Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Friday.
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
Pennridge 2, Bensalem 1 (2 OT)
The Rams know all too well the danger of playing Bensalem in a crossover game. Last year a loss to the Owls cost them dearly in the SOL Colonial title chase, as they finished second behind North Penn by three points.
Friday, Pennridge needed to rally in the second half and then won the game on a Shane Velez penalty kick in the second overtime, and with the 2-1 win, the Rams now finds themselves alone in first in the SOL Colonial with five division games remaining.
“This was the game last year that killed us,” said Pennridge coach Pete Valimont. “By losing to them, we lost the division to North Penn, and we lost a point in the (district) rankings, and we had to go to North Penn for the playback game.
“You cannot slip up in this league with how well (Central Bucks) East is playing and the rest of the teams in our division, and we can’t slip up in the rankings. We could not have a loss to a two-win team at this time in the season. That would kill us.”
In the 17th minute, Bensalem showed signs that it might just be a giant-killer once again, with a goal off a restart by Collin Meo.
“We had a good amount of possession,” Valimont said of the first half. “We dominated play for the most part. One of those balls got through and we had to foul to create that chance for them.
“We got called for a foul a couple of feet outside the box. The ball got around us and was able to slip by CJ (Dimmick) and they took a 1-0 lead. Nothing after that restart for them was really that threatening against us.”
Bensalem hung on with that lead most of the game, but with four minutes left, Jared Hess cashed in off a Velez assist to tie the game.
“We pressed them pretty much the entire half,” Valimont said. “We created a ton of chances, very close chances. Shane Velez was able to find Jared Hess with four minutes left in regulation. Hess was able to beat the keeper to make it 1-1.”
Then, three minutes into the second overtime, Velez cashed in on a penalty kick to give his team the win.
“Ball went into the box. Troy Thanel worked his butt off to get around a defender and got taken down, which set up Shane for the final shot, and Shane just walked up there like a champ and buried it.
“I don’t think there was any doubt who was going to take it, and I don’t think there was any doubt how it was going to end.
“Credit to Bensalem. They worked their butts off, they fought really hard. We had them scouted and everything we heard in the scout was accurate. They’re playing really well and were a tough out. This is a character changer and culture builder, for sure.”
The Owls have played better during the second half of the season, with a tie against CB West and an upset win over CB South last week.
“It was a great game and Pennridge is a very good team,” said Bensalem coach Kevin Bock. “I’m super proud of our boys and the effort they put into today’s game. We are extremely unhappy with how the game ended, but we will keep our heads up and continue to battle.”
Valimont had plenty of credit to go around.
“The whole back line – Andrew Parlee, Tommy McKinney, Jhoa Hernandez, Roman Arcade – those guys played absolutely fantastic,” he said. “Our middle of Luca Angello, Pat Fannon and Jack Bruno was fantastic.
“Troy Thanel doesn’t get enough credit. That guy puts himself out there. He’s the dirtiest kid at every game. He doesn’t care about his body and sacrifices it. He did a heck of a job. He had some close chances, and he was being hard on himself, but he put himself in the right spot to draw that foul, and that’s an assist in my book. That was fantastic.
“Hess and Shane, you can’t say enough about these two guys. Shane gets all the attention, and rightfully so. He lived up to it today. Hess – the Batman and Robin – was able to finish it off. Of course, CJ Dimmick in net keeps us in games and is able to put balls where we need them from a goalie. He’s just outstanding.”
CB East lost to CR North Friday, meaning Pennridge sits alone atop of the SOL Colonial standings with a 9-2 record. It also is No. 8 in the District One Class 4A rankings and has won seven in a row since back-to-back losses to CB East and CB West in which it was outscored 6-1 over two games.
“We go 6-0 against the Patriot Division, we scored 23 goals and gave up two goals,” Valimont said. “I’m pretty sure any coach around will take those type of numbers, for sure.
“We turn it around Monday. We have our Pink Out Night against Quakertown, so all of our attention will go to that, but I told my buys they get to enjoy this the whole weekend. They earned this one, for sure.”
Bensalem (2-8-1, 2-7-1 SOL) hosts Pennsbury in a SOL Patriot game on Monday.
Pennridge 0 1 0 1 – 2
Bensalem 1 0 0 0 – 1
Council Rock North 1, Central Bucks East 0
In a game between two teams in the thick of their respective division title chases, Council Rock North won a big one on the road, shutting out CB East on Friday night.
With the win, CR North now holds a four-point advantage over Council Rock South in the SOL Patriot standings. CB East slipped out of a first-place tie with Pennridge with the loss.
The lone goal of the game for the Indians came in the second half from Tanmay Ondcar, off an assist from Mike Brusca.
CR North coach Joe Stackhouse credited Nick Wise, Max Leff and Ari Pollack with “solid games,” as well as Corey Brennan, Chase McCaffrey, Hunter Klein, Danny Ugras and Mike Pinho on defense and goalkeeper Calvin Hopkins.
The Indians’ coach also credited the efforts of several East players.
“East’s Dylan Walker was solid in the back and Brandan Epstein was quite impressive,” Stackhouse said.
CR North (8-2-2, 7-2-2 SOL) has a week off until its next game at Harry S. Truman on Friday afternoon.
CB East (9-4, 8-3 SOL), now three points behind Pennridge and tied with CB South for second in the SOL Colonial, hosts CB West in a divisional game on Thursday.
Neshaminy 2, Central Bucks West 1
It’s been a tough stretch for Neshaminy, which hadn’t won a league game since Sept. 7, but Friday, it started strong and then finished off visiting CB West for the 2-1 win.
“We finally broke through and won, which was nice,” said coach Tom Foley.
Neshaminy got on the scoreboard in the 15th minute when Josh Anderson scored off the assist from Chris Valley.
“The ball came across the goal,” Foley said. “Chris Valley headed it back across the goal again, and Josh Anderson tucked the ball in for the first goal.
“A minute later, Jack Sexton found Josh (Anderson). Josh spun the defender, went in all alone on the goalkeeper and stuck it past him. It was two good goals, and we got a nice early lead finally, which is something we haven’t had all year. We did a nice job.
“We kind of stopped playing a little bit after we got the second goal, and the wind started picking up a little bit. Our field doesn’t do anybody any favors.”
In the second half, Neshaminy played against the wind, which definitely favored CB West which scored on a penalty kick in the 60th minute.
“A ball bounced up and hit our kid in the hand,” Foley said. “There was nobody around our kid, but they called a penalty kick.
“(CB West) had a couple of free kicks that were dangerous. We dodged a bullet on some of the free kicks outside the box. we just had to fight the wind in the second half because West kind of bombed balls, and we just had to run back and retrieve them all.
“We did a nice job getting the ball up the field, and the last couple of minutes, we ran the clock out – got the ball in the corner a little bit and milked the clock. It was a nice win, finally getting off the schneid. The kids deserved it. They played pretty well.”
Foley also said that “Joe Joe Maxwell continues to play well. He played hard in the center midfield. Jack Sexton played a nice defensive center back for us as well.”
Neshaminy (3-8, 2-8 SOL) hosts Archbishop Wood in a nonleague game on Monday.
CB West (6-6-2, 5-5-2 SOL) returns to SOL Colonial play Thursday at rival CB East.
CB West 0 1 – 1
Neshaminy 2 0 – 2
North Penn 11, Harry S Truman 0
North Penn concluded a very good week with its second win, and this time, the Knights were able to jump out early and play a lot of guys in a shutout win over Truman.
“This was the first game we were able to rest some guys,” said Knights coach Chris DePeppe. “Connor Sullivan and Colin Sonneborn each scored twice, and seven other players added goals – Caden Myers, Alou Gamby, CJ Leonardo, Dan Lee, Kyle Mckeever, Ian Labadie and Ian Bialisalisa.
Keepers Troy Nine, Cameron Pelletier and James King combined for the shutout.
“Hopefully, some of our guys caught the goal-scoring bug today,” DePeppe said. “I know we’re better than our record suggests, but that’s not how we talk about it. We acknowledge the errors, make some corrections, and just work at getting better.
“This is a tight bunch, and they spend a lot of time together. They train with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and no one is whining or pointing fingers. We’re starting to look like a proper team.”
DePeppe also said Truman deserves credit as well.
“I was impressed with the character and the sportsmanship of that Truman team,” he said. “You can tell those boys really enjoy the game, and they never quit coming at us. They lost two good players to injuries as well today, so I feel for them.
“Actually, the sportsmanship from both teams was very good. I applaud that Truman team, though, because they face a brutal schedule. If you look at the results from other leagues, there are lots of District One teams playing games with this kind of score line every week. We really don’t have any games like this in our conference.”
North Penn (5-7-1, 4-6-1 SOL) has a week off until hosting Pennridge on Friday.
Truman (0-12, 0-11 SOL) hosts CR North on Friday.
Central Bucks South 2, Pennsbury 1
Andre Medl converted a penalty kick with five minutes remaining as CB South got past Pennsbury 2-1 on Friday.
“It was a very chirpy match – in a good way,” said Titans coach Kyle Pettican. “Both teams battled very hard all game during a brisk day, on a bumpy field.”
South opened the scoring midway through the first half, as Nate MacLeod headed home a Luke Fromal cross for the 1-0 lead.
“Pennsbury started off on a high press, but (we) remained calm and patient, trying to find the right time to attack,” Pettican said. “About halfway through the first half, the ball was down the right-hand side for a while, where Luke Fromel managed to get himself free to cross a ball to the back point, where an unmarked Nate MacLeod was there to head one home.”
That lead held until late.
“Both teams took turns in the game going at each other,” Pettican said. “For a while, we dominated the attack. Then for another while, they did.”
Pennsbury tied the game with a penalty kick of its own with about 10 minutes remaining. That set the stage for South’s late game-winner.
“We didn’t stop,” Pettican said. “We knew we had been getting chances through the match, so we just needed to keep at it.
“About five minutes (after Pennsbury’s goal), Nolan Helsel was brought down in the Pennsbury box, where Andre Medl stepped up and slotted the game-winner.
“Like I said, it ended up a chirpy and hard-battled game, especially with the 10 minutes added time. We managed to get all the players behind the ball and keep the win.”
CB South (9-3, 8-3 SOL) remains a game out of first place in the SOL Colonial, tied with CB East for second place behind first-place Pennridge. The Titans play at Upper Dublin in nonleague game on Monday.
Pennsbury (5-6-1, 5-5-1 SOL) returns to divisional play on Friday at home against rival Neshaminy.
CB South 1 1 – 2
Pennsbury 0 1 – 1
SOL Liberty/Freedom Crossovers
Springfield Twp 1, Wissahickon 0
Riley Martin scored on a penalty kick in the first half, and the first-place Spartans made that goal hold up as they knocked off Wissahickon in the final crossover game on Friday afternoon.
“It was the tale of two halves,” said Spartans coach Dan Meder. “I thought our boys played great in the first half. We were all over them. We had three or four good scoring opportunities but only put one away so it was 1-0 at halftime.”
In the second half, the Trojans pressed and had chances, but couldn’t take advantage of any of them.
“The second half couldn’t have been more the opposite,” Meder said. “Our goalie, Julian Casabon, had to make two really tough saves, and he made them for us.
“We ended up getting another chance or two and their goalie made nice plays. Both goalies played really well. It was stressful.”
“Our team in general played really well. The team defense was great. It was just a crazy game because it looked really lopsided in the first half and then it looked lopsided the other way the second half.”
With the win, Springfield (8-3, 7-3 SOL) is now two games in front of Lower Moreland in SOL Freedom play. The Spartans have a week off before returning to divisional play Friday at home against William Tennent.
Wissahickon (6-6-1, 5-6 SOL) hosts Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday.
Wissahickon 0 0 – 0
Springfield 1 0 – 1
Upper Moreland 5, Plymouth Whitemarsh 0
The Golden Bears put it all together Friday and blanked PW in the final crossover divisional game for both teams.
Four different players scored for Upper Moreland – Mike Scollon, Markus Meakim, Max Gerlach and Chris Heron (two goals).
Coach Justin Allegra also credited the play of Shawn Townsend and the combined effort of keepers Aaron Snyder and Anthony Carson, also noting that Jackson Costello “played a terrific match and shutdown (PW’s) offense.”
Upper Moreland (6-7, 4-7 SOL) returns to league play Friday at Lower Moreland.
PW (7-5, 7-4 SOL) plays at first-place Abington on Friday.
Upper Dublin 1, Lower Moreland 0
Miles Bondi scored the lone goal of the game midway through the first half as Upper Dublin won its fifth game in a row in a nail-biter against visiting Lower Moreland.
“Something we have been working on all season (is) pressing as a team,” said Flying Cardinals coach Noah Johnson. “We did the right thing, pressed as a team and forced Lower Moreland to make a mistake, and off that mistake, Miles Bondi was able to go ahead and get himself a solo goal.”
The rest of the way, UD relied on its defense and goalkeeper Gabe Loza.
“Lower Moreland had a few chances, but nothing too crazy that we weren’t used to seeing all season,” Johnson said. “We prepare for every team differently. With that being said, it was a pretty good defensive game once again. We got another shutout.
“(Goalkeeper) Gabe Loza played very well in net. He’s actually stepping in for Gabe Copley because Gabe is out with a serious injury. We’re just waiting to see what will happen with Gabe Copley, but Gabe Loza is doing a very awesome job. I definitely want to give him credit for being thrown in the hot seat really quick. I think his maturity level and his hunger for wanting to be on the field really helps him out a lot.”
Upper Dublin (10-1-1, 9-1-1 SOL) is one game back in the loss column and tied in points with first-place Abington. The Cardinals have a nonleague game against CB South at home on Monday.
Lower Moreland finds itself two back of first-place Springfield in the SOL Freedom after going 2-4 against the SOL Liberty Division. It has a week off until returning to division play at home against Upper Moreland on Friday.
Lower Moreland 0 0 – 0
Upper Dublin 1 0 – 1
Abington 5, William Tennent 0
Liam Hartman scored four goals as the Galloping Ghosts remained in first in the SOL Liberty with their seventh straight win and their 11th straight without a loss. The Ghosts raced out of the gate to a 4-0 halftime lead.
Jose Martinez scored the other goal for Abington (10-1-1, 9-0-1 SOL), which plays at SOL Freedom first place Springfield on Monday.
Tennent (3-8, 3-7 SOL) plays at Springfield on Friday.
Abington 4 1 – 5
Tennent 0 0 – 0
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