the rest of the half.”
The first overtime, according to Stoddart, was relatively even. The second 15-minute OT wasn’t.
“We were definitely just holding on,” the Falcons’ coach said. “We were on our heels and holding on. William Tennent had every right to be moving on, so we kind of stole it at that point, but we got to PKs, and we couldn’t have performed any better in penalty kicks.”
Both players connected on their team’s first PK with Colin Plunkett finding the net for the Falcons. Caissie came up with a huge save on Tennent’s second PK, and Zach Summer buried his penalty kick, giving the Falcons a 2-1 lead. Tennent missed the net on their third attempt, and Evan Reichard buried his PK to put the Falcons on top 3-1.
“At this point, we need one more goal or one save,” Stoddart said. “Number 24 steps up for them, and luckily, we had a tape on him. Mike had a great read on it and made another fantastic save on the kid and was able to push it wide.
“Michael Caisssie was fantastic. He was solid the whole game and unbelievably solid in PKs. When you have a keeper that’s going to save two, you’re going to win PKs more often than not. That’s just a feat. Even the first one they made, he had a fingertip on, so he got in their heads right away. He was locked in.”
Stoddart also had props for several other players.
“Obviously, my three shooters that made it up there – it’s a tough spot you put kids in,” the Falcons’ coach said. “Colin Plunkett has our best penalty kick, and he hadn’t been on the field since the first half.
“I let him know in overtime that if he wanted it he was my number one kicker. The kid said, ‘I’ll take it,’ and he spent most of the second overtime getting warmed up and mentally prepared. He went up and got the job done, so that’s a huge spot for him and a big lift for the kids.
“Evan Reichard made it back on the field tonight. He had some flashy moments, but obviously, not playing the majority of the season, his fitness level is down low, so every time he’d go on, he’d give us a run and come off, throw up in the garbage can, put fluids back in him and then go back on the field. Just having him back is a huge lift for the team, and for him to put on that performance being out of shape and all and owning it and saying, ‘I just want to be there and help the team out however I can,’ his attitude and everything was fantastic and was a lift for the kids.
“Jaden (Haig) causes so much havoc on the field, and it allows things to shake loose for the other kids. I’m just very happy that they got that experience in and look forward to traveling to Neshaminy.”
Pennsbury (6-4-1, 4-3-1 SOL) will travel to neighboring Neshaminy for a quarterfinal game on Thursday. William Tennent – the SOL Freedom Division champions – closed out a memorable season with an 11-1 record (8-0 SOL). The Panthers have set the bar high for future teams.
Pennsbury 1-0-0 1 (3-1 PKs)
William Tennent 0-1-0 1
#1 West Chester East 1, #16 Souderton 1 (West Chester East wins 5-4 in PKs)
The Indians came oh so close to pulling off the upset of the opening round, taking an early 1-0 lead in the eighth minute on a goal by Dillon Barbieri that was assisted by Brody Emery.
That 1-0 lead held until West Chester East scored with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. Two overtimes could not determine a winner, and the game came down to penalty kicks.
The Indians had an early 3-1 lead only to see the Vikings rally to earn the 5-4 win. Converting PKs for the Indians were TJ Hibsman, Ty Quintois, Nolan Hughes and Brody Emery.
“I’m really proud of my seniors Brody Emery and TJ Hibsman,” coach Matt Benner said. “They played their hearts out. Both made their penalty kicks and Brody assisted our goal.”
Aidan McClure had eight saves in net for the Indians.
Souderton closed out its season with a 4-5-3 record (3-4-3 SOL).
Souderton 1-0-0-0 1
WC East 0-1-0-0 1 (WCE wins 5-4 on PKs)
Class 3A
#1 Upper Moreland 1, #4 Bishop Shanahan 0
Logan Taylor finished off a thrilling play by netting the ball from just outside the goal line, and the goal, scored seven minutes into the second half, held up as the lone goal of the game as top-seeded Upper Moreland dispatched fourth seed Bishop Shanahan in a District One Class 3A semifinal on Monday.
“We came out on fire (in the second half), peppering them with shots,” said Golden Bears coach Justin Allegra. “Their goalie made a couple of great saves. It was a quick counter, which I talk to them about all the time. They had a corner, quick counter. Our goalie punted it out, and it was kind of every man for himself.
“My forward, Michael Kane, is running for the ball. It was a 50/50 ball with the goalie, and he tips it over the goalie. Their defender is on the post, it hits the post and goes behind the defender, and it’s bouncing on the line. I thought it was in already, and then Logan Taylor comes running through and puts it in the back of the net, and we go up 1-0.”
Shanahan had its chances, but the top-seeded Bears dictated play for much of the contest.
“They had a golden opportunity with about 40 seconds to go in the first half where the ball came in off a throw-in, and they shot it over from eight yards out,” Allegra said. “My halftime message to them was, ‘We’re playing well, we’re outplaying them, we just need to finish some of our chances.’ I tried to get them as fired up as possible.
“We had scouted those guys out, and we pretty much took the play. We had most of the chances in the game. We controlled the midfield. Our guys up top had plenty of opportunities. We had seven throw-ins in the first 10 minutes. We just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net. We had our opportunities. It was pretty much ours for the taking.”
Allegra noted the play of Aaron Snyder and Josh Henderson, as well as the stellar defensive efforts of Greg Wiley. Overall, though, he praised the all-around effort from the Bears.
“It was an all-out team effort,” Allegra said. “It was a great team victory. We’re excited to defend our home turf.”
Upper Moreland will host Pottsgrove in Thursday’s District One 3A title game.
Upper Moreland 0 1—1
Bishop Shanahan 0 0—0
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