Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Tuesday. Upper Dublin/CB East photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko, and Neshaminy/CR South photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for galleries of both games. (CB SouthTennent photos courtesy of Mike Tait/CB South soccer. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BOYS’ SOCCER GALLERIES.
#22 Souderton 1, #11 Council Rock North 0
Facing a division champ – on the road – in the opening round of districts was going to be a tall task for Souderton on Tuesday, but it proved up to the task at Council Rock North.
AJ Pisoni’s goal with four minutes remaining was the difference in a tight defensive battle that ended with Souderton advancing on to the second round of the tournament on Thursday.
“I’m just really impressed with these guys,” said Souderton coach Frank Demas. “On the road, with a bunch of starters and subs playing in their first ever playoff game, against a great team, that result was really impressive.
“Great start to the (postseason). Again, I can’t say it enough how great these boys have been all year. So much turnover from last year, but every player on this roster is stepping up and sacrificing for each other.”
Scoring Summary:
Second Half –
AJ Pisoni (S) from Liam Manners, 76th minute
Souderton coach Frank Demas:
–The game-winner: “Liam Manners played a great back post ball for the sliding AJ Pisoni to finish off with four minutes left in the game.
“The goal was great, and it capped off a great night for Souderton. We were fantastic all over the field tonight – winning balls, creating chances and defending together. I thought we could’ve even had a couple more, but CR North’s goalkeeper (Elias Berman) was incredible.”
–Props: “Shout out to (Trevor) Alderfer in goal with the clean sheet. (Liam) Shaw in midfield was incredible.”
Council Rock North varsity assistant Brian Hoffman: “Souderton played an excellent game tonight. They stepped up and did things we had not seen them do on the tape that we had watched.
“Both teams played a very good, well-balanced competitive game. They just got on the end of a good cross. The couple that we created, we didn’t convert, and that’s all she wrote. That is playoff soccer to a ‘T.’”
–Credit to Souderton: “Kudos to them. They came to play. When I watched the tape they had played the last couple of games, I thought some of the things we were going to be able to exploit – they stepped up and played much better than they had from what I had scouted. So, kudos to their coaching staff and kudos to their players for really rising to the occasion.
“I give respect where respect is due. If my team botched it, I would say, ‘Oh, we dropped the ball,’ but I didn’t think we played a bad game. (Goalkeeper) Elias Berman might have made three or four really outstanding saves, and that kept us in the game, but all it takes is one.”
Up Next: Souderton (13-6) will play at #6 Springfield Township in the second round on Thursday. CR North ended its season with a 12-5-2 record.
Souderton 0 1 – 1
CR North 0 0 – 0
#6 Springfield Twp 3, #27 North Penn 1
Tied at 1 late in the first half, Springfield picked up a late goal from Adam DiBattista, and then in the second half added one from Patrick Schugsta, as the Spartans pulled away from North Penn for the 3-1 victory on Tuesday.
Springfield may have been the higher seed, but in other ways, it faced some uphill battles against the visiting Knights.
“It’s an amazing win,” said Spartans coach Dan Meder. “They’re literally five-and-a-half times our size. I guess it’s become our expectation to just compete, but it’s crazy to think on it, that we beat a team that size. It was great, it was a great team win.”
Scoring Summary:
First Half –
Harry Bates (S) from Patrick Schugsta, 33:08
Fionn Regan (NP), 24:19
Adam DiBattista (S) from Will McLaughlin, 6:23
Second Half –
Patrick Schugsta (S) from Harry Bates, 24:21
Springfield coach Dan Meder:
–The first half: “Soccer can make you nervous when you’re outplaying a team and not scoring. I thought we generated more chances in the first half, and then when they tied it up, I’m thinking ‘You have to be kidding me.’
“So, they counterattacked, and they scored a goal. It’s one of those things where you’re hoping all those missed chances don’t come back to haunt you, so I was glad to see the guys respond. They responded really well to the adversity and just kept playing away and creating chances.”
–The second half: “We had to make some adjustments defensively, and in the second half, our defense played really well. They really played much, much better. They were scaring me in the first half, but they weren’t scaring me in the second half. They looked great.
“Patrick Schugsta scored, and he was assisted by Harry Bates. That was a really important goal from a guy that hasn’t scored a lot of goals this year, so it was a great finish.”
–Props: Comprising the Spartans’ defense that stood tall in the second half were Will McLaughlin, Dillon Gray, Daniel Caruso and Brendan Noonan.
Up Next: Springfield (14-4) will host #22 Souderton in the second round on Thursday. North Penn ended its season with a 9-9-1 final record.
North Penn 1 0 – 0
Springfield 2 1 – 3
#17 Neshaminy 1, #16 Council Rock South 0
Not a lot separated these two teams in a pair of regular-season Patriot Division games – a 0-0 tie and a 1-0 win for CR South – and when the district seeds were revealed only one spot separated them in the power rankings, leading to Tuesday’s rubber match between the rivals.
Brody Collins’ goal in the first half proved the difference in the game, as Neshaminy emerged and kept its season alive with the shutout road victory.
“It’s a shame,” said Neshaminy coach Tom Foley. “We play Council Rock South three times. Alan (Nicholl) and I are pretty tight friends. It’s a shame that one of us had to lose because it’s the third time. I think we’re the only league that potentially has to play a team a third time in the first round, which is unfair because it’s a neighborhood brawl.
“It’s always a war. It’s just the way our league is set up, and it shakes out that way. It’s a shame one of us had to lose because they’re certainly capable of beating other teams in the district as well, so it’s just a shame they’re not going on because we had to play each other for a third time.”
Scoring Summary:
First Half –
Brody Collins (N) from Christos Vasilarakis
Neshaminy coach Tom Foley:
–The game-winner: “We scored in the first three minutes. We got a corner, and Zach Hargraves drove a ball low and hard, and Christos Vasilarakis had a little flick into Brody Collins, and he one-timed it. It hit the side panel. It was a really nice goal.”
–The game: “I thought in the first half we generated some really good chances. We just couldn’t get on the end of them. Overall, I thought we moved the ball really well.
“In the second half, South had the wind, and it was a pretty stiff wind. They’re very good in the air, so they won a lot of balls. They created a lot of anxious moments – just kind of pinballing around in our box. We did a great job of getting in front of every shot they took, and when they did get a shot off, it was from 18-25 yards out, so it wasn’t all that difficult for our goalkeeper.
“There was one hairy moment early in the second half, which Dylan (Cloud) made a really nice save on, but other than that, we kind of limited their chances in the second half.”
–Props: “I thought overall, we defended exceptionally well in the second half. Our back line was Dean Goodwin, Julian Shaw, Connor Choi, and Nick Indellicato did an outstanding job all night. They had a couple of dangerous guys up top, and we kept them pretty much contained all night and didn’t give them opportunities. We’ve defended well this year. It’s just a matter of whether we can put the ball in the net. The early goal was nice.”
Up Next: Neshaminy (11-4-4) earned a spot to play at #1 West Chester Henderson on Thursday. CR South ended its season with a 10-5-4 final record.
Neshaminy 1 0 – 1
Council Rock South 0 0 – 0
#24 Upper Dublin 3, #9 Central Bucks East 2
In the biggest upset of the first round, ninth-seeded CB East went down, as Upper Dublin sophomore Tyler McLaughlin scored three goals in a stellar offensive outing to help the Flying Cardinals to the 3-2 road win on Tuesday.
CB East twice led the game – 1-0 in the first half and 2-1 in the second – only to see UD, and McLaughlin respond.
“This win means a lot,” said Cardinals coach Noah Johnson. “For the past two years, we’ve been knocked out in the first 
round, and we’re scratching our heads and couldn’t figure out what’s going on.
“For us, it’s a little bit bigger than just winning. We want to really give our school something to cheer for, but also, we have some talks in the locker room about being immortal. Nothing lasts forever, but if you win a championship, you get your face plastered on the wall somewhere, and you’re there forever, and it can never be taken away.
“We’re chasing a championship, we’re chasing some goals to hopefully send our seniors away happy. There’s 17 of them, and it would be nice to send them away with one last good memory.”
Scoring Summary:
First Half –
CB East goal
Tyler McLaughlin (UD) from Leo Kuznits
Second Half –
CB East goal
Tyler McLaughlin (UD) assisted by Leo Kuznits
Tyler McLaughlin (UD) assisted by Chase Rappaport
UD coach Noah Johnson:
–Game-winner: “The ball was in the air, I don’t know how it got there, but Chase Rappaport won the ball out of the air, ran down the left side of the field, crossed the ball across the box to Tyler McLaughlin.”
–An unlikely hero: “Tyler has always been on the team. He’s one of those late bloomer kids where it just takes some time. He’s had his ups and downs all season, just being a little bit smaller and just getting accustomed to the pace of the game,
but these past two, three games before this game, he’d been doing very well. After the CB West game, me and my staff were like, ‘Tyler’s on fire right now. Let’s give him a chance,’ and I haven’t regretted that decision since.
“He’s doing a very, very good job. Talk about heart. The first goal was a little bit easier. It was a tap-in, but the second goal was purely amazing. It was a diving header. Anyone else would have maybe stuck their foot out and missed the ball, but this kid said, ‘I don’t care. I’m going to dive in and get a goal for my team because we really need it.’
“Attention to detail and being aware of who’s around him, being there on the back post in open space all by himself, the composure as a sophomore to not whack the ball at 190 miles an hour, but to take his time and tap that ball in to send us off to the next round.”
–Props: “Anthony Ginaldi did a very good job once he got himself calmed down and focused, Jackson Bryan did a very good job as well, being a nuisance and creating opportunities for himself. Leo Kuznits did a very good job. Jimmy Smith doesn’t get talked about enough – nearly every 50/50 ball he won. I couldn’t ask for more than that. Literally all of them, but those boys deserve some credit.”
Up Next: Upper Dublin (8-6-4) will be on the road at #8 Great Valley in the second round on Thursday. CB East’s season comes to an end with a 11-7-1 final record.
Upper Dublin 1 2 – 3
CB East 1 1 – 2
#7 Abington 4, #26 Central Bucks West 0
Jaza Vasquez assisted on a pair of first-half goals and then banged one in off his left foot early in the season half as Abington took care of business and advanced with a 4-0 win over visiting CB West on Tuesday.
Sam Arruda opened the scoring with a header, and Cooper Blynt later made it 2-0 in the first half – both on Vasquez’s assists.
“It was a good game tonight,” said Ghosts coach Randy Garber. “The boys played a good game, scored some goals and played some good defense.
“There was a heck of a crowd. They had a crowd, and what a beautiful night.”
Scoring Summary:
First Half –
Sam Arruda (A) from Jaza Vasquez, 22:30
Cooper Blynt (A) from Jaza Vasquez, 16:20
Second Half –
Jaza Vasquez (A), 33:00
Brennan Ewer (A) from Sean Westmoreland, 13:09
Abington coach Randy Garber:
–Vasquez’s highlight reel goal: “Jaza’s goal was absolutely sick. It was absolutely a professional goal. The ball came over the top into the box. He turned the defender around, and as fast as he turned the defender around, he struck the ball from a very, very difficult angle on the left-hand side. It caromed off the back post about waist high and then hit the other side panel after it caromed off.
“The goalkeeper never moved. The goalkeeper was screwed into the ground. Everyone went ‘Wow.’ Absolutely, ‘Wow.’ Jaza came to play tonight. He had two assists, and he could have had one or two more goals.”
–The game: “West was a very big, athletic, strong team. The difference between the two teams, our offense was just a better offense than their offense, but defensively, they were big and strong and athletic and did a nice job. The goals we scored, every one of the goals was as good as the next. The last goal was a tap-in.
“It was one of those games. The home team playing on the home field, being used to it, had the advantage. We go up and play on West’s turf field – it could be a different result.”
Up Next: Abington (15-1-3) hosts #10 CB South in the second round on Thursday. CB West ended its season with a 9-10 final record.
CB West 0 0 – 0
Abington 2 2 – 4
#10 Central Bucks South 3, #23 William Tennent 1
Tyler Jaskelewicz scored mid-way through the first half, and then Jackson Tait added two goals in the second half, as CB South pulled away from visiting William Tennent for the 3-1 first-round victory on Tuesday night.
Scoring Summary:
First Half –
Tyler Jaskelewicz (CBS) from AJ Okoniewski
Second Half –
Jackson Tait (CBS) from Josh Dozier
William Tennent Goal
Jackson Tait (CBS) from AJ Okoniewski
CB South coach Ed Brnardic:
The game was scoreless and pretty even for the first 20 minutes until AJ Okoniewski stepped uptown and put in a tackle. The ball popped over to Tyler Jaskelewicz who slid the ball far-side into the bottom corner for the first goal. From there we put good pressure on Tennent but we couldn’t score. Then with just one minute remaining in the half Tennent had a great opportunity but our defender Zach Prest stepped in and made a great defensive play to deny an obvious goal scoring opportunity.
“We continued the pressure in the second half and with 20 minutes remaining we needed someone to step up and make a play and in these times we look no further than our captain, Josh Dozier. Josh stepped up (literally) and stole the ball from William Tennent, he dribbled hard towards the goal and attracted a bunch of defenders to him before slipping the ball to Jackson Tait who finished the play to give us a two-goal cushion.
“Unfortunately, with 3 minutes we got punished. First for giving up yet another free kick, and secondly for not staying with our 1v1 marking and let a guy go free to score on the rebound.
“But the score ended 3-1 when in the final minute Jackson Tait started and ended the play.
“Jackson picked up a loose ball and volleyed it over to AJ Okoniewski who immediately played it back to Jackson. Jackson pulled off a move that had me (and Tennent) completely fooled and he dribbled the opposite way and finished into the open goal.”
–Props:
William Tennent – “In all my years of following SOL, both as a parent and as a coach, this is somehow the first time I’ve seen William Tennent. I really like some of the things that they do. You can tell they are a disciplined and well-coached team, and they presented many questions for us tonight. And on top of the problems they gave us on defense, their goalkeeper was also fantastic. He saved several chances that typically have gone in for us this year.”
Referees – “This year we have had many well refereed games, and tonight was another one of those nights. The referees were exceptional. Of course, it is so nice to get to the playoffs and have three referees instead of only two. It allows one of them to get closer to the play while having help dealing with offsides.”
Lucas Tyson and Rowan McDonald – “Our center backs, Lucas Tyson and Rowan McDonald, were phenomenal in the match. They were our security blanket today neutralizing so many of the dangerous balls played in by William Tennent and they kept us organized all night.”
Up Next: CB South (13-5-1) earned a second-round date at #7 Abington on Thursday. Tennent’s season came to an end with a 10-8-1 record.
Tennent 0 1 – 1
CB South 1 2 – 3
#5 Lower Merion 3, #28 Pennsbury 0
Pennsbury had to scratch and claw late in the season to earn a berth in the district playoffs, and did so, but the reward for that was a road game against Central League and longtime District One power Lower Merion.
The Falcons hung tough, but in the end couldn’t overcome a one-goal deficit at half and ended up on the short end of a 3-0, season-ending, final score on Tuesday afternoon.
“I am very proud of my senior group for holding it together through an up-and-down season to get us back in the tournament,” said coach Tom Stoddart. “Their contribution will help this program continue to move forward in the years to come.”
Tuesday’s game saw Pennsbury battle hard defensively throughout.
“We held off a high number of corner kicks and long throws in the first half until we missed one mark and conceded a goal,” Stoddart said. “We responded well in the second half and did a good job of limiting their restart attempts, but they made two fantastic highlight shots from distance.”
Pennsbury finished the season with a 9-9-1 overall record.
Lower Merion will host the Unionville-Norristown winner in the second round on Thursday.
Pennsbury 0 0 – 0
Lower Merion 1 2 – 3
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