Central Bucks East rolled to a 4-1 win over top-seeded Unionville to earn a date with Great Valley in Saturday’s District One AAA final. To view photos of the CB East/Unionville and Wissahickon/Great Valley games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
#4 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 4, #1 UNIONVILLE 1
The storybook postseason continued for the Patriots, who knocked the Indians from the ranks of the undefeated in a district semifinal contest at Souderton Area High School.
“We were marvelous tonight,” coach Mike Gorni said. “Our entire team played well. They really did.”
The two teams battled to a scoreless halftime tie with each squad managing just two shots.
“It was very much a game where both teams were playing between the 18s,” Gorni said.
The outcome of Thursday’s semifinal was decided in a dazzling 12-minute span in the second half that featured an Evan Vare offensive clinic. The junior sharpshooter scored four goals in that span, breaking a 0-0 tie and effectively putting the game out of reach.
“We put the ball in the right spots,” Gorni said. “Evan finished well, but the passes that led to the goals were excellent as well. Sometimes it happens that way. It doesn’t happen often in that amount of time, but Evan just really got extremely hot, and everything he fired went in or was very close to going in.”
Vare’s tear began with a goal in the 47th minute, using a Brian Gilligan assist. Two minutes later, Vare turned an Alex Parasky pass into a goal. A pass over the top by Gilligan set up Vare’s third goal in the 18th minute, and a minute later, Vare capped his remarkable individual tear, this time scoring with an assist from Booker Farrior.
“It was a uniquely productive 12 minutes against a team that doesn’t have a loss and was the number one seed,” Gorni said. “It almost defies explanation a little bit.
“It happened so fast that it caught everybody by surprise, and all of a sudden, we’re up 4-0. We’re elated, and there are still 21 minutes left in the second half.”
Although Vare – who has scored all seven of this team’s goals in the postseason – is the ultimate finisher, he’s not the Patriots’ only threat.
“The rest of our team is actually putting pressure on, but Evan happens to be getting the goals right now,” Gorni said. “There are other guys that are capable of scoring.
“I know it doesn’t look like it, but we are. We’re putting on pressure. If they mark Evan, someone else will be free.”
The Indians got on the scoreboard a minute and a half after Vare’s spectacular run on an Alex Anderson goal, and that would be the extent of the scoring for both teams.
“They had a couple of opportunities, and we had a good number of opportunities as well,” Gorni said. “They were never really seriously back in the game in a dangerous way because they never got the second. We had as good a chance of getting a fifth as they had of getting a second.”
Making the win even more impressive is the fact that the Patriots were without junior center midfielder J.R. Eisold (sprained ankle).
“Booker Farrior left his outside left defensive position and was our center midfielder,” Gorni said. “Right up the spine, we were great today.
“Will Eisold as our center back, Stephen Sheehan played extremely well, and obviously, Booker (Farrior), Brian Gilligan, Evan (Vare). We had a young man, Andrew Zach, who’s been seeing a lot of action as a frontrunner with Evan, and we moved him to the outside left back tonight, and he was terrific. He just gave us a great game. He played really well. We had a nice game from Ian Lutz in the back as well.
“When you win 4-1 against an undefeated, number one seeded team, your entire team played well, and we did.”
The Patriots, who will face Great Valley in Saturday’s district title game, start just two seniors and find themselves a spot perhaps no one – including their coach – could have imagined when the season began.
“(If someone had told me), I would have told them they were absolutely out of their minds,” Gorni said. “I think we’ve had seasons within the season.
“At the beginning of the year, we were getting results, and sometimes I think we were just on the fortunate end of things. Then we started to improve – our team play improved, and then we started winning games because we were the better side.
“Then you have to bring it up another level in playoffs. That’s always the challenge for every team, and even with all the changes, we’ve just stayed very focused. I think that’s the biggest thing, and we’ve gotten ourselves into a different gear in the playoffs.
If you look at the other two games, Methacton could have won that game, although I thought we were the better side. I thought it was a very even game, or PW could be moving on. Even with all of this and even with our win tonight, each game is very close, and you have to compete within that game. If we get sloppy, we’ll fall just like everybody else.”
“We know we’re going to states, no matter what. It’s an excellent accomplishment. At this point, crazy or not, we’re very deserving of being there.
“The Patriots (19-2, 13-1 SOL) will face 15th-seeded Great Valley in Saturday’s title game at Souderton (4 p.m.).
Central Bucks East 0-4 4
Unionville 0-1 1
#15 GREAT VALLEY 1, #3 WISSAHICKON 0
The Trojans were shut out for just the second time this season, and it took a double-digit save effort by Patriots’ goalie Aiden Claffey to do it. Mike Carrigan scored a goal that turned out to be the game winner eight minutes into the contest when he deposited the rebound of a goalie save into the net. That 1-0 lead held the rest of the way, although the Trojans had their share of opportunities.
Wissahickon (18-3, 12-2 SOL) will face top-seeded Unionville in Saturday’s third place game at Souderton Area High School at 2 p.m.
Great Valley 1-0 1
Wissahickon 0-0 0
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