Check out the recaps for SOL boys/girls soccer teams in action on Thursday.
Boys
SOL Freedom Division
WILLIAM TENNENT 2, LOWER MORELAND 1
Senior captain Connor Hanratty scored a pair of first-half goals, and the Panthers held on for a win that was anything but easy.
“It was a tough game,” Tennent coach Angelo Albanese said. “They’re a more solid team than we are overall, but the kids really played well together, and sometimes that’s what it takes – you play more as a team, so that was really good.
“I’m extremely proud of the kids. They’ve just come a long way since last year and even since the beginning of this year. They’ve worked really hard in trying to learn how to play our style of game, and they’ve done really well with it, so I’m really, really pleased and very proud of them.”
Hanratty’s first goal was assisted by sophomore Julian Krapivnitskie, and his second came 10 minutes later off a pass from senior captain Patrick Gillespie.
“Lower Moreland pretty much dominated the first 15 minutes, and we actually scored both goals against the play,” Albanese said.
Delivering a crucial play in the first half was senior goalkeeper Zach Dinnis, who delivered a save on a penalty kick with the Panthers holding a 1-0 lead.
“That was huge,” Albanese said.
Lower Moreland made it a 2-1 game with a goal midway through the second half, but the Panthers’ defense stood tall, keeping the Lions off the board the rest of the way.
The Panthers’ coach lauded the play of Mason Adelson, Ryan Black, Bryce DeFonteney, Kacper Grasela and Dominic Grassey.
“They all play defense, and we were under pressure most of the game, and they did a terrific job,” Albanese said. “We defended a lot. They were awesome in the back – they played really, really well.”
The Panthers’ coach had high praise for his seniors in their final regular season game.
“All 11 of our seniors contributed great tonight,” Albanese said. “Noah Markowsky played really hard, and so did Cooper Donovan and Sean Black. They alternate a lot in the midfield and up front to help us keep pressure on them, which was good.
“Nazarly Kukhniy is playing really well, and Peter Comans, a sophomore, did a terrific job out of the defensive midfield. He was all over the place – sliding tackles, getting balls. He did a really good job. It was a team effort.”
William Tennent (10-8, 9-7 SOL) is 24th in the latest District 1 4A power rankings while Lower Moreland (11-7, 9-7) is fourth in the District 1 3A power rankings.
Lower Moreland 0-1 1
William Tennent 2-0 2
SOL Colonial Division
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 2, NORTH PENN 1
The Titans rallied from an early 1-0 deficit to earn the hard-fought win over the visiting Knights.
“The first half lacked a lot of energy – both teams had a game less than 24 hours ago so it’s understandable,” South coach Kyle Pettican said. “We switched off in the first half due to the lack of energy, but we were able to tie it up seconds before halftime when Anthony Bice hit a nice shot in the low left corner just on the edge of the box.”
The Titans’ coach was happy with his team’s second-half performance, which included Christian Canally connecting on the game-winner midway through the half.
“We were much better in the second half after the talk,” Pettican said. “The ball was not in our half much. We progressed the ball a lot but didn’t make or take many chances.
“Luckily, Christian Canally was able to seal the win when he got on a loose ball from Anthony Bice’s first blocked attempt that made Christian go one-on-one with the keeper.”
Central Bucks South (13-3-2, 11-3-2 SOL) is 13th in the latest District 1 4A power rankings, and North Penn (7-6-5, 6-5-5) sits at 20th in the rankings.
Non-league
UPPER MORELAND 3, MaST CHARTER 0
HARRITON 6, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover game
CHELTENHAM 3, QUAKERTOWN 0
Sparked by Chamar Blanchard’s hat trick, the host Panthers solidified their position in the 28-team District 1 4A Tournament, notching a shutout win over Quakertown in Thursday’s regular season finale.
“All the boys played today,” Cheltenham coach Bill Tonkin said. “The bench guys stepped up and gave some really good minutes to give some rest to the starters.”
Blanchard scored his first goal about 10 seconds into the game off a pass from Keegan Peet to send Cheltenham into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
He added a pair of goals in the second half. Blanchard’s first came five minutes into the half and was assisted by Beck Toledo. He scored his second off a rebound of a shot by Keegan after Quakertown’s goalie made a good save.
Wolf Brown and Jeremiah Moncriffe combined for the shutout in goal.
Cheltenham – 25th in the latest District 1 4A power rankings – closed out its regular season with a 10-7-1 record (8-7-1 SOL). Quakertown finished its season with a 6-12 mark overall, 5-11 in the SOL.
Quakertown 0-0 0
Cheltenham 1-2 3
Girls
SOL Colonial Division
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 2, NORTH PENN 2 (2 OT)
In the resumption of a game that was halted due to weather midway through the first half, the Knights – who trailed 1-0 when the game was halted – rallied from a 2-0 deficit to earn the tie.
“It was definitely strange restarting a game with 18 minutes left in the first half down 1-0, but that was the situation we found ourselves in today,” said North Penn coach Mike Rio, whose team edged CB South 1-0 on Monday. “The message to start the game was to just play out the first half, we didn’t need to push right away to get the goal back, and I was happy with how we started.
“Defensively, we looked good and then the plan was to slowly shift to a more attacking formation and lineup to go for the goals. South is always dangerous though and managed to put a second goal in at the start of the second half.”
South’s Kila Kienzle scored the Titans’ first goal in the initial meeting, and the Titans took a 2-0 lead when play resumed Thursday.
“Our second goal today was a shot from Riley Karpinski that Abbie Bass skimmed as it went into the net to make it 2-0,” South coach Gabby Nolan said. “We had defensive breakdowns that, to their credit, North Penn capitalized on.”
A goal by Maddy Murphy with an assist from Emily Patkos made it a 2-1 game.
“Honestly I would not have blamed my girls if they shut down at that point, but this group is full of girls that work hard and battle to the final whistle no matter what the score line,” Rio said. “We were able to get the first one back when Emily Patkos played a ball to Maddy Murphy, who was able to beat the defenders and then slot it by the keeper.
All year, Maddy has stepped up when we needed her, and she always finds a way to impact the game.”
Ten minutes later, the Knights scored the equalizer.
“After our first goal, the momentum swung, and we pushed Izzy Rudnick up top to give us more attackers, and she was able to win a scrum in the box after a Maddy Murphy cross and poke it past the keeper,” Rio said. “After tying the game, we played defensive and made sure that we didn’t take any unnecessary risks. We knew that a tie against a team like South would solidify us into a playoff spot and that was our goal.
“I can’t say enough positive things about our back line of Jadyn Sperling, Emily Patkos, Gardenia Mikhail and Izzy Rudnick. They really just work so well together and limit the chances of opposing teams. And whenever there are chances, Sam Ridler comes up with big saves. She has just been a brick wall for us and constantly comes up with amazing saves, and she was asked to make two big saves in the second half when she was able to tip two balls over the crossbar from distance shots. Also, a shoutout to Izzy Kee and Keira Sparango, who played every minute today and were our anchors in the midfield.”
North Penn is 26th in the most recent District 1 4A power rankings in what will be a 28-team field.
“I am just so proud of this team,” Rio said. “We are incredibly young this year, and the way the older girls have mentored and helped the young players and the way we have come together as a team has been really fun to be a part of.
“We went through some growing pains at the start of the season but earning a playoff spot is a huge accomplishment. We have one of the toughest divisions out there, and it doesn’t get easier in crossover games. So, to get to this point of the season with the record we have and the quality of opponents we face is really phenomenal.”
North Penn closed its regular season with an 8-8-2 record (7-7-1 SOL). Central Bucks South (8-8-2, 7-7-2) is 23rd in the latest district power rankings.
Central Bucks South 1-1-0-0 2
North Penn 0-2-0-0 2
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover game
QUAKERTOWN 8, CHELTENHAM 0
Quakertown opened up a 3-0 lead on its way to the decisive win in Thursday’s crossover game.
“It was a complete team effort today,” Quakertown coach Jon Gingrich said. “Our seniors really sparked the win.”
Senior Grace Maceri and junior Rachel McMonagle both had a pair of goals while senior Ciara Mory, senior Jordan Jones and junior Ashlyn Calabria each had one goal. The host Panthers also benefitted from an own goal.
Although her team came up short, Cheltenham coach Leah Matusow had nothing but good things to say about her squad after its final game.
“With this being the last game of the season, our team wanted to make sure we left everything on the field,” she said. “This season has been full of ups and downs, but one thing always remained constant and that was our heart. Our team competed game in and game out regardless of our opponent or the varying lineups we played with.
“Our goalies, Amaya Washington and Aniya Gladden, had great seasons making incredible saves that earned the praise of many coaches and teams. Our captains – Amaya Washington, Tabitha Sterman, Sydney Holland, Maya Schwartz and Ciara Rodriguez – did a great job all season long. Their leadership was felt on the field, in team huddles and at practice. Thank you to the entire team for your hard work, effort and all the memories made this season.”
Quakertown (7-9-2, 6-8-2 SOL) is 28th in the latest District 1 4A power rankings, occupying the final spot in what will be a 28-team field. The seedings will be finalized on Saturday. Cheltenham closed out its season with a 2-16 record (0-16 SOL).
Cheltenham 0-0 0
Quakertown 3-5 8
Non-league
VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 2, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1
The Bucks got a taste of soccer on a grass field in Thursday’s non-league game against the district’s top-ranked 3A squad.
“We definitely struggled to adjust to the grass surface,” West coach Bree Benedict said. “It was our first game all year on grass.”
Although the Bucks came up just short, they did a whole lot of things Benedict liked in their regular season finale.
“Our center back, Janelle Blokker, was composed on the ball and made great decisions to connect or play big,” the Bucks’ coach said. “Maura Duffy scored on a corner kick after we gave up a goal on a set piece. She was really brave tonight and challenged for a lot of 50/50 balls.
“Emery Sterling, Mackenzie Gausch and Mia Menard all stepped up and played out of position to fill some gaps for us. We had two great chances late in the second half that we just missed wide. Kate Weyer continues to be a huge factor and presence on the field for us, she really runs our midfield and sparks our attack. She was really strong on the ball today.”
Central Bucks West (11-5-1, 11-4-1 SOL) is 14th in the latest District 1 4A power rankings.
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