Check out the results for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action on Tuesday, opening day of the league season.
American Conference
UPPER DUBLIN 3, WISSAHICKON 2
Taking advantage of opportunities is not always done in soccer, and when that is the case, disappointment can follow.
Last year, Upper Dublin fell by a single goal in its first meeting with eventual conference champion Wissahickon and followed that up with a tie in the rematch.
About half the starters in those matches have since graduated, but those that did not clearly had not forgotten the outcomes. On Tuesday afternoon, the Cardinals earned their revenge, as they pulled ahead by two goals in the second half and held on for a 3-2 home victory.
“Finishing. Plain and simple,” said Upper Dublin coach Rich Schmidt. “Our finishing has not really been that great.”
“Today, the finishing was dead on.”
That strength proved to pay dividends for the Cardinals. Despite being outshot 15-11, Upper Dublin was able to capitalize enough to never trail in the match. The Cardinals struck first with six minutes to play in the first half thanks to Sam Ecker, who beat Wissahickon goalkeeper Neal Guaglionone to give his team a 1-0 lead they took to halftime.
The Trojans tied the score two minutes into the second half on a goal by Cole Kropnick, but Upper Dublin quickly responded to the challenge. One minute later, Zach Arnold put the Cardinals back in front, 2-1, and the score remained that way until the 75th minute.
Alex Browndorf then struck again for the Cardinals, as his goal gave them a valuable insurance tally. They would prove to need it after Wissahickon’s Matt Knittel scored two minutes later to cut the lead to 3-2. The Trojans, however, were unable to get the equalizer, allowing Upper Dublin to celebrate its first victory of the year.
“They did exactly what they were supposed to do and they performed brilliantly,” praised Schmidt. “It was a great team effort.”
Scott Wexler had a solid day in goal for the Cardinals, as he stopped seven shots in the win. That total was also matched by Guaglionone, whose team fell for the first time this season and stands at 2-1 overall (0-1 in SOL American play).
The Cardinals, conversely, were victorious for the first time after falling to CB West and Spring-Ford to open the season. They will next face Norristown on Thursday.
“It’s a big confidence booster,” said Schmidt. “Any time these two teams get together, it’s always a very difficult match.”
“It brings out the best in them, too. They played really well today. I’m really proud of them.”
“We play one game one game at a time,” he continued. “They have tonight to feel good about it and tomorrow, we’re back to business.”
Upper Dublin will travel to Norristown on Thursday while the Trojans will host Springfield.
Wissahickon 0-2 2
Upper Dublin 1-2 3
SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 3, CHELTENHAM 2 (OT)
Only one SOL match needed overtime on Tuesday, and it came in Springfield. There, in double overtime, Tenzin Wangyal sent Springfield home with its first win of the year on a double overtime goal.
His goal capped a big day for Riley Woron, who scored the team’s other two goals. The Panthers received tallies from Max Pearilstein and Seaphin Codio in the losing effort.
Springfield is now 1-1 on the year and next travels to Wissahickon Thursday, while Cheltenham (0-3) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday.
UPPER MERION 6, NORRISTOWN 0
It has been an impressive start for Upper Merion, which has outscored its opening two opponents by a combined 8-0 count to jump to a 2-0 record. Against Norristown, it had few troubles getting ahead and pulling away for a 6-0 home triumph.
Leonard Lamina proved to be the biggest headliner as his pair of goals and additional assist led the way for Upper Merion. Angelo Misseri also had a goal and assist, while Gerardo Medina, Brendan Steiner and Vito Vincent all found the back of the net, as well. Christian Bruno’s assist capped the scoring column while defensively, Upper Merion backs Kevin Crowe and Jon Glenn set the tone. Keepers Kevin O'Sullivan and Brendan Magdamo split time in earning a shutout.
Upper Merion will travel to Upper Moreland on Thursday while Norristown, which fell to 0-2 with the setback, will host Upper Dublin.
PLYMOUTH-WHITEMARSH 5, UPPER MORELAND 1
Austin Betterly scored two goals, while Alex Bilodeau, Adam Deeves and Rosen each added singles goal as the Colonials won their American Conference opener, 5-1. They are now 2-0-1 on the season, while Upper Moreland fell to 1-3. The Golden Bears next host Upper Merion Thursday, while the Colonials travel to Cheltenham.
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 2, QUAKERTOWN 1
Perhaps there was some looking ahead, but Central Bucks West was able to survive a challenge from Quakertown in a game the Bucks largely controlled.
The problem was mental breakdowns, according to coach Stefan Szygiel, but the Bucks did enough on both ends to secure their second win of the season. They are also 1-0 in SOL Continental play heading into a showdown with archrival CB East on Thursday.
“We grinded it out in the second half and got the goal we needed,” Szygiel said. “We controlled the tempo of the game. They were dangerous on a couple of chances, but we got back on counter attacks.”
“I haven’t been part of an East-West game in 10 years, so I’m looking forward to it,” added Szygiel, who is a CB West alum.
CB West outshot Quakertown by a 17-3 margin but never put the game away in spite of those chances. But, with the score tied at one in the second half, Joel Klapper took a throw-in from Brian Van Eekelen into the box, beating three defenders in the process. He then blasted a shot into the Quakertown net for the eventual game winner.
“He kind of put the game on his shoulders and said I’m going to be the guy who’s going to score,” Szygiel said.
Both teams struck in the opening 40 minutes, with the Bucks doing so first off a corner from Nick Marella that was finished by Jackson Cox in the tenth minute. The Panthers, however, drew even on a tally by Dalton Kemp that was set up by Kyle Woulfe.
Quakertown, which is now 2-3 on the year (0-1 SOL), will host Pennridge on Friday at 7 p.m.
Quakertown 1-1 2
Central Bucks West 1-2 3
PENNRIDGE 3, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
After amassing just three victories in 2012, Pennridge has already tied that total less than three weeks into the new season after a 1-0 home triumph over CB South Tuesday afternoon. The defending champion Titans had some chances, but Rams senior goalie Zach Jarrett stood strong, stopping all five shots on goal he faced to earn his second shutout of the year.
“That’s good energy,” Rams’ coach Pete Valimont said about the victory. “(We) really worked hard as a team. Just keep the energy and keep going.”
The Rams struck for what proved to be the only time in the match in the 27th minute of action. Off a long throw-in from defending Austin Patrick, senior Phelim Giblin gained control and kick-volleyed a shot into the net for the game winner. Patrick, along with fellow juniors Brandon Greb, Sam Handy and Ryan Biresch helped maintain the advantage defensively with strong showings along the defensive end for the Rams.
“Our back line was all underclassmen and they all played really well today,” said Valimont.
The Rams are now 1-0 in the SOL Continental and 3-1 overall, with their only setback coming at the hands of Wissahickon, and next plays Friday night at Quakertown. The Titans, meanwhile, have a visit from North Penn Thursday.
Central Bucks South 0-0 0
Pennridge 1-0 1
NORTH PENN 2, SOUDERTON 1
Speaking of North Penn, the Knights will go into their match with CB South at 3-0 overall and 1-0 in league play after a 2-1 home victory over Souderton. In a tightly contested match, the Knights found their moment of glory in the closing seconds, as off a corner kick scramble, Tyler Johnston got control of a loose ball and blasted it into the Souderton net with 15 seconds to play.
His goal broke a 1-1 tie, as Nick Stulb had scored the equalizer for the Indians 10 minutes earlier off a shot assisted by Nick Marculo and Tylor Strozeski.
“We got a goal early, which is always important, but Souderton played very well,” said North Penn coach Paul Duddy. “We were just able to kind of figure it out at the end. The game could have gone either way.”
The Knights first tally came from Dylan McMahon off a corner kick from Drew McNenanim. The Knights also split goalie duties in this contest, with Jordan Katz pulling in four first half saves and Allen Vernon an additional six in the second.
The Indians are now 1-1-1 on the season and next face Hatboro-Horsham Thursday.
Souderton 0-1 1
North Penn 1-1 2
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
The Patriots improved to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the Continental on the young season, thanks to a one-goal road victory over the Hatters Tuesday afternoon. The difference came with 17 minutes to play in the first half when Evan Vare struck a corner that found fellow senior and co-captain Ryan Gleason. The midfielder found the back of the net with his shot, which proved to be all the Patriots would need.
The Hatters fell to 1-2 on the year (0-1 SOL) with the loss. Meanwhile, CB East has earned two shutouts and has outscored its opponents by a combined 10-2 so far.
Central Bucks East will face CB West at War Memorial Field on Thursday at 3:15 p.m. Hatboro-Horsham will travel to Souderton for a 3:30 p.m. contest.
Central Bucks East 1-0 1
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0 0
National Conference
PENNSBURY 3, BENSALEM 1
The Falcons fell behind in the first half, but rallied with a fury in the closing 40 minutes to even the score and then pull ahead for good in a home win over an athletic Bensalem squad.
Connor Waters got Pennsbury going with an unassisted goal to even the score early in the second half. It remained deadlocked until inside the final 10 minutes of play, when Colin Marks set up Tony Rios for a game winning shot and goal. Marks went back at it again about five minutes later, as he set up Waters for his second goal of the night to put things away.
“I was very proud that we kept our heads together and we put together a good second half,” Falcons coach Tom Stoddart said. “Really finished strong.”
The Falcons improved to 2-1 on the year and 1-0 in the SOL National while the Owls fell to 2-1 (0-1 in National play). Pennsbury will travel to William Tennent on Thursday while Bensalem will host Neshaminy.
Bensalem 1-0 1
Pennsbury 0-3 3
NESHAMINY 2, TRUMAN 0
Pat Raykovitz led the way for the Redskins in their league opener against the Tigers. In the 13th minute, he finished a great setup pass by Nick Tucci to give Neshaminy the only goal it needed. Just before halftime, he added some insurance when his free kick found Zach Rider for a header and second goal.
Redskins coach Tom Foley had high praise for Truman.
“Devlin Mettee had an exceptional game for our defense,” Foley said. “Truman was very organized in the back and will present a problem to anyone they play.”
The Redskins improved to 3-0 on their campaign, 1-0 in the SOL National, and are outscoring their opponents by a 7-3 margin so far. The Tigers now stand at 1-1-1 and 0-1 in the National. Neshaminy will travel to Bensalem on Thursday while Truman will take the road for Council Rock North.
Harry S Truman 0-0 0
Neshaminy 2-0 2
ABINGTON 3, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
It has been a challenging start to the year for the defending district champion Ghosts, but Tuesday afternoon, the team earned their most convincing win so far in a 3-0 victory over CR South.
The road win was Abington’s second of the year and headlined by Juan Castillo, who opened the scoring and followed with another goal to give the Ghosts a cushion they would not relinquish. Matt Bachman later added another tally to seal the win for the Ghosts, who improved to 2-2 on the year and 1-0 in SOL National competition.
Both of Castillo’s goals came off of assists, with Sean Seidenburg earning one and Colin Burns the other. Abington next hosts CR North Thursday, while the Golden Hawks (1-2 overall, 0-1 SOL) must trek to Truman the same day.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2, WILLIAM TENNENT 1
It was a big day for senior forward Alex Lean, whose two goals were all that Council Rock North needed to prevail in a 2-1 home triumph over William Tennent. It was the Indians first win of the year in just their second contest as they fell to Wissahickon in the season opener Aug. 30.
CR North will go for win number two Thursday at Abington, while the Panthers dropped to 1-2 on the year and have a visit from Pennsbury also looming Thursday.
- Log in to post comments
