Abington, Wissahickon, Pennsbury & Neshaminy were winners in Thursday’s second round of the District 1 4A Tournament. Check out the Kwik Goal recaps. Neshaminy/CR North photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson, and Wissahickon/CB West photos courtesy of Kim Supko. Check back for galleries of both games.
CLASS 4A
#6 Wissahickon 2, #22 Central Bucks West 1 (OT)
The game-winning goal wasn’t scored the way either coach would have diagrammed it.
Thursday’s district quarterfinal came to a dramatic end when the Trojans – on a throw-in by Tyler Philip – scored the game-winner on a ball off a West defender.
“It was a little unfortunate for them,” Wiss coach Stuart Malcolm said. “We ended up having a long throw, which had been working pretty well during the game. We had gotten opportunities, but we hadn’t finished.
“One of my forwards, Eli Calpas, put a lot of pressure on their guy. He basically got a touch on it, and it looped over the keeper and in. That was not the way he would have liked to finish, putting the ball in the net yourself. But in the playoffs, it’s really cruel when you get to overtime and something like that happens.
“It’s the same way when you get to penalty kicks and someone misses the final one, and you’re out. It’s just the finality of high school playoffs. I spoke to my guys about it before the first game. I said, ‘Look, this isn’t like your club scene where you’re playing in a tournament and trying to get to a final. For some of you, it’s four years of playing varsity soccer, or three years of playing varsity soccer, in front of your friends and your family And it’s the finality of it when something like that happens.’”
Credit to the Trojans for regrouping for overtime after the Bucks appeared to gain momentum when Beck Walton scored the equalizer with four-and-a-half minutes remaining in regulation.
“We basically thought we were going to see it through, but they had a nice play,” Malcolm said. “They got a throw-in, threw it in, it bounced up, and their player got on the end of it and looped a header over our goalkeeper with four, four-and-a-half minutes left.
“We were going into overtime a little bit on a down. It was just trying to get the guys together and be focused and say, ‘Okay, we have been the better team. We just need to recognize what they’re doing, what they’re going to look for, and then just play our game.’”
Earlier in the game, River Elliott broke a scoreless tie in the 55th minute when he connected on a header off Luke 
Frankenfield’s corner kick only to see the Bucks even the score on Walton’s late goal.
Thursday’s game was a rematch of a regular season non-league game.
“They battled really hard,” Malcolm said. “We played them early in the season. We went down a goal to them, but we came back and won 3-1.
“It was a tight game. People look at the score and think we beat them 3-1 at their place, but that was a really tight game.”
The win ensured the Trojans at least two more games as five of the remaining eight teams will earn state tournament berths. The Bucks, who came on strong after a slow start, saw their season come to an end.
“”Nights like tonight are tough,” West coach John Adair said. “The difficult high school schedule compounded by playing 110 minutes less than 48 hours ago probably caught up with us.
“I speak for the entire coaching staff still when I say how proud we are of this group. After a 2-6-3 start, to be feeling as though we could’ve gone through against a 6th seed in the second round is something all of our boys should be proud of. They showed so much character and resilience tonight and all season.”
Scoring Summary
First half
No score
Second half
River Elliott from Luke Frankenfield (W) 55th minute
Beck Walton (CBW) 75th minute
Overtime
Own goal, 88th minute
Wissahickon coach Stuart Malcolm:
–The game: “To give Central Bucks West its due, their game plan and the execution were pretty good in terms of forcing us back and not allowing us to get into a rhythm and knock the ball around as much as we would like. We did a nice job in the first half and got a couple of nice opportunities. But we talk about it with the guys — you’re not going to get a ton of opportunities in the playoffs, regardless of who you’re playing. We didn’t take them, so we got to halftime at 0-0.
“About 15 minutes into the second half, we executed a really nice corner. Luke Frankenfield, one of our captains, put a great ball in, and our freshman, River Elliott, who’s our top goal scorer, got his 10th goal of the season on a header at the back post.
“We had a little more territorial advantage in overtime for most of the time it lasted, which gave us the opportunity to get the ball in the box a couple of times. I believe the second one we got was when, fortunately for us and unfortunately for them, it went in.”
–Props: “The whole back line was under a lot of pressure. Because of the way Central Bucks West decided they were going to be most successful, there were lots of balls played up to them that they had to handle, and all three of them – Malachi Hodges, Brayden Dehner and Luca Sinopoli – did a fantastic job.”
–Playoff soccer: “We’ve had two games where I think the seniors and the underclassmen we have playing are going to understand that it’s the playoffs, and the records go out the window. People are going to play with the energy of, ‘I’ve played here four years. I’m not going to make this the end of my high school season.’ Both teams have that same attitude, and only one of them is going to end up going on to the next round.
“We just missed out on the playoffs last year by not taking care of business after halftime in our second-to-last game. sFortunately, we’re getting the wins, and they’re being fairly resolute with regard to how we play games. We’ve played a lot of close games, and we’ve come out on the right end of them. I think we’ve figured out what it is we want to do, and the guys are carrying it out. We’ll just see how far it goes.”
Central Bucks West coach John Adair:
–Tribute to seniors: “A massive thank you to all of our guys and everyone involved at West, but especially to our senior class: Alex Abbasi, Beck Walton, Michael Rafalowski, Jan Lachacz, Will Kramer, Dylan Scala, Dan Richmond, Emad Bokhari, Zach Schaefer, Zurab Lobzhanidze, and Max Petrella. All of these guys have bought in for four years, many having to wait their turn to play really significant roles, but every last one of them represented our program, and more importantly, themselves well. I owe them a lot for the example that they set for all of the returning players this year in particular.
“I’ve been coaching for a long time now, and this season has produced some of the most enjoyable moments that I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of. We’ll spend some time and reflect on the season that we had, but the future for West Soccer and for the young men leaving our program is very bright.”
Up next: Wissahickon will travel to #3 Avon Grove for a District 1 6A semifinal contest Saturday (2pm). Central Bucks West closed out its season with a 9-7-4 record.
Central Bucks West 0 1 0 – 1
Wissahickon 0 1 1 – 2
#7 Pennsbury 2, #10 Central Bucks South 1
Talk about dramatic finishes – this was it.
It began when – with two minutes remaining in regulation and the teams deadlocked at one apiece – the Titans came up with a big play, setting the stage for the potential game-winner.
“Their number 10 (Tyler Jaskelewicz) made an unbelievable individual play,” Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart said. “The ball was coming out of their box and was about to go out of bounds.
“My outside winger was trying to shield the ball off, and (Jaskeiewicz) made an incredibly athletic play. He scooped the ball up and took it basically 75 yards. He got in front of our last defender, who went for a desperate tackle and ended up fouling him inside the box.”
The Titans were awarded a penalty kick.
“Their leading scorer, Jackson Tate, took it,” Stoddart said. “Luckily, we had a scouting report. My keeper (James Purdum) trusted the scouting report and was able to make a tremendous save.
“From there, it really felt like we had something, even though there wasn’t much time left.”
The Falcons rode the momentum of Purdum’s game-changing stop to score the game-winner before time expired in regulation after a free kick from about 45 yards out.
“Graham Anderer played the ball into the CB South wall, regathers his rebound and plays the ball short to PJ McGroarty, who serves the ball to the top of the box,” Stoddart said. “Olex Hontar pokes the ball forward, Ajnur Curevac gathers the ball with his left foot to set up his right foot to beat the keeper to the near post.
“Ajnur, who came up with the game-winning goal the other night as a senior, came up with another game-winning goal. He tucked it into the near post this time. He just has so much confidence. He’s rising to the occasion, so I’m super proud of him.”
A look back at the first half saw both teams score a goal began with Tait scoring first in the 23rd minute.
“Jackson Tait is a stud,” Stoddart said. “He’s an All-State caliber player. He scored on a restart.”
The Falcons evened the score on a goal by Ajdin Hadzovic in the closing second of the half.
“We had a corner kick at the very end of the first half, and we were able to scramble in the box and knock it home,” Stoddart said. “He was able to tuck away a big goal, similar to the one he tucked away in the first minute or second minute of the game the other night. Ajdin has really been able to find the spots to come up huge for us. He’s been fantastic.
“In the second half, I thought we played extremely well. They were dangerous on counterattacks, and they were also very dangerous on long throws, so they had some opportunities, but James (Purdum) was able to keep them off the board, and then we were able to keep taking chances and taking chances.”
The win vaulted the Falcons into the Elite Eight, one way from a trip to the state tournament
Scoring summary
First half –
Jackson Tait (CBS) 23rd minute
Ajdin Hadzovic (P) 40th minute
Second half
Ajnur Curevac (P) 80th minute
Pennsbury Tom Stodddart:
–Props: “Our two center backs, P.J. McGroarty and Connor Scala did an absolutely tremendous job of containing Jackson Tate. They didn’t get much of a break because our reserve center back got injured on their first goal, in a collision with our keeper. He was only on the field for about a minute. The boys had to handle a heavy load, and they were really able to contain him. You’re not going to stop him. You just have to contain him and keep your composure.
“Our outside backs – Jon Morris and Graham Anderer – were fantastic. We count on them not only to recover defensively, but to lead a lot of our attack.
“Sami Awadalla is one of our top players, and he’s treated that way by other teams. He’s done such a great job of handling double teams, finding open guys and not getting frustrated, letting others step forward.”
–The win: “Central Bucks South is a very good team, but I do feel like we were deserving of the victory. We almost let them steal it, but at the end of the day, I think we rightfully came out on top. I’m very proud of the boys. I’m proud of how we kept our composure.”
Central Bucks South coach Ed Brnardic:
–The game: “It was an exciting match to be a part of. We came out strongly and created a few good chances in the first 5 to 10 minutes, but Pennsbury is a talented team and gradually found its rhythm. We took a deserved 1-0 lead when Jackson Tait did an outstanding job winning an aerial challenge before heading the ball over the goalkeeper.
“Unfortunately, our struggles defending set pieces surfaced again at a critical moment. Pennsbury earned a corner kick very late in the first half, and after a scramble in the box, they found the equalizer with just 16 seconds remaining. That goal completely changed the complexion of the game. Instead of entering halftime trailing, Pennsbury gained momentum and confidence heading into the second half.
“Pennsbury had the better of much of the play after the break, but our players responded well. We made a few tactical adjustments late in the match that gave us an attacking spark and created multiple quality chances to win the game. We simply couldn’t find the finishing touch, and Pennsbury ultimately capitalized on its opportunity.
We congratulate Pennsbury and wish them the best in the next round. They are a very technical and talented team and we respect the way they play.”
–Tribute to seniors: “As for our program, this senior class leaves behind a tremendous legacy. Despite being one of the smallest senior classes we’ve ever had, they helped lead us to a State Championship Final appearance followed by three consecutive Colonial Division titles. More importantly, they are leaving behind a blueprint for what it means to work hard and compete. Their impact on our program will be felt for years to come.”
Up next: Pennsbury will travel to third-seeded Conestoga for a quarterfinal game Saturday (11am). Central Bucks South closed out its season with a 10-3-7 record.
Pennsbury 1 0 – 1
Central Bucks South 1 1 – 2
#13 Neshaminy 2, #4 Council Rock North 1 (2 OT)
Twice Neshaminy and Council Rock North met during the regular season. Twice they battled to a tie, so it was hardly a surprise that it took two overtimes to determine a winner when David Lopez scored with a Zach Hargraves assist.
“Zach broke down the left side, cut it back to his right and crossed it,” Neshaminy coach Tom Foley said. “David busted all
out, and it was just out of his reach. He lunged and got a toe on it, and it had that awkward spin. Their goalie just got fingertips on it, and we were waiting to see whether it was going to go in or not. And it went in.
“All the boys stormed to the corner flag, and it was a big dogpile. It was a great celebration. They’re ecstatic, obviously.”
Neshaminy is 9-0-4 in its last 13 games.
“We’ve been playing really well the last half of the season,” Foley said. “We’re starting to figure out how to play the right way, and we do play that way.
“We really move the ball well, and we create opportunities for ourselves. It gets other teams back on their heels a bit. We couldn’t be happier with the way they’ve played the last two or three weeks. Hopefully, we can keep it going on Saturday.”
The Redskins will take on fifth-seeded Abington in an all-SOL quarterfinal on Saturday.
Scoring summary
First half –
Brody Collins (N) 25th minute
CR North goal, 30th minute
Second half/First overtime
No score
Second overtime
David Lopez from Zach Hargraves (N) 108th minute
Neshaminy coach Tom Foley:
–The game: “Our kids played really, really well. We came out and played our style. We got the ball on the ground, and we were knocking it around pretty well.
“I thought we controlled a lot of the first half. They had one really dangerous opportunity that they knocked wide. It was kind of against the run of play, but it was dangerous. I thought it was going in.
“We got a foul at the top of the box, about 22 yards out, and Brody bent it around the wall and it went past the keeper on the right side of the goal. It was a fantastic goal.
“I thought we had the more dangerous chances. We limited their chances to outside our box, and they had a couple of throws that were testers. But overall, I thought we played an exceptional game today, and it was a well-deserved win for our guys.”
–Props: “I’d like to give some props to our back line of Nick Indellicato, Dean Goodwin, Jake Fallon and Connor Choi. They played an exceptional defensive game today.
“Stephen Buczek was an absolute monster in the midfield. He wins everything for us, which is great, and gets us going up the field right away.
“Brody played a great game, just getting our guys in motion and getting us into good spots throughout the night.”
Up next: Neshaminy will travel to Abington for a District 1 6A quarterfinal contest Saturday (1pm). Council Rock North closed out its season with a 10-3-5 record.
Neshaminy 1 0 0 1 – 2
Council Rock North 1 0 0 0 – 1
#4 ABINGTON 4, #12 SPRING-FORD 0
On a night when six of eight District 1 4A games were decided by one goal, Abington (and Conestoga, a 3-0 winner) made it look easy.
“Our boys have been playing some of the best soccer of the season since playoffs have started in these past two games,” Abington coach Isaac Pitkow said. “Our attacking play has been electric, and the boys are playing with so much confidence right now.”
Before 10 minutes had elapsed, the Ghosts had a 2-0 lead, thanks to back-to-back goals from Sam Arruda. They never looked back.
By halftime, they led 3-0 and Arruda completed his hat trick with a goal 10 minutes into the second half.
The defending state champion Ghosts have won their two district wins by a combined 9-0 score.
Scoring summary
First half –
Sam Arruda from Carter Shannon (A)
Sam Arruda (A)
Kyle Kretschman (A)
Second half –
Sam Arruda from Carter Shannon (A)
Abington coach Isaac Pitkow:
–The game: “The game started off with two goals from Samuel Arruda in the first 10 minutes. The first came off of a long throw in from Carter Shannon which Sam took out of the air and finished one time into the bottom left corner. The second goal came off a free kick from Sean Westmoreland who delivered a great ball into the box. The ball was not cleared by Spring Ford, and Sam Arruda was first to the ball and finished the rebound for his second goal of the game.
“The third goal of the game came with 13 minutes left in the first half when Kyle Kretschman was played over the top into the 18. He cut back on his left foot and finished with both power and accuracy to the far post. It was a true striker’s finish. This is the reason that Kyle has been playing up top because he is able to score goals like that.
“The fourth and final goal came about 10 minutes into the second half when Samuel Arruda and Carter Shannon connected again off of a long throw that Sam headed home to complete his hat trick and secure the victory for us tonight at 4-0.”
–Props: “We had some outstanding play on defense from Sean Westmoreland, our senior captain who has played a lot of minutes at midfield this year but we moved to center back to allow Kyle Kretschman to play. striker, and Sean has held down the defense. In Sean‘s absence in the midfield, we have had standout play from senior captain Owen Gesing and his counterpart Dennis Kozyak, who have been dominant in the midfield in both of the first two playoff games. At the heart of the attack tonight was senior Samuel Arruda and senior Kyle Kretschman.”
Up next: Abington will host #13 Neshaminy in a District 1 4A quarterfinal game on Saturday (1pm).
“Following Neshaminy’s upset win over Council Rock North, the boys were really pumped up after the game to learn that we will be playing at home again on Saturday in the district quarterfinal matchup against Neshaminy,” Pitkow said.
Spring-Ford 0 0 – 0
Abington 3 1 – 4
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