Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Thursday. CB West/CB East photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery.
SOL Liberty
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3, Abington 0
Kevin Shi scored in the first half, while Willy Schildt and Zach Kolsun put the game away in the second half, as PW knocked Abington from the ranks of the unbeaten with the upset win.
“We conceded an unlucky penalty in the first four minutes of the last two games, and we’ve had to play behind from an early point two games in a row.” said PW coach Richard Kessler. “Today, without having to play from a deficit we were able to do more of what we want tactically.
PW was just 5-11-1 a year ago, but Thursday’s win was a sign that things have turned around.
“If I had to pick something, it is the depth of the team and the program as a whole,” Kessler said of the turnaround. “We played every single player on our team in today’s game for meaningful minutes, including the backup (keeper) Dan Small, who was outstanding as well. Every player on our team has contributed this year in important moments.”
As for Thursday’s win, PW was just able to put it all together.
“Kevin Shi scored the first goal in the ninth minute,” Kessler said. “The game stayed tight and evenly matched throughout the first half ending 1-0. Willy Schildt added a second goal midway through the second half on a great solo run down the left side. Zach Kolsun put the third goal in around the 70th minute.
“Our goalkeeper played well, collecting most of the crosses they were sending. The back line all played very well – Dean Allen and Henry Couchara played the whole game at center back. David Harris and Lucas Gilbert played the majority of the game as fullbacks. I consider that a collectively earned clean sheet for the back four and the goalkeeper. Total team effort. It was a very fun game to watch. Loads of quality on both sides.”
Abington coach Randy Garber was impressed with the Colonials as well.
“They just worked harder, beat us to the ball and just outplayed us in every facet of the game,” Garber said. “They get high marks because they deserved it today.
“We talked about our guys playing as hard as they had against three good teams – Upper Dublin, Wissahickon and Hatboro-Horsham, and they probably looked at how PW was doing and figured we were at home on grass, and all we had to do was show up and play. They got skunked today. They really took it on the chin.
“It was one of those games, as a coach, you see the writing on the wall. We missed a breakaway in the first two minutes of the game – kid got behind, we hit it wide and missed the whole entire goal, and I said, ‘It’s going to be one of those games.’ It kept on going.
“PW’s goalkeeper – Zach Lefkowitz – got the player of the game. He was just absolutely brilliant.”
PW (2-2, 2-2 SOL) next hosts Wissahickon on Tuesday (3:45 p.m.), while Abington (3-1, 3-1 SOL) looks to bounce back at home against Quakertown Tuesday (4 p.m.).
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3, Abington 0
PW 1 2 – 3
Abington 0 0 – 0
Hatboro-Horsham 4, Quakertown 0
Tommy Harman and Enrico Romano scored first-half goals as Hatboro-Horsham rolled to the shutout win over Quakertown.
Nathan Scavo and Jake Weiss had the assists.
“The two goals in the first half were good team goals,” said H-H coach Kyle McGrath said. “My two forwards combined before Nathan put Tommy through, and Tommy slotted a ball past the goalkeeper, so that was a good combination play.
“The second goal in the first half was the same thing. Jake Weiss played a great little chip through ball for Enrico to run onto who finished it with composure, so those two goals were good combination play.”
In the second half, Weiss scored a goal of his own in the 66th minute, and Luke Howieson made it 4-0 off an assist from Jacob Guevara.
“My back four – Caleb Hudson, Ryan Toporowski, Jake Weiss, who got on the scoresheet and Paul Guevara – did a good job today of bouncing back after we gave up a few goals on Tuesday,” McGrath said of hits team’s 3-2 loss to Abington. “They were all solid today, limiting their opportunities.
“Quakertown started the game better than us. They kind of had possession and the territory advantage, and my backs clamped down and didn’t give up opportunities until we were able to get our footing.
“We’ve had some tough losses this year with our loss to (Wissahickon) coming late and the overtime loss to Abington with 30 seconds left, but the guys had a good practice (Wednesday), and they bounced back today in good way. Hopefully, we can keep that momentum going for next week.”
H-H (2-2, 2-2 SOL) hosts Upper Dublin on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.). Quakertown (0-5, 0-4 SOL) plays at Abington on Tuesday (4 p.m.).
Hatboro-Horsham 4, Quakertown 0
Hatboro-Horsham 2 2 – 4
Quakertown 0 0 – 0
Upper Dublin 0, Wissahickon 0 (OT)
These two long-time rivals couldn’t settle it through two halves of soccer as well as overtime, and each saw their record go to 2-1-1 with the tie on Thursday.
“It was back and forth all game,” said UD coach Andy Meehan. “We both had chances to win the game and either team could have but we couldn’t put one away. I felt like my guys were a bit tired from back-to-back games. There were a few things happening that you could chalk up to fatigue.
“Junior Zach Berman played well on the outside both as a defender and midfielder. He’s a workhorse and covers a tremendous amount of ground. Along with him, senior Karan Archarya, sophomores Dan Gorman and Elias Abebe and goalkeeper Spencer Biedner did a great job of getting the shut out.
“I give (Wissahickon) a ton of credit too. They have a few players that were causing us trouble and able to stop our attack. I know my guys will be looking forward to our next matchup against them.”
There wasn’t much separating the teams in this one.
“We created a few chances in the second half with Julian Memis coming close on several occasions,” said Trojans coach Stuart Malcolm. “Julian hit the post on one of his efforts. Hunter Graefe made a great save on a breakaway in the last minute and UD hit the bar. There were not too many chances on either end.”
UD next plays at Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday, while Wissahickon plays at Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Upper Dublin 0, Wissahickon 0
UD 0 0 0 – 0
Wissahickon 0 0 0 – 0
SOL Freedom Division
Lower Moreland 1, Springfield 0 (OT)
Sophomore Gabe Krutsinger gave Lower Moreland its first SOL win, scoring with 2:36 remaining in overtime to edge Springfield.
Goalkeeper Fareh Dahabreh earned the shutout for the Lions. 
“Gabe’s winning goal was unassisted,” said LM coach Rob Dominick. “As for the game itself, it was pretty evenly matched, but I think we did a great job controlling the ball for the last 15 minutes of the game and overtime.
“Getting our first SOL win as a program is a significant achievement, but it was extra special given that today was Senior Day. I think that gave our players a little extra motivation to win this one, and carry that feeling into our next game against William Tennent.”
Dominick also pointed to the play of center defensive midfielder Braden Alicea, center back Colin Clark, right back Sam Morris and midfielders Tim and John Kroll.
The Lions honored seniors Colin Clark, Javin Cooper, Fareh Dahabreh, Adrian Kobuz, Abeli Koguashvili, Luke Pfeiffer and Selamaj Dan.
Lower Moreland (1-2, 1-2 SOL) next hosts William Tennent on Tuesday, while Springfield (0-3-1, 0-3-1 SOL) is off until Thursday when it plays at New Hope-Solebury.
Lower Moreland 1, Springfield 0
LM 0 0 1 – 1
Springfield 0 0 0 – 0
William Tennent 2, Upper Moreland 1 (OT)
William Tennent remained unbeaten and in first place in the Freedom with a solid win over Upper Moreland on Senior Day.
“This was special for Tennent as it was our senior recognition game and all of seniors available to play, played well,” said Panthers coach Nick D’Andrea. “Senior Ben Weir at center back played extremely well for us. The game was a battle for first in the new Freedom Division and it did not disappoint. Both teams had chances, which included a missed PK by Tennent in the first half, and a missed sitter inside the six by Upper Moreland with under a minute to go in regulation.
“Upper Moreland is well-coached, very skilled, and great with creating chances. We were fortunate to get a win today and look forward to playing again at their place.”
Tennent scored with eight minutes left in the second half on a goal by senior Sean Metz, who retrieved a bounce off a shot by senior Carlton Walters. Upper Moreland tied the game with four minutes left off of a long throw in play.
In overtime, Tennent scored 18 seconds in on a great cross by Sean Metz to Christian Huslin, who was waiting on the back post for a one-time finish
Seniors honored for the Panthers included Ben Weir, Sean Metz, JT Stone, Patrick Molz, Damian Dangler, Mike Liddy, Carlton Waters, Mykola Yuriniuk, Colin DiRenzi and Michael Borkowski.
Tennent (4-0, 3-0 SOL) looks to keep its hold on first place in the division Tuesday at home against Lower Moreland (3:30 p.m.), while UM (2-1, 2-1 SOL) hosts New Hope-Solebury on Tuesday.
William Tennent 2, Upper Moreland 1 (OT)
UM 0 1 0 – 1
Tennent 0 1 1 – 2
SOL Patriot Division
Neshaminy 2, Council Rock North 1
Gavin Rowan scored the game-winner late as Neshaminy edged Council Rock North on Thursday. Jojo Maxwell assisted.
“JoJo Maxwell fed Gavin Rowan – he took a touch toward the middle, and he just hit an absolute seed,” said Neshaminy coach Tom Foley. “And like one of those hockey tips – it changed directions slightly, and their goalkeeper had no chance. It was a bullet. He really deserved it.”
Neshaminy went up 1-0 in the first half on a goal by Matt Lamb.
“Ryan Schoeneman hit a diagonal ball from the right back position to Matt Lamb on the left-hand side,” Foley said. “He collected it in the box and beat the keeper.
“Overall, I thought we did a pretty nice job. We limited their chances for the most part, and we carried the play. They had one or two dangerous opportunities, but we managed to keep them off the board. We played a really strong first half. We kind of dictated the play. We were moving pretty well.”
But in the second half, CR North countered and ended up tying the game early in the half on a penalty kick.
“In the second half, like high school soccer players do, we allowed them to dictate their style of play,” Foley said. “We like to pass the ball around, but we kind of took Council Rock North’s cue and were knocking long balls and trying to get on the end of them.
“We had a comedy of errors. We headed the ball back to the keeper. We didn’t put enough mustard on it. We wound up getting off of that an obstruction call just inside the box. They converted an indirect penalty kick probably 13-14 minutes into the second half. Xavier Guerreiro finished that one for them. It was a nice rip. Our goalkeeper had no chance. He really struck a nice ball.
“We kind of righted the ship a little bit after the goal. It took maybe five minutes, and we started putting some sequences together again after they scored – not as well as we were playing in the first.”
After going back up, Neshaminy was able to put the game away.
“We packed it in a little bit,” Foley said. “(CR North) put a little bit of pressure on, but they didn’t get any great looks in the last five minutes. I would like to see us get the ball out a little more readily than we did. Our play dropped off a little bit in the second half, but we still managed to get the game-winner. Overall, I was pretty pleased with our team’s effort.
“I thought Jose Rivera played well at the top again. My four midfielders did a really nice jo again – Cole Jackson, Rich Faul, Connor Steele and JoJo Maxwell.”
Neshaminy (2-0-2, 1-0-2 SOL) returns to action at Bensalem on Tuesday. CR North (0-3, 0-2 SOL) looks for its first win Tuesday when it hosts Pennsbury (3:45 p.m.).
Neshaminy 2, CR North 1
Neshaminy 1 1 – 2
CR North 0 1 –1
SOL Colonial Division
Pennridge 1, Souderton 0
Aiden Castle’s first-half goal was the difference as Pennridge picked up its first division win of the season and knocked Souderton from the ranks of the unbeaten.
“A combination ball went down the middle, Jake Saville gave it to Aiden Castle, who gave it back to Jake Saville, and he laid it off against for Aiden, who ended up scoring,” said Pennridge coach Pete Valimont of the game’s only goal. “It was a nice combination play between the two juniors.
“We were fortunate. (Souderton) hit the crossbar and the post twice in the first half. When we watch the tape, we’re going to see we were very fortunate that the ball didn’t go two inches down or in.”
It was a big win for the Rams (2-2, 1-2 SOL), especially since Souderton had beaten defending state champion North Penn last week.
“It’s very big given the fact that we only play so many (games), and they’re having a fantastic season,” Valimont said. “Souderton was fantastic, and everything we read about and saw live-streamed – coach (Matt) Benner has been doing the right thing there and knows the guys he has playing are quality guys. They did not stop. I give it to them effort-wise.
“A week ago, we had a couple of tough losses against good teams and weren’t sure what our outlook was going to be, so to get this was big for us. We know we have to go to their place, and they’re a chore at their places, so we’ll look forward to that challenge later on.
“Overall, it was a great effort. We were able to get everybody in regardless of time. Everybody has some kind of contribution.”
Valimont had a lot of credit to give to his players.
“Really standing out for us was Colin Monahan,” Valimont said. “He played the entire game in the back. Carlos Erazo, Dalton Guthrie and Shane Velez – those guys did everything fantastic – and last but not least was Ben Scary. The list could go on, but those guys really stood out tonight. It was was one of those games. You walk away and feel good.”
Pennridge is back in action Saturday (5 p.m.) at Central Bucks West. Souderton (2-1-1, 2-1-1 SOL) will host CB West Tuesday (3:30 p.m.).
Pennridge 1, Souderton 0
Souderton 0 0 – 0
Pennridge 1 0 – 1
Central Bucks East 1, Central Bucks West 0
Sophomore Josh Daniels scored the game-winner at the 15-minute mark of the second half to give still-unbeaten CB East the win over its cross-town rival CB West.
“We made a few changes in the second half,” said CB East coach Josh Isaacsohn. “We had a few kids really step up. Austin Bing Zaremba played a really great game and brought us a ton of energy. He hit the post and just missed scoring with less than 20 minutes left.
“We have a great young sophomore who is our left back, Josh Daniels, who after a cross from Nick Knepp just absolutely ripped a great shot from an angle into the upper 90 at the 15 minute mark. It was almost a professional finish by a great young rising star soccer player.”
The significance of the win wasn’t lost on Isaacsohn or his players.
“It’s huge, they were pretty excited,” the Patriots’ coach said. “It was another close rivalry game between the two teams. West is always good, and they’re well coached.
“There was a lot at stake, a little bit bigger than the game was. West wanted to come at us after two very, very last second defeats last year. On top of starting 0-2, we really knew they wanted to put points on the board.
“Honestly, as much as we knew they wanted to put points on the board, we knew we had to keep them off the board, especially with Souderton recently beating North Penn. It really was just a huge thing.
“I’m very proud of the boys for their focus because this rivalry game can get a little bit of pomp and circumstancy where we begin to focus on non-soccer. The boys maintained their focus well, and I’m just really proud of them.
“Kudos to coach Stefan (Szygiel) and the players of CB West. They started with about four guys up top and really came at us. Although both teams had chances, West had a bit better play. Once we settled in a bit, it started to even out. Towards the end of the first half, the game started to turn a little bit and was a little more balanced.”
CB East (2-0-1, 2-0-1 SOL) hosts another rival, CB South, Friday (3:45 p.m.), while CB West (0-3, 0-3 SOL) hosts Pennridge on Saturday (4 p.m.).
CB East 1, CB West 0
CB East 0 1 – 1
CB West 0 0 – 0
North Penn 1, Central Bucks South 0 (OT)
Josh Jones scored the game-winner with 4:26 remaining in overtime as North Penn picked up the win over CB South. Hunter Stites assisted on the goal.
“The ball was bouncing around a little bit, but our midfielder, Nate Kim, did a lot of hard work to come up with the ball and put it through,” said associate coach Paul Duddy. “Hunter one-touched, Josh got inside the 18, beat a couple of guys and got the ball on the keeper. It was kind of a deflection, but it went right back to Josh. It wasn’t the keeper’s fault. He made the initial play, but there was a little bit of luck involved, and it got back to Josh, and Josh made a no-doubt-about-it finish.”
While North Penn ended up with the win, CB South had its moments as well.
“Our defense was solid, but when you play a Josh Jones, he’ll find a way,” said CB South coach Joe Coscia. “NP did a great job dominating the midfield and providing Josh Jones chances till he put it away. Our attack didn’t click tonight and we turned over possession too easily.”
In the second half, especially, the Knights had the better of play.
“It was a very even first half – they may have had the better of play,” Duddy said. “In the second half, I thought we had a lot more chances. We had pressure on them, but they’re very good defensively.
“They played an off-sides trap, and it worked to perfection. It was very effective. I think we were offsides, I want to say eight times in the first half. We talked about some things at the half and solved it a little bit, and they changed their formation a little bit. They wanted to get a bit more aggressive.”
Having Jones proved a big plus, especially with the finisher.
“Josh Jones works so hard every game,” Duddy said. “He’s always covered by at least one and sometimes two defenders.
“Nate Kim and JoJo Dewaldi played very well. They’re not big guys, but they’re hardworking and fast, and we needed some speed to try and keep up with South.”
North Penn (3-1, 3-1 SOL) hosts CB East on Tuesday (4 p.m.), while CB South (1-2, 1-2 SOL) hosts CB East Friday (3:45 p.m.)
North Penn 1, CB South 0 (OT)
North Penn 0 0 1 –1
CB South 0 0 0 – 0
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