Abington, Council Rock North & Central Bucks South were winners in Thursday’s second round of the District 1 4A Tournament. CR North/CB East photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f131331739
CLASS 4A
#12 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1, #5 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1 (2 OT, 5-4 PKs)
Ari Pollack stepped to the penalty mark knowing exactly what was at stake in Thursday’s win-or-go-home district contest. Convert the kick, and the Indians win. Miss and a dreaded second round of PKs begins.
The senior captain did not miss;
“Oh my god, everyone dreams of moments like that,” Pollack said. “I was scared, but I knew I was going to get the job done for my team.”
Pollack’s PK brought to a dramatic end a grueling game neither team deserved to lose.
“We were all dead after the two 15-minute periods of overtime – we just wanted to go home, but we had to finish the job first and we did that,” Pollack said. “This is why we all love the sport.”
Thursday’s second round game pitting the SOL Patriot Division champion Indians against the SOL Colonial Division champion Patriots was a rematch of an SOL crossover game 22 days earlier between the two teams – that one a 2-0 CB East win.
“We just wanted it more than them this time,” Pollack said. “Last time, it was on our grass mid-season. We didn’t want it that bad. This time we needed to redeem ourselves, and we did that very well. Every single player on our team played with heart.”
Rock North goalkeeper Cal Hopkins saved the day not once but twice for the Indians, turning away an East penalty kick in the second half of regulation with his team clinging to a 1-0 lead and then stonewalling one of the Patriots’ PKs.
“Amazing, amazing,” Pollack said. “We were all screaming after he saved that – we were just hyped.”
“It was an excellent game by both teams,” Rock North assistant coach Brian Hoffman said. “This is one
of the only teams that beat us earlier in the season. We knew that they’re a very, very good side. That being said, I think we learned a lot from that first game, which helped us be better prepared for this game, and we executed well.”
The Indians got on the scoreboard 15 minutes into the game. “
“It was a throw-in from Michael Pinho to Logan Adams,” Hoffman said. “It was just flicked on to the far post. The goaltender didn’t even move. I don’t know if he saw it or he was screened or what.
“We had applied a good amount of pressure leading up to that goal. At that point, East responded, and I’d say for a decent portion of the game it was pretty close to 50-50 if not East having a little bit more of the ball and possession.”
With 15 minutes remaining in regulation, Hopkins came up with the crucial save on the penalty kick, and then, with just five minutes separating the Indians from a win in regulation, the Patriots scored the equalizer.
“It’s really hard not to put your head down in those situations, but we knew what was at stake,” Pollack said. “Everyone was screaming – ‘Let’s go, let’s go.’ We just wanted it, and we knew that goals like that happen, and we just stood up.”
“We didn’t clear a ball out very well – it pinged around the box,” Hoffman said of the equalizer. “From that point forward, there were opportunities for both teams – both restarts and in the run of play, but it ended up going to overtime.
“A lot of balls over the top from us, we’re trying to run onto them. A lot of balls crossed in from their team. We have different styles of play, but again, it was the immovable object versus the unstoppable force.”
In the first round of PKs, the Indians buried all five of theirs, and Hopkins came up with a save on East’s third PK, setting the stage for Pollack converting the fifth one to give the Indians the win.
“It was electric, to say the least,” Pollack said. “We all knew it could have been our last soccer game ever.
“We were scared, but everyone came out and did their jobs. It was amazing.”
Connecting on PKs for the Indians were Logan Adams, Jack Randolph, James Reynolds, Landon Lentz and Pollack – in that order.
Hoffman praised the defensive effort of Michael Pinho.
“He took out their kid who has got to be one of the best offensive players we saw all season long – Michael Montabana,” the Indians’ coach said. “He is an outstanding player, and Michael Pinho, for the most part, kept him under wraps. He had a couple runs here and there but nothing that was truly dangerous coming at our goal.
“They’re a great team at basically flicking balls on for deeper runners, so having our midfielders track guys was really valuable, and they did well.”
After 110 minutes of soccer and a set of five PKs, both teams were out of gas.
“Both teams had multiple guys cramping up,” Hoffman said. “It’s a lot of soccer when you go the 80 minutes and then the 30 more minutes of overtime.
“I know you have to end it somehow that is not necessarily in regular soccer play, but it stinks for the team that loses. Cal Hopkins played a fantastic game, and to me that made a huge difference. I always think the team that has the goaltender that’s in good form has the best shot.”
Council Rock North (15-2-2, 12-2-2 SOL) will travel to #4 Downingtown East for a quarterfinal game on Saturday at 11 a.m. Central Bucks East closed its successful season with a 17-1-1 record. The Patriots were 15-0-1 on their way to winning the SOL Colonials Division crown.
Council Rock North 1-0-0-0 1
Central Bucks East 0-1-0-0 1
#14 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1, #3 WEST CHESTER HENDERSON 0
WC Henderson brought an impressive resume into Thursday’s second round game. The Warriors were a perfect 12-0 on their way to the Ches-Mont title, and they were 17-1 overall. They might not have been all that concerned about facing the 14th-seeded Titans, but if they weren’t, they should have been.
The Titans – thanks to a goal by Nate MacLeod late in regulation – pulled off the upset of the second round, edging the third-seeded Warriors and sending them home for the season.
“For a team that was really not supposed to win last night, we were actually pretty confident because we really prepared for the game, and we went in with the right mindset, working hard and doing whatever it takes to win,” MacLeod said. “We’re just together. This is the closest group of guys that I’ve been with in my past four years at South. That’s what keeps us going, and that’s what makes us feel good when we beat teams like Henderson. There was a lot of music for the hour ride home.”
Listening to their coach tell it, the Titans couldn’t have played any better than they did in Thursday’s win.
“The boys played perfectly tonight,” South coach Kyle Pettican said. “We knew going into it that Henderson was expected to win.
“Going away to the #3 seed is not easy. Especially when they have had plenty of rest leading up to this one and have only lost one game all year, plus it was Conestoga so it’s to be expected.”
Conestoga defeated Henderson 5-0, but that was on Aug. 31, and the Warriors reeled off 14 straight wins since then.
“Everyone stuck to the game plan and dominated their player,” Pettican said. “I think we dominated the first half comfortably but couldn’t break through. It was 0-0 at the half and allowed (Henderson) to talk and regroup. I could tell they were frustrated.
“They started getting into the game in the second half but it was equal all around. Again, nothing special was done, players just did their jobs.”
With six minutes remaining, MacLeod buried the game-winner.
“Nate MacLeod found himself on the edge of the box and decided to go for one that flew straight over the keeper,” Pettican said. “We held on and that was that. Again, nothing special, just good hard work. Teammates off the field even did their jobs supporting their teammates.”
“They were coming at us hard after we scored,” MacLeod said. “They had a bunch of throw-ins. It was just about working harder than the other team and getting the ball on the other side of the field away from our goal.”
Keeping the Warriors off the scoreboard for just the second game this season was the Titans’ lockdown defense comprised of Patrick VanLuvanee, Connor Victor, Andrew Sherstnyov, Evan Rumford and Sean Clevenstine.
“You just have to be better than the guy that’s aside of you on the ball,” MacLeod said. “If you’re better than your man, then you can win any game.”
Another big challenge awaits the Titans in Saturday’s quarterfinal round when they travel to sixth-seeded Abington.
“We are happy to beat a team of Henderson’s quality but now we possibly have an even bigger challenge in Abington,” Pettican said. “It’s going to be tough.”
Central Bucks South (15-3-2, 11-3-2 SOL) will travel to #6 Abington for Saturday’s quarterfinal game at 11 a.m.
“We just have to go to Abington with the right mindset again and just want to win more than they do because whoever wants to win more usually ends up on the right side of the scoreboard,” MacLeod said.
Central Bucks South 0-1 1
WC Henderson 0-0 0
#6 ABINGTON 2, #11 HARRITON 1
The Ghosts capitalized on a pair of restarts to score a pair of goals, rallying from a 1-0 deficit to earn the 2-1 win.
“I’ll tell you what – we played a good team today,” Abington coach Randy Garber said. “The game was fairly physical.
“We knew that them coming to us – they would not like our field. They are a turf field team that knocks passes around, and they couldn’t do that on our field because it was small, it was grass, it had that dew on it. It was just not something they were used to a little bit because they played a lot of first-time balls, they played a lot of long balls. We watched them on film, and they’re a turf team. They’re used to connecting passes and pretty much having their own way, and we just didn’t allow that.”
Harriton took a 1-0 lead midway through the first half.
“We were putting the pressure on, putting the pressure on, and they come down – they have some very clever players and good players, and we knew that,” Garber said. “They put a combination on the left side and got behind our defense, took a shot, it caromed off our goalkeeper, and then went in the back of the net, and it was 1-0 them.
“It was one of those situations where we’re pounding, pounding, pounding and not scoring, and they come down once, and it was in the back of the net. The only thing that saved us – we put pressure right back on them, and within five minutes, Braeden Delgado scored a goal on a restart from 18 yards out. It went back and forth a little bit – both teams were playing first-time balls, not a lot of connecting of passes.”
The two teams went into halftime deadlocked 1-1.
“The second half was very physical again,” Garber said. “Neither team had a bunch of chances at all. We talked about it at halftime – getting restarts. I don’t care if it’s a throw-in, I don’t care if it’s a corner kick.
“We get fouled about 19 yards out on the right-hand side. On the restart, Oscar Hoffman hit a cracker low that the goalkeeper never saw with 15 minutes to go in the game.”
That turned out to be the game-winner.
When it was over, the Ghosts’ coach credited the efforts of several players.
“Daniel Oliveira played a good game,” Garber said. “Jose Rosario-Martinez was outstanding in the back.
“Brandon Escobar, our right back, did a nice job on their left side because their left side was very good. Peter Cleary was strong on defense, strong in the air. Our regulars (Braeden) Brownholtz, Delgado, and our forwards (Brian) O’Neill and Brady Hartman held the offense together.”
Garber also had high praise for Harriton.
“They were a very, very good team – probably one of the best teams we played this year,” Garber said. “You play all season to get the home field advantage, and that was the difference.
“The craziness was that CB South knocked off the number three team, so guess what? We play South at our place. We get an 11 o’clock home at Abington. That’s a double plus.”
Abington (18-2, 15-1 SOL) will host #14 Central Bucks South in a district quarterfinal game on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Harriton 1-0 1
Abington 1-1 2
#8 LOWER MERION 2, #9 UPPER DUBLIN 1
Not a whole lot separated the eighth-seeded Aces and the ninth-seeded Flying Cardinals, but it was the Aces rallying from an early 1-0 deficit to earn the win.
“I’m really proud of my guys,” UD coach Noah Johnson said. “We did a lot better than what we expected and hoped for this season.”
The Cardinals took an early 1-0 lead, capitalizing on a corner with Kaleb Abebe connecting with Riley McLaughlin, who found the back of the net.
Shortly thereafter, the Cardinals suffered a setback.
“Campbell Heckler, one of my top players, suffered a severe injury that made him unable to continue playing, and that hurt us bigtime, just having that stability – he’s one of our captains and leaders in the midfield,” Johnson said. “Hats off to Campbell for trying to push through it and play on it. He only survived 12 minutes, and he came off immediately. He just could not go on anymore. I appreciate his contributions to the team for the past four years that he’s been with us.
“After that, unlucky for us – we got a questionable call on the 18. Not taking anything away from the kid that took the shot, an amazing shot. He bent the ball around the wall to the back post past Gabe Copley, and that’s something hard to do with Gabe being 6-6. Hats off to that kid. It was definitely an amazing goal.”
In the final 10 minutes of the first half, the Aces scored a goal to go on to 2-1.
“it’s hot and I’m trying to get the boys some subs,” Johnson said. “I put one of my guys in, and his first touch, unfortunately, was a big moment to where he just needed to knock the ball back into the box off of our corner. He took a touch and accidentally passed the ball to the other team, and they went on a breakaway and scored. After that, Lower Merion parked the bus and did not try to do anything else whatsoever. We had some opportunities, we just were unlucky.”
The UD coach paid tribute to his squad.
“I’m really proud of their maturity as a team to be able to come together, identify our strengths and identify our weaknesses and say, ‘Hey, this is not what we’re good at, but we’re going to fight 10 times harder because we’re not good at these things.’
“I want to thank all of my seniors. I am going to miss them dearly. They are my last group of boys that I started my career with just as a youth soccer coach. I’ll definitely be cheering them on at the collegiate level as well. We’ll try again next year. Eventually, we’ll figure it out and get through.”
Upper Dublin closed out its season with a 16-4 record (14-2 SOL).
Upper Dublin 1-0 1
Lower Merion 2-0 2
#4 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 1, #20 NORTH PENN 0
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