Abington was the lone SOL survivor in boys’ soccer in the District 1 3A Tournament. The Ghosts defeated Chambersburg 3-1. Springfield Twp saw its season come to an end.
PIAA 4A State Tournament opening round
#1-2 ABINGTON 3, #3-2 CHAMBERSBURG 1
Never underestimate the significance of the home field advantage.
Chambersburg – slowed by an accident on the turnpike – arrived late for the start of Tuesday’s state opener at Abington’s Schwarzman Stadium.
Things didn’t improve a whole lot for the Trojans when the game started, and they were forced to deal with Carter Shannon and his spot-on throw-ins that set up all three of the Ghosts’ goals.
“We had a ton of corners, and the long throw-ins are just as good as a corner and sometimes better because (Carter Shannon) can pretty much place the ball wherever he wants to,” Abington coach Randy Garber said. “He’s a D1 javelin thrower, and he just has a knack of whipping the ball into the box with no effort. I bet we had 15 throw-ins inside the 18.”
Shannon’s throw-ins set up first-half goals by Sam Arruda and Christian Hinkle that sent the Ghosts into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
Chambersburg scored a goal out of halftime, but Brennan Ewer got that goal back, giving the Ghosts a 3-1 lead that held until the final horn.
Tuesday’s win came on the heels of a disappointing loss to Haverford in the District 1 4A title game.
“It was a good win, especially after our debacle in the district final,” Garber said of his team’s 3-1 loss to the Fords. “We had to bounce back and see what we’re made of.”
Scoring summary
First half
Sam Arruda (A) assisted by Carter Shannon, 31:51
Christian Hinkle (A) assisted by Carter Shannon, 20:41
Second half
Chambersburg goal
Brennan Ewer (A) assisted by Carter Shannon, 21:45
Abington coach Randy Garber:
–On the game: “It was 2-0 at halftime. The second half, they played direct, and instead of them trying to connect passes and move the ball forward, they just bypassed their midfield and from the defense played it direct up top. They pushed another player forward, and they created some chances, and they knocked one in the box. We didn’t clear it. It was one of those goals – it just found eyes and went in the back of the net, like a deflection, and the next thing you know – the ball’s in the back of the net.
“That made it 2-1, and now it’s a game. Then we get another throw-in, and Brennan (Ewer) came off the bench and scored the third goal on a header. We’re big, and I can’t tell you how many corners we had. We had to have eight corners in the first half.
–On Chambersburg: “They were a very good team, but they were small in size, and all three of our goals came on head balls on throw-ins. They were very technical, and they hated our field. That team on turf and a big field – they definitely could play because they had some kids that were very, very clever.”
–Props: “George (Hooven) played well in goal. He made some good saves, especially in the second half. He did a nice job.
“Sean (Westmoreland) was all over the field. He played in the midfield, he played in defense. He just runs the show as far as I’m concerned.
“Kyle Kretschman was another player that played on defense. We put him up top, and he had some chances and ended up finishing the game as a defender. He’s used according to what we need him to do. If we get ahead, we’ll put him back on defense. If we need a goal, we’ll throw him up top.
“Jaza (Vasquez) did extremely well. He’s just a very, very good forward that creates problems for everyone’s defense.”
Up next: Abington (19-2-3, 9-1 SOL) will face District 7 champion Fox Chapel in a second round game Saturday at a site and time to be determined. Fox Chapel defeated #3-4 Central York 2-1.
Chambersburg 0-1 1
Abington 2-1 3
#11-1 PARKLAND 3, SPRINGFIELD TWP 2
The Spartans saw their successful season come to an end in Tuesday’s opening round of states. They trailed Parkland – which brought a 21-1-1- record into Tuesday’s game. – 2-1 at halftime, and both teams added a single goal in the second half.
Harry Bates put the Spartans on the scoreboard, turning an Adam DiBattista pass into a goal. Eden Ha scored the Spartan’s second-half goal, also using an assist from DiBattista.
–That’s a wrap: Springfield Twp closed out its season with a 16-7 record overall and a 9-1 record in league play. The Spartans captured a share of the SOL Freedom Division title.
Springfield Twp 1-1 2
Parkland 2-1 3
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