SOL Boys’ Soccer District Preview (10-25-18)

Six SOL boys’ soccer teams will be in action in Thursday’s second round of the District One 4A Tournament.

Six SOL boys’ soccer teams will be in action in Thursday’s second round of the District One 4A Tournament. Four of them will be part of all-SOL contests. Hatboro-Horsham, fresh off an upset of Perk Valley in penalty kicks, will face third-seeded North Penn, and 11^th-seeded Pennridge will travel to sixth-seeded Central Bucks West for the third meeting between the two schools. The Bucks have a pair of one-goal wins over the Rams – 1-0 and 2-1. Fourth-seeded Abington will host 13^th-seeded Downingtown East, and 16^th-seeded Council Rock North will travel to top-seeded Conestoga.

Upper Moreland – the lone SOL representative in the District One Class 3A Tournament – saw its season end at the hands of second-seeded Strath Haven (4-1).

CLASS 4A

No. 19 Hatboro-Horsham Hatters at No. 3 North Penn Knights
North Penn Knights
After a shocking second round exit last year, the Knights and their large core of returning players have earned a shot at redemption after a first round bye. SOL Continental champions for the third straight year, North Penn plays a smart, active style of soccer that's taxed defenses all year while relying on some toughness in the back.

17-1-0 overall
11-1-0 SOL Continental (Conference co-champion)
Regular season wins over District I No. 6 Central Bucks West (4-2 Sept. 17), District I 4A No. 11 Pennridge (3-0 Sept. 25, 4-1 Oct. 18), Philadelphia Catholic League No. 2 Archbishop Wood (4-0 Sept. 29), PCL No. 3 La Salle (3-1 Oct. 6)
Excellent midfield – led by juniors Carter Houlihan, Jamie Stewart and Ryan Stewart plus seniors Aidan Jerome and Jared Huzar – is proficient at attacking on the ground, connecting passes and dropping back to challenge. Unit is also very good at putting away goals.
Senior striker Luke McMahon brings high work rate to field, pressing defenders and linking well with midfielders.
Defense rooted by Chris Caputo, Josh Jones and keeper Brett Schwengels. Ethan Torri and Christian Snyder are strong two-way fullbacks.
Solid bench features Mike Chaffee, Brett Katz and Alieu Sheriff.

How they got here: Opening round bye

Hatboro-Horsham Hatters
It took the Hatters some time to get their footing after graduating a good number of top players off last season's conference championship team. The Hatters had their runs of solid play and found a good mix defensively late in the season, but they'll have to score in order to make a postseason run.

11-7-1 overall
8-5-1 SOL American (third place)
Regular season wins over District I 4A No. 17 Wissahickon (2-0 Oct. 2), PCL No. 2 Archbishop Wood (1-0 Sept. 15)
Andrew Hurrell, JD Mallinder, Tyler Boehm and Ryan Cole anchor the HH midfield while Matty Harmon and Bradan Mallon lead the forwards.
Senior keeper Zack Kim and senior defender Brad Bornstein lead the defensive group for the Hatters.

How they got here: The Hatters battled 14^th-seeded Perk Valley to a scoreless tie after 110 minutes of soccer action. They went on to defeat the Vikings 4-3 in penalty kids with Matt Harmon, Andrew Hurrell, JD Mallinder and Jake Weiss all converting their kicks.

No. 13 Downingtown East Cougars at No. 4 Abington Galloping Ghosts
Abington
The Ghosts dominated in their first season as part of the SOL American and used it to earn a first round bye in the district tournament. High-scoring senior Sean Touey is ready for his last postseason run, but he's far from a one-man show. Reaching states is a goal for this group.

17-1-0 overall
13-1-0 SOL American (Conference champions)
Regular season wins over District I 4A No. 16 Council Rock North (3-0 Aug. 31), District I No. 19 Hatboro-Horsham (2-1 Sept. 20, 3-0 Oct. 16), District I No. 17 Wissahickon (4-0 Oct. 11), District I 4A No. 22 Neshaminy (4-1 Sept. 28)
Senior Sean Touey eclipsed the 20-goal mark for the third straight season. A true target forward, he's capable of finishing inside the box but also playing balls out to teammates.
Liam Friel and Nevin Baer have been consistent secondary scorers all season, able to create their own looks and play off Touey
Senior captain Jack Failing, who has scored twice recently as a defensive midfielder, Gavin O'Neil, Bryce Lexow and Reese Gibbs form the core of a solid midfield group.
Senior-laden defense led by Vince Carosella, Liam Campbell and keeper Alex Haycock. Junior Michael Burnstein is also solid in the back.

How they got here: Opening round bye.

Downingtown East

14-4-1 overall
8-3-1 Chesmont National tied for third place
Regular season wins over District 1 4A No. 10 West Chester Henderson (1-0 Sept. 20), District 1 4A No. 21 Downingtown West (2-1 Sept. 27) and District 1 2A No. 8 Bishop Shanahan (2-1 Oct. 12).
Tuesday’s opening round district win came on the heels of back-to-back opening round exits for the Cougars.

How they got here: In an opening round game, Downingtown East defeated No. 20 Haverford 2-1. Cesar May scored a goal and assisted on another, and Gabe Wilson added a goal.

No. 11 Pennridge Rams at No. 6 Central Bucks West
Central Bucks West
After a captivating run to the state semifinals last season and nine starters returning, the Bucks established themselves early as one of the top teams in the district. A suffocating defense gives a well-varied attack plenty of confidence to press the ball and take chances in front of goal. This group has plenty of postseason experience.

15-2-0 overall
11-1-0 SOL Continental (Conference co-champion)
Regular season wins over District I 4A No. 3 North Penn (4-3 Oct. 11), District I 4A No. 12 Owen J Roberts (2-0 Aug. 31), District I 4A No. 21 Downingtown West (1-0 Sept. 15), District I 4A No. 11 Pennridge (1-0 Sept. 12, 2-1 Oct. 7)
Junior Bailey Moyer does a little bit of everything for the Bucks. Usually a center back, he also leads West in scoring and will press up to forward in a pinch or in a tight game.
Senior goalkeeper Dylan Smith and his back line anchored by Moyer, Nick Centenera and James Lutz, have posted 13 shutouts this season. Smith is not only a terrific shot-stopper, but has a big leg to spring the offense.
Midfield is a hard-working group including Reed Sturza, Carson Snyder, Colin Burn, Luke Fehrman and Kyle Holt
Attack paced by Jimi Leder and Alan Zlotin with Jack Galt and Kanishk Nazareth key reserves.

How they got here: Opening round bye

Pennridge Rams
A senior heavy group, the Rams cashed in on the potential shown last season to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Pennridge plays as a true team, not relying too much on one or two players, instead taking care of chances when present and working hard on both sides of the ball.

13-4-2 overall
6-4-2 SOL Continental (second place)
Regular season wins over District I A No. 1 Faith Christian (5-1 Sept. 8), District 11 Northwestern Lehigh (4-0 Sept. 5)
Jack Taplett, Marco Grenda and Matt Stevenson pace a hungry attacking unit that's always looking for the next opportunity to finish. Not just finishers, the trio ranks among the Rams' top assisters.
Aidan Link, Nick Dunn and Jack Gillespie are part of a solid all-around midfield group.

How they got here: In an opening round game, Pennridge defeated 22^nd-seeded Neshaminy 2-0, using goals from Nick Dunn and Ben Scary. Matt Stevenson assisted on both goals.

No. 16 Council Rock North Indians at No. 1 Conestoga Pioneers
Council Rock North Indians
The Indians graduated 10 seniors – five starters – from last year’s squad that rode its 19^th seed to a District One 4A runner-up finish and the state quarterfinals. With new faces in his lineup, coach Joe Stackhouse was hoping for a district game. The Indians did much better than that, capturing their third consecutive SOL National title.

14-4-1 overall.
11-0-1 SOL National (Conference champion)
Regular season wins over District 1 4A No. 22 Neshaminy (2-1 Sept. 14 & 3-2 Oct. 9)
Defense has been the name of the game for an Indians squad that won six 1-0 games. Anchoring the Indians’ defense in front of goalie Andrew Daries are Zach Saifer, Jeremy Smithline, Ryan Sirota and Spencer Berman. Saifer also leads the team with eight goals. “We don’t score very many goals, but we play team defense,” Stackhouse said.
Sean Finneyfrock, Vinny Colon, Justin Pagliughi and TJ Grube comprise a standout midfield.

How they got here: In an opening round game, Council Rock South defeated 17^th-ranked Wissahickon 2-1. Justin Pagliughi scored a first-half goal, and Vinny Colon tacked on an insurance goal when he converted a penalty kick late in the game.

Conestoga
The Pioneers are a perennial league, district and state power. They were ranked second in the state behind Episcopal Academy in the final PSCA/Angelo’s Corner Soccer Poll. Thursday’s game is a rematch of last year’s District 1 4A title game, a 2-0 Conestoga win over the Indians.

16-1 overall
11-0 Central League champions
Fifth consecutive Central League title
Defending District One 4A champion and PIAA 4A runner-up
Regular season wins over District 1 4A No. 5 Lower Merion (1-0 Oct. 10), District 1 4A No. 7 Radnor (2-0 Sept. 13), District 1 4A No. 8 Harriton (2-0 Sept. 15), District 1 4A No. 9 Unionville (1-0 Oct. 13), District 1 4A No. 10 West Chester Henderson (2-1 Sept. 4), District 1 4A No. 15 West Chester East (4-0 Sept. 22), District 1 4A No. 20 Haverford (1-0 Sept. 25) as well as District 1 3A No. 2 Strath Haven (5-1)
Only loss at the hands of Haverford School (1-0 Sept. 11)
Pioneers have 13 shutouts on the season, seven in a row to close out the regular season.