Lower Moreland came up just short in its bid for a District 1 3A title, and Abington advanced to Saturday’s District 1 4A title game. Lower Moreland/Harriton photos provided courtesy of Michael Rice Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BOYS’ SOCCER GALLERIES.
District 1 3A championship game
#1 HARRITON 2, #3 LOWER MORELAND 1
On a chilly night in late October, the Lower Moreland boys’ soccer team saw a season for the program record books come to an end. The Lions didn’t go down easily in Wednesday night’s District 1 3A title game, giving
the top-seeded Rams all they could handle before falling 2-1 in front of a spirited crowd at Upper Merion’s Viking Stadium.
“It’s very disappointing, honestly,” said Nathan Fellah, a senior captain. “We had a great season, and I’m really proud of all my guys, but it’s unfortunate to not be going (to states).”
While there was no mistaking the disappointment after coming up just short in a bid for the district crown and resulting state berth, LM coach Bob Barnhart was able to put his team’s extraordinary accomplishments into perspective.
“I said to them in the huddle at the end – ‘At the beginning of the season, in my wildest dreams, I didn’t think we would be standing on the 3A final field,’” the Lions’ coach said. “They got a lot of grit – this group.”
That grit was apparent after the Rams – on the game’s first corner – scored a goal in the seventh minute. The Lions never hung their heads, never flinched. They just worked harder, and if things looked hopeless when the Rams – thanks to a goal by Matias Hernandez – went on top 2-0 with just over 11 minutes remaining, no one told the Lions, who played with a renewed sense of urgency. With 3:45 remaining in regulation, the Lions cut the Rams’ lead in half when Lian Fellah scored after a direct kick.
The Lions continued to pressure as the scoreboard clock wound down, but they could not connect on the equalizer.
“I just give them a lot of credit,” Barnhart said of his players. “I’ve been coaching almost 10 years, and there
are teams going down 1-0 at the beginning of the game – they would have folded up. The fact that they were in the game until the very end – it’s a credit to the senior leadership, it’s a credit to the coaching staff, it’s a credit to the community.
“We’re a small school. If you look population-wise at Harriton, West Chester Rustin and even Marple Newtown – we’re going against schools that are almost double our size. They’re usually 4A, so the fact that we’re able to hang with them is a credit to the kids, their soccer IQ and their work ethic.”
While there’s no mistaking the talent of this year’s LM squad, the success they’ve experienced has as much to do with the team’s chemistry as anything else.
“I feel like we played for each other so much,” Nathan Fellah said. “We created a bond since freshman year. We had a big group of seven or eight seniors – we grew up with each other, and that just really created the chemistry on the field and off the field, which pushed us this far.”
The Lions came up just short on the scoreboard in the District 1 Class 3A title game, but that was the only place this year’s Lower Moreland squad came up short.
Scoring summary
First half
Chetan Rowe (H), 7th minute
Second half
Matias Hernandez (H) 68th minute
Lian Fellah (LM) 76th minute
Lower Moreland coach Bob Barnhart:
–On the game: “I think a different field, a different night – it’s a different game maybe, but we hung with them. I’m extremely proud of this group and what they were able to accomplish.
“I said to my assistant coach towards the end of the game – getting some of the younger kids experience at this level in this atmosphere is going to be valuable as we move forward.”
Lower Moreland senior Nathan Fellah:
–On battling back: “We have gone down a couple times this year, and we never back down. For me personally, I didn’t feel as though we were down a lot. We still had the momentum and the energy to bring up one more, which we ended up scoring. It was just too late. I don’t think (falling behind early) really affected us much as a team. It’s just unfortunate it ended like this.”
That’s a wrap: Lower Moreland closed out its successful season with a 14-4-2 record and sole possession of the SOL Freedom Division crown.
Lower Moreland 0-1 1
Harriton 1-1 2
District 1 4A semifinal
#7 ABINGTON 2, #6 SPRINGFIELD TWP 1
Abington is heading back to the District 1 4A final for the second time in three years. The Ghosts fell to top-seeded Conestoga 3-1 in 2023, and they will have an opportunity to erase memories of that loss when they face third-seeded Haverford in Saturday’s district final.
The Ghosts won Wednesday’s semifinal at Springfield Twp on an own goal that broke a 1-1 halftime tie. In the first half, Zach Yurchyshyn put the Ghosts on the scoreboard, but Harry Bates converted a penalty kick into a goal, and the two teams were deadlocked.
Ask Garber the key to success for this year’s squad, and he has immediate response.
“it’s a tight-knit group, and they like each other,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “They’re very fond of each other, they get along, and you can tell that when they’re on the field. It’s a very, very tight-knit group, and they just gel together.
“We get a lot of bodies in the games. We don’t just play 10-11 – we get 15, 16, 18 guys in the game, so we’re subbing quite a bit. They’re just working hard and just hungry for the results.”
Garber also credited the team’s parent association for its support of the players.
“They really support these kids, and that makes a big difference,” the Abington coach said.
Saturday’s title game is a rematch of the first game of the regular season. The Fords won that one 2-1 in overtime in a contest the Ghosts were winning until 1:12 remained in regulation when Haverford scored on a free kick.
Abington will have a chance to avenge that loss in Saturday’s title game on the big stage.
Scoring summary
First half
Zach Yurchyshyn (A) from Jaza Vazquez, 8th minute
Harry Bates (S) Penalty kick, 12th minute
Second half
Own goal (Abington)
Abington coach Randy Garber:
–On the game: “In the eighth minute, Jaza sent a ball across on the floor, and Zach ended up putting it in. They came down, and within the next five minutes, maybe less, they get a PK called, and Harry Bates ended up scoring that to make it 1-1, and that stood at halftime.
“The second half we were just all over them. We missed chance after chance after chance, and finally, the goal we ended up scoring was an own goal. We scored another goal on a long throw-in, but the referees said no one touched the ball. It got redirected. It wasn’t on a straight line. They called the goal back with less than 10 minutes.”
–The game-winner: “With about eight minutes to go in the game, Jaza beat three guys and just knocked the ball across. It hit a defender and just trickled in the back of the net. The goalkeeper went where the ball should have gone, but a defender touched the ball in the back of the net. Their goalkeeper kept them in the game. He was unbelievable, he did a fabulous job.”
–Props: “George (Hooven) in goal – they had a direct kick about 25 yards out with less than two minutes to go. It got redirected, and somehow some way, he saved the ball, and Kyle Kretschman took a ball off the goal line late in the game as well. Sean Westmoreland and Owen Gesing ran the midfield and just ran all over the place.”
Up next: Abington will face third-seeded Haverford in Saturday’s District 1 4A title game at Haverford at 3 pm. The Fords upset top-seeded WC Henderson in the other semifinal, winning 3-2 in penalty kicks after battling to a scoreless tie after regulation and two overtime periods.
Abington 1-1 2
Springfield Twp 1-0 1
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