CB East, CB South and Pennridge advanced to Saturday’s District One 4A quarterfinals. Pennridge/UD photos provided courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos. All SOS photo galleries for BOYS’ SOCCER can be viewed by clicking HERE.
#13 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1, #4 ABINGTON 0
A goal by Joey Roth and a heroic effort in goal by Dan Marino added up to the biggest win of the season for the visiting Patriots, who edged the Ghosts for the second time this season. In the season opener for both squads, East edged Abington 3-2 in overtime.
“I’m over the moon – I’m just so proud of the guys,” CB East coach Josh Isaacsohn said. “Having done it our first game of the year and knowing coach Randy (Garber’s) style, I felt confident if we imposed our game plan on them.
“I’m just thrilled. I believe that this team and this group of kids really deserves a chance of going in states. They put in the work, and they deserve it. Hats off to Randy and their organization, but I’m just unbelievably thrilled, proud, everything I could possibly be with the guys that are in front of me at East.
“Tiny little details and the small little things matter. One slip on the field, one mishit – it’s a razor thin margin between winning and losing. It makes it stressful, but it makes it a ton of fun as well.”
It was a disappointing ending for the Ghosts, who are anchored by their captains – Liam Hartman, Drew Paxson, Luke O’Donnell and Kevin Kretschman.
“My four senior captains are heartbroken,” Garber said. “They were so heartbroken because they didn’t expect it to end this way. You go in the locker room, and it’s like ‘Hey guys, I don’t have a speech for this one.’
“We weren’t supposed to lose, but all you can tell the seniors – they’re all going to play somewhere in college, so bigger and better things are ahead of them. I never had four captains, but these guys deserve it. The four of them played the whole entire year and won the league outright, and I said, ‘Hey, you have a trophy at the banquet you can celebrate.’ It wasn’t the way we wanted it to end up, but that’s the beauty of the game.”
As for the game itself, it was the visiting Patriots who had the early advantage.
“We came out the first half – I thought both teams played really well,” Isaacsohn said. “Coach Randy Garber and Matt Sirolli have their guys really organized.
“We discussed our game plan – we had a very specific game plan against them knowing them like we do and knowing the field at Abington because their grass field can be a challenge, but honestly, it can be a challenge both ways.”
Seventeen minutes into the opening half, Roth connected on a goal that stood as the game-winner, using a Mike Montabana assist.
“We had a throw-in, and our forward, Mike Montabana, flicked it on, and our outside midfielder Joey Roth scored with a head ball,” Isaacsohn said. “He hadn’t scored for a while, so it was good to get him off the schneid.
“Abington really put a full-court press on. We were definitely nervous. They were all over us, but again, our defense just played absolutely phenomenal, and as much as I would say the whole team was player of the game – our goalkeeper Dan Marino was incredible.”
Marino spent the season alternating with another goalie, but he had the hot hand in the Patriots’ 1-0 win over archrival Central Bucks West in a hard-fought 1-0 win in Tuesday’s opener.
“We’ve had two very, very strong goalkeepers all year, Dan being one of them,” Isaacsohn said. “Honestly, throughout the season, we went every other game. It kept both boys really healthy and doing well.
“Dan has kind of caught fire. He played solid all year, but he had a really good game against (Central Bucks) West. That position can be so challenging because nothing happens for a while, then all of a sudden, you’re the most important person on the field. He came up big a couple times against West, and he was just very aggressive. He came off his line, talks a lot in the back, and he just absolutely held it down. Nothing was going to get by him tonight, and he had a great attitude. I’m just incredibly proud of him.”
Garber had high praise for East’s junior keeper as well.
“Their kids won a lot of balls in the air, and their goalkeeper was absolutely outstanding,” the Ghosts’ coach said of Marino. “He absolutely stood on his head. They disrupted everything we threw at them as far as all the restarts. We kind of played into their hands because we just threw everything in the air, and if their goalkeeper didn’t get it, the defense headed it out, and they didn’t care where they kicked the ball, they were just keeping it out of the goal. It wasn’t by any means pretty soccer, but for them, it worked. It absolutely worked.
“They played a better first half than we did. I think we were in their half three quarters of the second half. They might have maybe one shot on goal that Kevin (Kretschman) had to save. We had corner kicks, we had throw-ins. It was one of those nights the ball wasn’t going in the back of the net.”
Isaacsohn also lauded the play of one of the game’s unsung heroes.
“I have to give major props to Andrew Walloff,” the Patriots’ coach said. “They have two very creative, fast, elusive guys up top, and Andrew kept one or both of them in check a lot of the game. He’s just casually really strong in the air and just does a great job.”
Garber also had high praise for the efforts of one of his players.
“Luke O’Donnell had an outstanding game,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “He had a very good game.”
East if one of three SOL Colonial teams still standing in the field of just eight.
“It’s interesting because as all of us coaches speak – we’re not totally surprised because absolutely feel we have the toughest division,” Isaacsohn said. “Almost every game out of 18 is a playoff game, so we’re very prepared. We just go at each other all season. Kind of the shame of it is when it comes down to this – for instance, us playing CB West in round one or even possibly playing another (Colonial) team for a playback. It’s a shame we have to play each other for a third time, but I think it just speaks to our league and how absolutely strong it is and how great of coaches we have too.”
As a result of the win, the Patriots are guaranteed at least two more games while the Ghosts see their successful season end. They are the SOL Liberty Division champions and closed their season with a 15-3-1 record overall (14-1-1 SOL).
Two of the Ghosts’ three losses are at the hands of the Patriots.
“We’re 0-for-2,” Garber said. “The first game we played (East) we were up 2-0, and they came back and beat us in overtime, 3-2. They stole the game from us.
“What high school players don’t understand – it doesn’t matter where you’re seeded in the tournament. It’s who comes to play. East had nothing to lose. I didn’t even know what they were seeded, but I knew they had a great schedule. They played tough teams all year long. It was just one of those things.
“They got a restart, the ball went into the back of the net, and they held onto it. They played good solid defense, won a lot of balls and disrupted everything we tried to do, and you know what – it worked. You can have all the possession you want in the world, but if you can’t put the ball in the back of the net, you’re not going to win. In an 80-minute game, you could have 60 or 70 minutes of possession and still lose the game. You don’t get any points for it. If we would have scored a goal and evened it up, obviously, we would have had the advantage and the momentum to try and steal the game from them, but their goalkeeper did a fine job of just finding the ball. It was just their night.”
Central Bucks East (13-5-2, 10-4-2 SOL) will travel to #5 West Chester Henderson for a quarterfinal game on Saturday (5pm).
Central Bucks East 1-0 1
Abington 0-0 0
#11 PENNRIDGE 2, #6 UPPER DUBLIN 0
Pete Valimont can exhale just a bit after his Rams kept their season alive with a shutout win, advancing to the district quarterfinals and ensuring themselves at least two more games.
“Love these kids,” the Pennridge coach said. “We’re good for two more games. I’m (darn) proud of them. The seniors are fantastic.
“Upper Dublin is a very good team – they had a great season, but to be honest, the experience our senior class has had – this is their 13th district playoff game. Especially for CJ (Dimmick) and
Shane (Velez), they played in a district final, they played in a state playback, so they were ready for the moment. We had a very specific game plan. They stuck to it. We knew that set pieces could be a thing for us, and at the end of the day, we finished two of them.”
The Rams scored both of their goals on corners, breaking a scoreless tie with a goal by Tommy McKinney seven minutes into the second half.
“Troy Thanel hit a great corner in the box, and Tommy McKinney was due,” Valimont said. “We’ve been joking with him in practice – he puts them in at practice, but he just misses every now and then in a game, but he buried it, no doubt about it, so that was a huge moment for him. I’m so proud of him with all his effort – he never comes off the field.”
With 12:06 remaining in regulation, the Rams added an insurance goal
“Quinn Annan hit a great corner in, Tommy McKinney was able to put it back across, and there was a little bit of a scrum and Luca Angello was able to get the last touch on it to sneak it in by the keeper, and we had 12 minutes to shut it down,” Valimont said. “Every coach is going to park the bus. We locked it down. We did a great job defensively.”
The Rams’ coach credited his veteran goalie for keeping the Cardinals off the board.
“I can’t thank and can’t say enough about CJ Dimmick,” Valimont said. “The kid stood on his head for a couple of plays in the
second half. They had a couple of really close ones that went wide – that happens. It happened to us at CB South. CJ did a fantastic job, and our guys just saw it out.”
Valimont’s praise didn’t begin and end with his keeper.
“Shane (Velez) was fantastic – he’s all over the middle of the pitch, moving him up, moving him back and moving him up again,” Valimont said. “He did a fantastic job, he helps lock it down there.
“Jared Hess was superb up top, and then you have Pat Fannon doing his thing in the middle. We’re screaming at him, then we’re hugging him. He’s doing everything we want him to do. Our outside guys – Andrew Parlee had a quiet night, but he did exactly what he needed to do. The same with Jhoa Hernandez, the same with Roman Arcade. It was a good night, it was a very good night. I’m very proud of these guys. They get to live on and play another two games. We’re going to Downingtown East on Saturday. They’ve earned this right, and we’re very excited for the opportunity.”
While the Rams celebrated, the Flying Cardinals were left to deal with the reality that a special season had ended.
“We just didn’t put the ball in the back of the net,” UD coach Noah Johnson said. “We could blame other people, but really, we’re to blame. When you have five opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net, and all five of those opportunities go wide or go over the top of the net, there’s really nothing else you can do.
“You can’t point fingers at anyone else. It’s on us, but we definitely completed our goal for the year. It was nice to see a lot of students 
coming out to the games this year, so hopefully, that keeps rolling.”
The Flying Cardinals’ coach bids farewell to 16 seniors, and this was more than just the end of a soccer season. It was the end of an era.
“I’m okay for right now, but I know later it’s probably going to hit me, and it’s going to hurt really bad,” Johnson said. “I’m really sad. For me, this was more than just playoffs. It’s my boys’ last year. All the seniors – I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of their lives for the past five years on the club side of everything.
“Watching them grow up from seventh grade all the way up to becoming young men, it was definitely awesome being part of their journey. Watching the boys cry – it really hurt. I’m supposed to be your older brother protecting you guys, and in this moment, I can’t protect you. All I can do is love on you.”
Upper Dublin closed out its season with a 15-3-2 record, 12-2-2 in the SOL. Pennridge (15-5, 11-5) will travel to #3 Downingtown East on Saturday for an 11am contest.
Pennridge 0-2 2
Upper Dublin 0-0 0
#8 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1, #9 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 0
Colin O’Hara scored a second-half goal, and that’s all the Titans would need to eke out the win in Thursday’s second round district contest.
“The game was extremely even,” South coach Kyle Pettican said. “One of the most even games we have played this season.
“Both teams had their share of possession. I would say we probably had the edge the first 20 minutes, creating more chances. Then they had the edge in the second 20. There wasn’t much to split either team. Even at the break, we adjusted slightly and came out with energy in the second half.”
O’Hara, according to the Titans’ coach, scored the game-winner by winning a 1v1 battle with the goalkeeper.
“With 20 minutes left West came at us hard,” Pettican said. “They moved the ball very well. They had a few nail-biting chances but just couldn’t put it away. Our team locked up very tight and did well keeping the shutout.
“Now we have a huge task ahead of us. But you cannot be afraid to face the best. Sooner or later, you have to, and we are excited for the challenge.”
Central Bucks South (14-4-2, 11-3-2 SOL) will travel to Lower Merion for a battle against the top-seeded Aces on Saturday (11am).
Downingtown West 0-0 0
Central Bucks South 0-1 1
#19 SPRING-FORD 1, #26 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 (OT)
The Golden Hawks – looking anything but the part of the tournament’s 26th seed – had the better of play for the majority of Thursday’s contest, but the Rams scored a goal on a set piece, stunning the Hawks and bringing their season to a heartbreaking end.
“This was a really tough loss,” Rock South coach Alan Nicholl said. “Spring-Ford started well, but we dominated after the 15-minute mark.
“We had our foot on the gas, won the physical battles and dictated the tempo throughout. It was as dominant as we’ve been all year, and yet a really bad set piece goal against the run of play beats us 10 minutes into the first overtime.”
Despite the disappointing outcome, the Golden Hawks’ coach had nothing but praise for the performance of his squad.
“I love how they rolled with the 26 seed but played with the confidence and swagger of a one,” Nicholl said. “It says a lot about their personality, their desire, their professionalism. They were a truly amazing group to coach.”
The Golden Hawks’ coach tipped his hat to seniors Colin Conway, Andrew Lindros, Alex Lose, Tyler Dobson and Tyler Derby.
“They have left one heck of an imprint on this program,” Nicholl said. “As a 19 seed last year and a 26 seed this year, they continually defied the odds and played like champions.”
The Hawks’ coach offered his thoughts on the power rankings.
“We certainly didn’t look like the 26 seed, and it makes me question the validity of the power rankings, if I’m being honest,” Nicholl said. “If Spring-Ford is 10 and Rustin is 7 (a team Rock South defeated 3-1 on Tuesday), then how on earth are we a 26?”
Council Rock South (9-6-1 SOL) closed out its season with a 10-8-1 record overall.
Council Rock South 0-0-0 0
Spring-Ford 0-0-1 1
#5 WC HENDERSON 3, #21 PENNSBURY 1
The visiting Falcons battled the Warriors to a scoreless halftime tie, and they were in Thursday’s second round game to the very end but came up just short.
For the Falcons, advancing to the second round of districts would have seemed like an unrealistic goal when they were in midst of a five-game losing streak in the second half of the season, but they rallied to win their last four regular season games to earn a district berth.
“Tonight was pretty much a one-goal game,” Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart said. “We talked about in the middle of the season when we were losing some games that there’s a difference between losing and being defeated.
“I thought that was the difference between this season and last season is that we really never let ourselves be defeated right up to the end. We took some knocks along the way. We return a lot of players, but our seven seniors did such an excellent job this year, showing what it is to be a senior and stepping up and taking ownership of the team, so I was really proud of them. I think they’re ready to move on, and that’s pretty much all you can ask for as a coach when the boys mature into those roles. They were fantastic – all seven of them. I was pretty impressed with all of them.”
After a scoreless first half, the Warriors got on the board in the 55th minute.
“Both teams had a couple of opportunities here and there,” Stoddart said. “West Chester Henderson scored on a real fluky goal – the kid got loose, and in all honesty, he was probably trying to hit a cross that caught up in the air and just beat Henrik Boekamp on the back post.
“That put them up 1-0, but I thought we did a decent job of settling in.”
Five minutes later, the Falcons evened the score on a goal by Diego Murillo.
“We had a restart at midfield – Henrik actually came up and knocked the ball into the box,” Stoddart said. “Josh Rodriguez brought it down and knocked it back across, and Diego Murillo headed it in, so we got ourselves even.”
Eight minutes later, the Warriors found the net to go on top 2-1.
“The ball got loose in the box, Henrik (Boekemp) made a great save, and they had a player just standing on the far post – I don’t know how he’s not offsides, but the referee let him play on, and he was able to knock in an empty netter there.”
The Falcons pressed forward and had some opportunities, and it was a one-goal game until the Warriors added a goal with 10 seconds remaining in regulation.
Pennsbury closed out its season with a 10-8-1 record, 9-6-1 in the SOL.
Pennsbury 0-1 1
WC Henderson 0-3 3
#2 CONESTOGA 2, #15 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
The Pioneers got on the scoreboard early and opened up a 2-0 halftime lead. The Indians played them even in the second half but never could find the net against the defending PIAA 4A state champions.
“They had a penalty kick in the first 10 minutes on supposedly a handball that none of us ever saw, but we tell our kids – you have to play through that,” Rock North coach Joe Stackhouse said. “Then they got a goal on a corner kick with about five minutes left in the half.
“We went toe-to-toe in the second half and outshot them 7-2. We played a much better second half. We did admirably the second half. You’re playing the defending state champs and possibly again the state champs.”
The Indians’ coach credited the efforts of several players.
“Nicky Wise played really well,” Stackhouse said. “He had a chance – if he’d headed it to the opposite side of the net, it could have been 2-1 at the beginning of the second half.
“Tanmay Ondkar got decked by their goalie in the box – 1-on-1 with the goalie. He came out to try and strip him and took him down, never got the ball, and we got nothing. Tanmay played really well, Chase McCaffrey played really well, and probably our best player today was Ari Pollack.”
Council Rock North (10-4-2 SOL) closed out its season with a 13-5-2 record.
“We would have liked to have gone a little further in this one,” Stackhouse said. “I said to the boys before the game – ‘Hey, you win today, you’re guaranteed at least two more.’”
It didn’t happen, but it was a good season for an Indian squad that captured the SOL Patriot Division title and returns a promising core of young players next year.
Council Rock North 0-0 0
Conestoga 2-0 0
#1 LOWER MERION 3, #17 HATBORO-HORSHAM 1
The Hatters could not buy a break.
They were already without senior Jake Freedman (injury) for Friday’s road game against the district’s top-ranked team, and then 25 seconds into the contest, they lost standout senior goalie Noah Schlosser to an injury.
“We had some real unfortunate circumstances,” HH coach Kyle McGrath said. “All the guys who played put an effort in they should be very proud of.
“We knew we were missing Jake Freedman going into the game. He got hurt against Owen J Roberts. He’s been our leader all year – he’s a four-year starter.
“And then 25 seconds into the game on Lower Merion’s first goal, our goalkeeper Noah Schlosser got injured, so obviously, we were up against it right away, going down 1-0 and then losing Noah, who’s also a four-year starter.”
The Aces scored again in the fourth minute to go on top 2-0.
“You never want to go down 1-0 that early, but to go down 2-0 – there was a moment where my assistant and I thought it could unravel quickly,” McGrath said. “It’s not ideal to go down 2-0 to one of the best teams in the district if not the state, but the guys battled after that and kept it at 2-0 until halftime.
“We were going to have the wind in the second half, so it was a little bit of an advantage for us. We just talked about competing and keep working hard, and they did that. Finally, after 15 or 18 minutes of pressure to open the second half, we were awarded with a goal in the 65th minute. Paul Guevara played a great free kick into the box, and Tony Kuhner was able to head it into the far post past the goalkeeper, which obviously gave us a bunch of energy.”
The Hatters continued to press but could not find the equalizer, and the Aces sealed their fate when West Virginia commit Sammy Nyenka converted a penalty kick with two-and-a-half minutes remaining.
“Jeff (Matullo) got a hand on it but just wasn’t able to keep it out,” McGrath said of the penalty kick. “I have to give a ton of credit to Jeff, obviously not expecting to play today and coming in cold. After the second goal, he really gave us an opportunity to play well and get a result.
“Obviously, with Jake being out and Noah going out, a lot of guys stepped up. Overall, as a group, the effort was just great. Jacob Kim, Matt Wingen and Paul Guevera did a real good job on their key forwards to limit their chances. Unfortunately, we just came up a little bit short against a real good team today, but I’m super proud of the boys.”
McGrath bids farewell to 21 seniors.
“Obviously, graduating 21 seniors is a lot, but they have a lot to be proud of and should keep their heads high after playing with a very good team for 80 minutes,” the Hatters’ coach said. “This class freshman year started with 31 – we called up five, kept 26 on the freshman team, and throughout the years, 21 of them have remained. Obviously, it was a difficult day to see their high school careers come to an end, but they’ve been nothing but great the last four years. I’m super proud of them and everything they accomplished.”
Hatboro-Horsham (11-5 SOL) closed out its season with a 13-7 record.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-1 1
Lower Merion 2-1 3
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