Check out the Kwik Goal SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Tuesday. Bensalem/Tennent photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL non-league crossover
Wissahickon 2, Souderton 1
In a game between two of the hottest teams in the SOL, Wissahickon scored twice, including the game-winner by River Elliot, and slipped past Souderton 2-1 in crossover play on Tuesday.
The Trojans are now unbeaten (9-0-2) in their last 11 games.
Scoring:
First Half –
Brayden Muller (S) from Owen Alderfer, 4th minute
Aidan Siemon (W) from Luke Frankenfield, 28th minute
Second Half –
River Elliot (W) from Malachi Hodges, 75th minute
Wissahickon coach Stuart Malcolm:
“A tough physical game in which we were very pleased to end up with a win. Their player, Brayden Muller, scored with a great individual effort and shot. We created some good chances and managed to get on the board with a good finish from Aidan Siemion on a breakaway being played in by Luke Frankenfield.
“The game went back and forth without too many clear-cut chances for either side. A terrific ball from Malachi Hodges was brought down with a great first touch from River Elliot, who slotted the ball home for what turned out to be the winner.”
Souderton coach Frank Demas:
“Souderton worked really hard today. It was clear we played a tough game just yesterday, as we were tired and just didn’t have it today in possession. Souderton did work really hard and battled against a lot of chaos to keep their heads up all game. There unfortunately wasn’t much pretty soccer played.
“Really hard-fought game from both teams.”
Next up: Wissahickon (10-2-2) hosts Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday.
Souderton (8-4-1) is back in action at home Thursday night against CB South.
Souderton 1 0 – 1
Wissahickon 1 1 – 2
Bensalem 2, William Tennent 1
Chase Esposito scored both goals, including the game-winner in the second half as Bensalem outlasted William Tennent 2-1 in a crossover game on Tuesday.
The Owls are 5-0-1 in their last six games.
Scoring:
First Half –
WT, 2nd minute
Chase Esposito (B), 32nd minute
Second Half –
Chase Esposito (B), 59th minute
Bensalem coach Kevin Bock:
“What a game. We had a decent start to the game, but we fell asleep on a ball that may or may not have gone out of bounds, and Tennent took full advantage and scored an early goal.
“Kudos to our boys as they didn’t let that affect them and kept their focus. We were eventually able to get one back when they had a bit of a miscommunication in the back, and Chase Esposito was able to head a ball past their keeper.
“The second half was pretty back and forth until Chase was able to take a ball down the left sideline and get past several defenders before scoring his second goal of the game. 
“The rest of the game was frantic. Tennent put a ton of pressure on us and had a few good opportunities, but our back line of Cole Everett, Brian Bock, Danny Kalita, and Brian Bock held up very well, and our keeper, Joey Francis, made several exceptional saves.
“Really proud of this group but there is still work to do.”
Next up: Bensalem is back in action with a big division game on Thursday at Neshaminy.
Tennent (8-4) hosts New Hope-Solebury on Thursday.
Tennent 1 0 – 1
Bensalem 1 1 – 2
Council Rock North 4, Springfield Twp. 0
Four second-half goals were the difference in this one in a battle of division leaders, as CR North pulled away from Springfield Twp 4-0 on Tuesday.
David Morais, Matt Brozyna, Shane Murphy and Jason Foulke scored goals for the Indians.
Scoring:
Second Half –
David Morais (CRN) from Ben Purcaro, 45th minute
Matt Brozyna (CRN), 48th minute
Shane Murphy (CRN) from Matt Brozyna, 54th minute
Jason Foulke (CRN) from Andrew Foulke, 68th minute
CR North assistant coach Brian Hoffman:
–The second half: “I felt like the lid came off the goal. We had opportunities in the first half – a couple of times if we just had gotten a toe poke, we probably score. Their goaltender made a couple of nice melee saves where the team defense and the goaltender were able to clear the ball a handful of times that I thought we were going to get one, but we did not.
“I felt like we had a really good work rate through the whole game. Springfield’s a quality team. This was only their third loss. If you let them do what they wanted to do, they definitely could be dangerous. We just pretty much nullified the things that we recognize as being their strengths, and we were able to execute.”
–Props: “I thought coming off the bench Jason Foulke has been a really big key for us the last few games. He adds a lot of work rate and energy.
“Not necessarily this game because he didn’t really have to, but Elias Berman has played consistently well. He’s always level-headed.
“Pretty much every team recognizes that Matt Brozyna is probably the most dangerous player on the field for us. He definitely has the ability to create his own shot and his own offense most of the time when he gets the ball, but I think we’re a pretty dangerous team all across the field.
“Again, Chase Murphy and Andrew French as center backs – Springfield had two or three kids that were very talented, and Chase and Andrew just denied them the ability to ever get comfortable and get the ball.”
Springfield coach Riley Woron:
“Tough day for the boys. Never easy to play your fifth game in nine days. Let alone playing a back to back. We kept things close in the first half, going 0-0 into the second half. But eventually the tired legs caught up to us and a few costly mistakes opened up the opportunity for CRN to show their class and put the game away.
“Joe (Stackhouse) has got a good squad with strong experienced players and exciting younger talent. They will make some noise come playoff time. I’m proud of my guys for going toe to toe with them for the first 40 minutes and holding their own. We get a one-day break before going right back again hosting Cheltenham on Thursday.”
Next up: CR North (7-1-3) plays at Truman on Thursday afternoon. Springfield (10-3) hosts Cheltenham on Thursday.
CR North 0 4 – 4
Springfield 0 0 – 0
Quakertown 3, Pennridge 1
Rivalries don’t care about win-loss records, and such was the case Tuesday night. The teams combined for four goals in the first half, with Quakertown earning the hard-fought win over Pennridge in a crossover game.
“It’s always a big game when Quakertown plays Pennridge,” said Panthers coach Steven Hippauf. “The rivalry means a lot to our players, coaches, and community, so we wanted to come out strong and give a good performance.”
Scoring:
First Half –
Nate Steinberg (Q)
Pennridge goal
Luka Duric (Q), penalty kick
Alex Hernandez (Q) from Daniel Flores
Quakertown coach Steven Hippauf:
“I’m proud of the team for bouncing back after the terrible game last Thursday against Bensalem. They showed a lot of character and determination to keep the energy up and stay motivated. It’s been a long time since our program last beat Pennridge, so it meant a lot to all of us tonight.”
–The goals: “Goals were scored by Nate Steinberg, who flicked in a header off a corner kick. Pennridge got one back off a corner kick to tie it at 1. A couple minutes later, we were awarded a penalty kick after an unlucky handball. Senior Luka Duric stayed composed and finished the penalty.
“We were then able to grab a third goal scored by Senior Alex Hernandez (assisted by junior Daniel Flores), with 15 minutes to go in the first half.
“The second half was a bit ugly, but we defended really well and didn’t give up any clear chances.”
Next up: Quakertown (4-6-2) hosts first-place Abington on Thursday afternoon.
Pennridge (1-8-2) is back home against CB West Thursday night.
Pennridge 1 0 – 1
Quakertown 3 0 – 3
Central Bucks East 1, Upper Dublin 0
A late first-half goal by sophomore Luca Japes held up for CB East which blanked Upper Dublin in a crossover game on Tuesday afternoon. The win came in a game that saw the Patriots lose another player – senior Brendan Smith – to an injury. The team dedicated the game to Smith.
It was a nice bounce back for the Patriots, who were 0-2-3 in their last five games.
Scoring:
First Half –
Luca Japes (CBE) from Dustin Weber and Flavio Grimaldi, 36th minute
CB East coach Josh Isaacsohn:
–For Brendan: “A bit of a difficult beginning again for this team and these seniors. We had a kind of freak accident injury. One of our players – Brendan Smith – dislocated his arm really, really badly, and the game was delayed for about a half hour. It was an accident – he kind of rolled over the ball – and we instantly dedicated the game to him. It was just sort of an awkward start.”
–The game: “I really felt we had good control of possession in most of the game, more passing strings than we put together in a while and many shots on goal that either the goalie saved or we were just missing, so we were still knocking right on the doorstep. If we can start to put a few more away, we’ll be in a better spot.
“I’m really proud of the boys for how they came out and how they had to get past what happened because it put both teams in a sort of weird space to start the game.”
–Props: “Luca scored the goal. He’s a sophomore with a lot of talent that we’ve really been pushing.
“I’m always going to give kudos to our defense. They did a great job. Again, we’re dedicating this one to Brendan Smith, so we have another senior down and out. The boys have been great, and we’ve just got to keep on pushing forward.”
Next up: CB East (4-3-5) next plays at North Penn on Thursday night.
Upper Dublin (4-8) hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday night.
Upper Dublin 0 0 – 0
CB East 1 0 – 1
Central Bucks West 2, Plymouth Whitemarsh 0
Zurab Lobzhanidze had a huge second half, scoring a pair of goals as CB West pulled away from Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday by a 2-0 final score.
Scoring:
Second Half –
Zurab Lobzhanidze (CBW), 46th minute
Zurab Lobzhanidze (CBW), 52nd minute
CB West coach John Adair:
“Credit to Plymouth Whitemarsh who made it difficult through some really defending in space even when we got in behind a few times in the first half.
“We came back out in the second half with a more balanced performance in terms of the way we attacked, setting us up to regain more balls in the attacking half and staying more in control of the game.
“Zurab Lobzhanidze made the difference today with his goals. He’s really becoming a consistent threat in front of goal, and I’m happy to see him get his goals for all of the hard work he does for us up front.
“Paolo Leiva’s delivery is a real weapon when he’s playing well, and the first goal today was a testament to that.
“But it’s other guys that really give us the platform to attack with numbers. Guys like Jan Lachacz and Dan Richmond were great today, offering outlets in possession but doing so much selfless running and winning their duels that kept us on the front foot and even put out fires in transition.
“I’m happy to see these guys starting to get some rewards for how hard they work during the week and it’s a group that’s really together. We’re looking forward to keeping the performances rolling in the right direction heading into Thursday.”
PW coach Toni Washington:
“Very competitive game for us today. We had our chances – just need someone to step up and take care of business when it comes to scoring goals. We had two defensive mistakes that cost us but a decent match fighting till the end just fell short.”
Next up: CB West (4-6-3) is back in league play at Pennridge on Thursday. PW (3-6-3) plays at Upper Dublin on Thursday.
PW 0 0 – 0
CBW 0 2 – 2
Council Rock South 4, Cheltenham 0
CR South snapped a five-game losing streak with a solid home win over Cheltenham in a crossover game on Tuesday.
Four different players scored goals for the Golden Hawks.
Scoring:
First Half –
Madden Burns (CRS) from Stephen Murray
Joe McGovern (CRS) from Dylan Friedfeld
Second Half –
Stephen Murray (CRS) from Bryan Hyams
Dylan Friedfeld (CRS) from Michael Elko
CR South assistant coach Zach Orenstein:
“It feels good to get back in the win column with a pretty complete game today at our home turf. We’ve been having a tough go of it lately, but we have battled, so it’s nice to see that pay off.”
–The goals: “We opened the scoring with a nice pass from Stephen Murray to Madden Burns who was making a run from a wide position. The spacing was great and gave Stephen a big lane, and he played a perfectly weighted ball. Madden scored a brave goal against a charging goalie.
The second was similar at the end of the half with Dylan Friedfeld and Joe McGovern, two guys coming back from injuries. Dylan found Joe wide left, and he beat his guy and scored.
Stephen Murray got one in the second half on a scramble in the box. Brian Hyams found him at the penalty spot. Stephen had a few chances today, so this was a nice payoff for his hard work.
The last goal was exciting. Michael Elko played a really clever ball through the center backs to Dylan Friedfeld who had a calm finish. This was a freshman-to-freshman combination for a goal. The team was excited for them. We have gotten some good minutes from our three freshman, Dylan, Michael, and Will Van Demark.
–Props: The back line played well and anchored a combined shutout between Dennis Sparks and Declan Barry.”
–Looking Forward: I give a ton of credit to the team. We had a string of tough results and injuries. We have guys stepping up to play bigger roles. When you have three games in a week and you’re trying new things to make adjustments, it can be overwhelming. This group continues to work and learn and they do it together, so credit to the team today. We have work to do and some big games coming up, but they earned a win today.
Next up: CR South (5-7-1) is back in league play with a road game at Pennsbury on Thursday.
Cheltenham (0-12) plays at Springfield Twp on Thursday.
Cheltenham 0 0 – 0
CR South 2 2 – 4
Lower Moreland 3, Neshaminy 3
Brody Collins’ penalty kick in the 73rd minute was the equalizer as Neshaminy battled back from deficits three times to force a 3-3 tie with Lower Moreland on Tuesday afternoon in a crossover game.
The Redskins were down a player for the final 25 minutes and down two players the final six.
Scoring:
First Half –
LM, 10th minute
Nick Kania (N) from Jake Fallon, 28th minute
Second Half –
LM, 50th minute
Gorgi Enukitze (N) from Nick Kania, 65th minute
LM, 66th minute
Brody Collins (N), penalty kick, 73rd minute
Neshaminy coach Tom Foley:
–The game: “We came out rather sluggish in the first half. They were beating us to balls. They’re a very good countering team, so they put us on our heels. We were real sloppy with our marking, and they made us pay for it. They got the early goal.
“We seemed to find our stride a little bit through the second half. We probably should have scored two or three goals before we got the equalizer, but we started getting a little bit more control, finding a rhythm, which was good. So, the game was 1-1 at half.
“In the second half, when they got their PK, it was a poor call to get a PK, but to their credit, they’re not going to give a penalty kick up. They converted and made it 2-1,
“We had a free kick coming into the box, we’re jostling for position just like the Lower Moreland kids are doing. One of the Lower Moreland kids fell down, and the referee gave us a straight red card, so we go a man down with about 25 minutes left in the second half, down 2-1. We were fortunate, and we kept a little bit of pressure going. Nick slotted Gorgi, and Gorgi went in real composed and had a real nice finish to make it 2-2. The excitement was short-lived. We had a miscommunication in the back about a minute later, and they went up 3-2. I’ll be generous and say theirs was a phantomish call and ours was probably just the same. We got a PK, and we converted it, so that lands it at 3.
“Then about a minute later, same scenario – kids are jostling for position in the box, a Lower Moreland kid goes down. We get a second straight red card with no warning, so we’re playing two men down for the last six minutes of the game.
“I’m happy for our kids that we managed to hold on for a tie. In the end, we got the tie, we got some points, but we probably would have liked to have done a little bit better with our opportunities in the first half, so we wouldn’t have had to settle for a tie or not be in the position to hold on for dear life at the very end, but we’ll take the tie against a very good counter team. They had a couple guys you had to worry about, so we’ll take the tie and move on.
“Hopefully, we’ll get a couple of those cards rescinded because they were really questionable, questionable calls, so hopefully, things work out for us, and we’ll get back at it against Bensalem.”
Next up: Neshaminy (5-4-5) has a big game Thursday at home against Bensalem.
Lower Moreland (3-4-5) plays at Upper Moreland on Thursday.
Neshaminy 1 2 – 3
Lower Moreland 1 2- 3
Upper Moreland 5, Harry S Truman 4
In a wild one, Upper Moreland came all the way back from an early deficit to get past Harry S. Truman by a 5-4 final score on Tuesday.
Kaiden Wood’s header gave the Golden Bears the lead for good early in a second half that saw UM score four goals.
Scoring:
First Half –
David Darnesto (UM), penalty kick
Second Half –
Josh Pindra (UM) from Gavin Scollon
Kaiden Wood (UM) from Nazar Beseda
Nazar Beseda (UM)
Kevin Aguirre (UM)
UM coach David Darnesto:
“David Darnesto’s penalty kick made it 2–1 at halftime before Josh Pindra headed home Gavin Scollon’s corner early in the second half for the equalizer. Kaiden Wood added a header off a cross by Nazar Beseda, Nazar buried one himself in the back of the net and Kevin Aguirre found the netting for the winner.
“Led by Daniel Darnesto, the defense controlled possession and distributed effectively from the back, creating scoring opportunities and fueling the Golden Bears’ comeback.”
Next up: Upper Moreland (4-7-2) hosts Lower Moreland in a Freedom Division game Thursday.
Truman (2-8) hosts CR North in a Patriot Division game Thursday.
UM 1 4 – 5
HST 2 2 – 4
Hatboro-Horsham 2, North Penn 0
Evan Paone scored an early first-half goal and stout defense held up the whole way as Hatboro-Horsham secured a nice 2-0 shutout of visiting North Penn in a crossover game Tuesday afternoon.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Hatters.
Scoring:
First Half –
Evan Paone (HH) from Owen Hartman, 6th minute
Second Half –
Finn Marsden (HH), penalty kick, 68th minute
Hatboro-Horsham coach Kyle McGrath:
“After a challenging three games last week, the boys responded well this afternoon, led by the leadership of our three senior captains, Nick Bellizzie, Finn Marsden and Evan Paone. We were able to score a goal in each half to secure the win against a feisty North Penn team.
“We started the game well, creating an early opportunity but not capitalizing. Fortunately, we were able to keep that momentum as we scored in the sixth minute to go up 1-0. Owen Hartman played a ball across the box that Evan Paone was able to put into the goal to give us the lead.
“Our second goal came on a counterattack by Evan once again. He drove at the North Penn center back before being fouled inside the 18-yard box. Finn Marsden stepped up and buried the penalty kick to give us a two-goal lead.
–Props: “The back line was led by Nick Bellizzie who organized and played with toughness all game. Ryan Brosso, Connor Colletto, Leighton Saxer and Haiden Yoder helped Owen Fagan in goal to secure our fifth shutout of the season. Owen made five saves on the day and commanded his box on restarts to maintain the shutout.
Next up: H-H (6-7-1) is back in league play at Wissahickon on Thursday afternoon. North Penn (4-7-2) is back home against CB East on Thursday night.
North Penn 0 0 – 0
H-H 1 1 – 2
New Hope-Solebury 0, Pennsbury 0
Both teams pressed, but in the end, defense and goalkeeping made the difference as one of the smallest SOL schools earned a 0-0 tie with one of the largest in crossover play on Monday night.
Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart:
“(It was) the tale of two halves for us. In the first 40 minutes, we couldn’t generate much offense or rhythm in our final third. They spent a lot of time high pressing us, and we handled it well but couldn’t find a rhythm in the final third.
“The last 40 minutes was probably our best offensive 40 minutes, despite not being able to find the back in the net. We created opportunity after our opportunity, including 15 (corner kick) opportunities, but hats off New Hope. They just kept throwing people at it, and their keeper made some fantastic saves.”
Next up: Pennsbury (8-1-3) hosts CR South in a Patriot Division game Thursday.
New Hope (3-4-3) plays at William Tennent Thursday afternoon.
New Hope 0 0 – 0
Pennsbury 0 0 – 0
Central Bucks South 2, Abington 2
The Titans traveled to Abington on Tuesday night for a cross-division matchup. The Ghosts jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Titans responded well, battling back to level the game before halftime. Neither side was able to break through in a scoreless second half, as the teams ultimately shared the points.
By the Numbers:
First Half
Abington Goal (A)
CB South Own Goal (A)
Second half
Jackson Tait (CBS)
Tyler Jaskelewicz (CBS) from Jackson Tait
Central Bucks South coach Ed Brnardic:
“We had a plan in place and wanted to execute our script, but sometimes the game has other ideas. We had talked the night before about the importance of tight marking on set pieces, yet less than 10 minutes in, we lost focus on a long throw-in and allowed an attacker to get totally free for an easy finish. Seven minutes later, we were incredibly unlucky when a header from outside our own 18 ended up going backward into our goal without an Abington player anywhere near the play. Going down 2-0 that early was definitely not part of the script.
“But there was no panic. We continued to believe and stayed committed to what we were trying to do. We always talk about winning the next three minutes after a goal, and this time it didn’t even take that long. Off an Abington corner, Tyler Jaskelewicz made a tremendous end-to-end run on the counterattack. At the end of the run, Tyler made a great cut, was brought down in the box, and Jackson Tait calmly stepped up and buried the penalty to pull us within one.
“We felt it was important to find the equalizer before halftime rather than give Abington an opportunity to regroup. With less than seven minutes remaining in the half, TJ pressured the defender, won the ball, and found Jackson Tait. Jackson paused just long enough to draw the attention of the Abington defenders before playing a masterful chip over the top. TJ continued his run and headed the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper to make it 2-2. It was straight off the playground. That type of creativity and understanding between two players simply can’t be coached.
“We created just a couple of opportunities in the second half, but the final 15 minutes especially belonged completely to Abington as they put us under pressure. They created several quality chances, but our goalkeeper Maks Deliavskyi made an emphatic statement that he was the man of the match with a series of outstanding saves.
“It’s hard to believe Maks is only a sophomore. The tutelage of our assistant coach and alumnus Pat VanLuvanee has had an incredible impact on his development. On one diving save in particular, I actually had to look down the bench for Pat because I wasn’t entirely convinced he hadn’t snuck into the goal himself.”
Additional props: “Our entire defensive unit deserves a tremendous amount of credit. We knew how dangerous Abington could be on throw-ins, and our guys showed courage all night, battling for loose balls.
“Leo Propato and Evan Nguyen were especially impressive in their matchup with Jaza, who is honestly one of my favorite players to compete against. His footwork and skill are among the best I’ve seen in the league. Leo and Evan have traditionally been attackers for us, but injuries forced us to ask them to reinvent themselves. Leo moved to center back and Evan to fullback, and both have developed into two of the best defenders I’ve ever coached. Johan Cruyff would be proud of these two and how they make the game look simple.
“And once again, Jackson Tait and Tyler Jaskelewicz delivered for us. Jackson is a constant threat who demands attention every second he’s on the field. TJ is doing a little bit of everything and giving absolutely everything he has for this team. Being two of only three returning varsity seniors put a lot on their shoulders early in the season, and that wasn’t always easy. But over the last couple weeks, I’ve watched both of them truly grow into their roles as captains. They’re not just leading with their play anymore. They’re teaching our younger players how to compete, how to respond to adversity, and most importantly, how to always believe.”
Next up: CB South (6-2-5) plays at Souderton on Thursday night (6:30pm).
Abington (7-1-4) is back in Liberty play with a night game at Quakertown on Thursday.
Abington. 2 0 2
Central Bucks South 2 0 2
About the Author
