Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Tuesday. CR North/Bensalem photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos. All SOS photo galleries for BOYS’ SOCCER can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Patriot Division
Neshaminy 2, Council Rock South 1
Neshaminy scored midway through the second half to break a tie and went on to notch the huge upset of host Council Rock South, which entered the day one back in the loss column and just one point behind first-place CR North in the division standings.
In the 58th minute, Wasseem Jawawdeh scored for Neshaminy to make it 2-1 and that lead held for the remainder of the game.
“To be fair, we probably stole the game today, but it’s nice to turn the tables,” said Neshaminy coach Tom Foley. “We’ve had a couple games where we’ve played better than our opponent and we’ve lost. That’s soccer sometimes. They were probably more deserving of the result, but we finally got one that maybe we were owed somewhere along the way this year.
“It’s good for the kids. It was a good gut check. They really hunkered down and kept them off the scoreboard in the final 20 minutes. It was a good win for them, and it kind of gets us back in the playoff mix a little bit. If we take care of business, we may have a shot. It didn’t look so good a week and a half ago, so that’s a plus.”
Neshaminy started quickly with a goal in the fourth minute, as Kaleb Raymond scored off a Owen Beideman assist.
“We started off really well moving the ball,” Foley said. “Joe Joe Maxwell got the ball on the left flank, got to the end line, put the ball on the ground to Owen Beideman, who one-timed it to Kaleb Raymond, who tucked it past the keeper. It was a very nice goal.”
CR South answered right back with the tying goal in the seventh minute, as Reid Vandermark scored off a Frankie Rafferty assist.
“I thought we were the better team for much of the half, but couldn’t find the go-ahead goal,” said Golden Hawks coach Alan Nicholl. “As a result, we gave up a sloppy second-half goal … and Neshaminy did enough to see out the game.
“We hit the post twice, and had a few opportunities to take the game, but couldn’t seem to get the right final touch. Foley has his guys playing for their playoff lives, and full credit to their energy and physical style.
“We were the better team today but lost 2-1. Last time out, we beat them 4-1 and we were the lucky ones. It just goes to show how competitive these games are. I really hope Neshaminy makes the top 28, as I’m certain no one will want to see them.”
Jawawdeh’s game-winner came in the 58th minute.
“We kind of leveled the play a little bit (in the second half),” Foley said. “A ball got slotted through. Jack Sexton made a nice run out of the back and beat the keeper to it and kind of gave the rebound up, and Wasseem Jawawdeh was there to tuck in the rebound.
“That woke South up again, and they kind of took it to us a little bit. They had some dangerous opportunities. They had some free kicks. They scored a goal, but they were offsides. They definitely put us under pressure.”
Foley had praise for several of his players.
“We moved Owen Beideman back,” he said. “He didn’t start in the back on the right side, but we moved him back to mark VanderMark, and he did a pretty nice job on him after he scored the goal.
“Jack Sexton continues to do well in the back for us. He’s just a workhorse, and, of course, Joe Joe Maxwell kept our motor going quite well. I thought AJ Kollie did a nice job in the back too. Josh Anderson, we kept him back there for another game. I broke my promise to him, but he did a pretty good job against Pennsbury, so we kept him back there, and he did a nice job as well.”
Neshaminy (5-8-1, 4-8 SOL) currently sits (unofficially) at No. 28 in the District One Class 4A power rankings for the upcoming 28-team playoffs. It has a night game Wednesday at home against Harry S. Truman.
CR South (8-5-1, 8-4-1 SOL) looks to rebound with a big showdown at CR North on Thursday.
Neshaminy 1 1 – 2
CR South 1 0 – 1
Council Rock North 5, Bensalem 0
Less than 24 hours after a Senior Night nonleague win over Archbishop Ryan, first-place CR North was back in league play, and the Indians scored early and took care of Bensalem on Tuesday
afternoon.
“Nick Wise opened the scoring three minutes into the first half on a lovely through ball from Tanma Ondkar,” said Indians coach Joe Stackhouse. “Fifteen minutes later, Ari Pollack won a second ball, beat three defenders and drilled one from the top of the penalty box.”
Up 2-0 at the half, CR North again started fast, and five minutes in, Keertan Palayam scored off a throw-in from Will Potero.
Ondkar scored off Potero’s second throw-in assist of the day, and later Will Kamp scored on a “head ball flick” off a Cole Mayer assist.
Stackhouse also credited the play of the “defensive unit of Mike Pinho, Chase McCaffrey, Corey Brennan, Danny Ugrass, Chris Pinho and Nick Pagluighi, (who) kept Bensalem off the board to help Calvin Hopkins record the shutout.”
With the win, CR North is now 9-2-2 (11-2-2 overall) in the SOL Patriot, extending its lead over rival CR South, which lost Tuesday. The Indians and Golden Hawks play at North on Thursday (4:30 p.m.).
Bensalem (2-10-1, 2-9-1 SOL) plays at Neshaminy on Friday.
Bensalem 0 0 – 0
CR North 2 3 – 5
Pennsbury 9, Harry S Truman 0
The Falcons started quickly in this one and brought a welcome end to a six-game losing streak with the shutout win over Truman.
“We continued to train and play hard despite the difficult results during our six-game losing streak,” said Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart. “Hopefully that work can continue to show as we make a late season push.”
Pennsbury scored four times in the first half to take control and never look back.
Josh Rodriguez, Ian Cunningham and Rocco Ciaccia scored in the first half, and the Falcons also scored on an own goal caused by pressure from Sadd Williams.
The second half saw Chris Vergantino, Evan Soriano (two goals), Rodriguez and Justin Brown score goals.
Soriano also had two assists, as did Vergantino, while Diego Murillo, Rodriguez and Cunningham all had one assist.
Goalkeepers Justin Brown and Henrik Boekhamp combined for the shutout.
Pennsbury (6-7-1, 6-6-1 SOL) currently sits in the No. 32 spot in the district power rankings. It next plays at Bensalem on Saturday.
Truman (0-14, 0-13 SOL) plays at Neshaminy on Wednesday.
Truman 0 0 – 0
Pennsbury 4 5 – 9
SOL Colonial Division
Central Bucks East 0, Central Bucks South 0 (2 OT)
A battle between two of the three teams tied atop the Colonial Division standings had an inconclusive ending, as East and South played to a scoreless tie after two halves and two overtime periods.
“I want to give my respects to Kyle (Pettican),” said East coach Josh Isaacsohn. “He’s done a great job with that program.
“The boys played well. The first half could have gone either way. I think in second half they had a bit better of play. I think through the double overtimes, we had a bit better of play, and neither team could find the net tonight. It was a battle of close ones.
“It’s better than a loss but not as good as a win. A little bit frustrating both ways. I think either team could have taken it. I really felt we had a good double overtime period, but it is what it is.”
Pettican had similar feelings.
“The game was a battle of halves,” he said. “East dominated the first half. They were very dangerous from the get-go. They pressed, attacked quick, and pressed in numbers. We did well to hold on because they could have been up by a few goals.
“Going into half time my guys realized they dodged a bullet and changed their mentality completely entering the second half. We changed a few things and it looked like two completely different teams out there. We were dominating. Especially for the first 15 minutes of the second half and the last 10 minutes.
“We were getting chance after chance. We were getting offside calls, 1v1 with the keeper, blocked shots in the box, missing sitters, etc. We just couldn’t find the final product.
“Overtime was very similar to the game itself. They dominated the first period, and we dominated the second. The teams are very evenly matched. That’s twice this season we have gone to double overtime.”
Pettican also credited the play of Andre Medl, Nolan Helsel, and Brayden Roach.
With Pennridge’s win over Souderton Tuesday night, both CB East and CB South fell out of first place and are now tied for second, two points back.
CB East (10-4-1 SOL, 9-3-1 SOL) has a big one Thursday at Pennridge. CB South (10-4-1 SOL, 9-3-1 SOL) plays at rival CB West on Thursday.
CB East 0 0 0 0 – 0
CB South 0 0 0 0 – 0
North Penn 2, Central Bucks West 0
Ryan Miller scored two second-half goals, as North Penn stayed hot, winning its fourth straight game and strengthening its hold on one of the 28 spots for the upcoming District One Class 4A Tournament.
“We’re starting to play coherent soccer, and I know we haven’t played our best soccer yet,” said North Penn coach Chris DePeppe. “But we have three huge games left to do so this is when the fun really starts.”
Both teams had chances, but the game was scoreless at halftime.
“West started the match with energy and had some momentum for a bit, but we were patient and kept to the plan,” DePeppe said. “I think our possession in the second half started to wear them down a bit.”
Miller scored off a Cody Perrin assist, and then later, after Logan Smith put a ball in the box and a “one-touch layoff” by CJ Leonardo, Miller made it 2-0.
DePeppe had a lot of credit to go around after the win.
“Nate Kim and Brian Scott have been outstanding in the central defense and Cody and Ian Bialisalisa are growing into their fullback roles,” he said. “Troy Nine posted his sixth shutout.
“Dmitri Ilovski continues to impress in center midfield. He’s a very clever and efficient player and I don’t think of him as a sophomore anymore. I think he and Nate Kim have started every game for us.”
North Penn (7-7-1, 6-6-1 SOL) plays at Souderton on Thursday.
CB West (6-8-2, 5-7-2 SOL) hosts CB South Thursday night.
CB West 0 0 – 0
North Penn 0 2 – 2
Pennridge 2, Souderton 1 (2 OT)
It took two overtimes, but Troy Thanel scored with 5 minutes, 33 seconds remaining in the second OT and Pennridge claimed first place in the Colonial Division with the 2-1 victory.
“Credit to coach (Matt) Benner,” said Rams coach Pete Valimont. “I’ve coached against him for years. This is my last time through. He’s been fantastic. We’ve had some great battles. In 2020, the COVID year when we went to the district final, we had a shot with 30 seconds left against them. They’ve kicked our butt a handful of times throughout the years. It’s always been a great battle. Him and his coaching staff are top notch over there, for sure.”
Souderton jumped in front six minutes into the game on a Brayden Power goal.
“They were able to penetrate against us, and the kid hit a rip,” Valimont said. “He hit an absolute laser to the upper 90 on the far side, not much we could do there.
“They played really well in the first half. They did a good job moving the ball around, they had some good chances. We had some chances in the first half but just couldn’t connect the final pass or get the ball on frame to make it dangerous.”
Pennridge tied it 50 seconds into the second half, as Shane Velez headed one in off the corner kick from Pat Fannon.
“Our goal was to get one in the first 20, and we got one in the first minute,” Valimont said. “That changed our outlook a little bit. Then it just went back and forth. A couple of chances for them on set pieces, a couple of chances for us getting the ball through but nothing threatened to the point where we were able to finish.”
Then, after playing a scoreless first overtime and with time running down toward a possible tie, the Rams came up with the game-winner.
“Troy Thanel got a ball on the wing and was able to settle it,” Valimont said. “He took an extra touch, which we have been preaching to him. He hit an absolute laser from his near side to the far side, to the goalie’s left and he just wasn’t able to save it. That was it.
“At the end of the day, we didn’t play our best at times, but we still were giving effort and creating chances, and we just stuck with it.”
Valimont had plenty of praise to go around.
“CJ Dimmick made an amazing save in the first overtime with a minute left,” he said of his senior goalkeeper. “He got one off his fingertips. I think Souderton’s bench was about 10 yards on the field. CJ played great tonight.
“Tommy McKinney didn’t come off the field and was an absolute horse in the back, winning balls and defending. Luca Angello was an absolute workhorse and did a fantastic job, just getting stuck in on tackles, creating the counterattack, just doing a really good job. He does a lot of the dirty work and doesn’t get enough credit.
“(Jared) Hess up top and Shane (Velez). Shane played about every position but goalie and scored and created at the very end, and Hess was doing everything he could just to keep the effort going. He just did a really good job.
“Our other guys in the back – Roman Arcade, Jhoa Hernandez – did a really nice job just sticking with it and just doing everything we asked and taking everything Souderton was throwing at us because they gave us everything tonight.”
Pennridge, CB East and CB South started the night tied for first in the Colonial. East and South played to a scoreless tie, and with its win, Pennridge (12-3,10-3 SOL) now has a two-point lead in the division standings heading into Thursday’s home showdown against CB East.
Souderton (6-9, 5-9 SOL) hosts North Penn Thursday night.
Souderton 1 0 0 0 – 1
Pennridge 0 1 0 1 – 2
SOL Liberty Division
Abington 2, Hatboro-Horsham 0
Senior Ryan Hartman earned the start in goal for the Galloping Ghosts and posted the shutout in a huge win over Hatboro-Horsham Tuesday night. Hartman started alongside twin brother Liam and younger brother Brady.
“It was the first time he’s ever started a game, and he pitched a shutout,” said Abington coach Randy Garber. “He was injured freshman, sophomore and junior years. He’s a good goalkeeper, and he’s just started playing competitively this year.
“We had to use him in goal today because of Kevin (Kretschman) being injured. It’s the first time I’ve ever had three brothers on the field at the same time.”
Scoreless at halftime, Abington’s Braden Delgado opened the scoring 10 minutes into the second half.
“Drew Paxson hit a ball from the flank and Braden Delgado was on the back post,” Garber said. “The goalkeeper came to the near post, and he just tapped it in right off the volley.”
Midway through the second half, Liam Hartman converted a penalty kick to make it a 2-0 game.
“It was a close game,” Garber said. “It was definitely a good result for us.”
Abington (12-2-1, 11-1-1 SOL) remains tied with Upper Dublin atop the division standings. It is also No. 6 in the district power rankings. The Ghosts played at UD on Thursday afternoon.
H-H (9-5, 8-4 SOL), No. 15 in the power rankings, plays at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday night.
Abington 0 2 – 2
Hatboro-Horsham 0 0 – 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3, Quakertown 2
The Colonials jumped out to a 3-0 lead in this one and then held on as Quakertown made the game interesting late.
Jared Rutman, Sam Cohen and Mason Clatterbuck scored goals for PW.
“(Quakertown’s) goalie deserves some credit for keeping it close with some really great saves,” said PW coach Rich Kessler.
With the win, PW is now 8-5 in the SOL Liberty (8-6-1 overall) and currently sits at No. 21 in the District One power rankings. It hosts Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday.
Quakertown (1-13, 1-11 SOL) hosts Wissahickon on Thursday.
Quakertown 2
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3
Upper Dublin 5, Wissahickon 2
Two nights before a huge showdown with division co-leader Abington for likely the Liberty Division title, Upper Dublin took care of business on Senior Night with the 5-2 win over Wissahickon. The Flying Cardinals scored three goals in the second half to put the game away.
“I was pleased with everyone on the team having the maturity for, No. 1, the seniors being mature enough to say, ‘Even though it’s Senior Night, there are team goals we want to accomplish.’
“So some of the seniors took a backseat as far as playing the crazy amount of time I would normally do. Definitely, hats off to those guys for saying, ‘It’s bigger than just me. It’s my team and my family, and we need to do certain things to get to a better spot.’”
Zach Gallagher and Thomas Deng scored first half goals for the Cardinals. Chris McMeel made it 3-0 early in the second half before the Trojans got on the scoreboard. Erik Petushi answered with a goal to put the Cardinals on top 4-1. The Trojans connected to make it a 4-2 game, but Miles Bondi scored a late goal for the convincing victory.
“For all the guys that did play today – just being consistent,” Johnson said. “Defensively, Dan (Gorman), Elias (Abebe), Mason (Pensabene) and Gabe Loza did an excellent job today.
“For our forwards today, putting the ball in the back of the net. It’s something we struggled with the beginning of the season when we were barely getting by teams but being mature enough to continue to work on things in training, to really go hard in training and know that even though we have a great record and we’re in a great place, we can still grow and still become better.
“Definitely, hats off to all the boys for being mature and seeing that there’s a chance for something great here, but we have to keep working for it.”
UD (13-1-1, 11-1-1 SOL) is at Abington Thursday night, and is currently No. 5 in the District One Class 4A power rankings.
Wissahickon (7-7-1, 6-7-1 SOL) is No. 22 in the rankings and plays at Quakertown Thursday.
Wissahickon 0 2 – 2
Upper Dublin 2 3 – 5
SOL Freedom Division
Upper Moreland 3, William Tennent 1
On Senior Night, senior Mike Scullon led a great night for the UM seniors, scoring three goals on the way to the win over visiting Tennent.
“Mike always has the opportunities every game,” said Golden Bears coach Justin Allegra. “Two or three every game. Tonight, all three went in. I tell him, ‘Dude, you have so many opportunities. You would have 20 goals if they all went in.’
“It was a big game for him. It’s kind of what we expect.”
All of the seniors played well. Allegra pointed to Will Elfreth and Ryan Swedberg with standout games.
“We dominated the entire game,” Allegra said. “We have opportunities, we just couldn’t find the back of the net. Against Tennent, they play an offsides trap, and that’s difficult to play against.
“We have 11 seniors and all of them played. It was a good atmosphere. There were a lot of people there.
“When you play Tennent, it’s always a battle. They’re so technically sound.”
UM (7-7-1, 5-7-1 SOL) hosts first-place Springfield on Thursday afternoon. The Bears are currently No. 9 in the district Class 3A power rankings.
Tennent (4-10, 4-9 SOL) hosts Cheltenham on Thursday.
Tennent 0 1 – 1
UM 2 1 – 3
Springfield Twp 6, New Hope-Solebury 0
The Spartans inched closer to clinching the Freedom Division championship with a convincing win over New Hope Tuesday night.
Springfield has an eight-point lead over second-place Lower Moreland with three games remaining. A win in any of its three remaining games would clinch the title.
Tuesday, Riley Martin, Dan Fitzpatrick, Peter Schmidt, Igor Hyvel, and Ben Hubley scored goals for the Spartans, while Nick Marino and Fitzpatrick had assists.
Springfield (11-3, 10-3 SOL) plays at Upper Moreland on Thursday. The Spartans are ranked No. 3 in the most recent district Class 3A power rankings.
New Hope (3-11, 2-10 SOL) plays at Lower Moreland on Thursday afternoon.
Springfield 2 4 – 6
New Hope 0 0 – 0
Lower Moreland 4, Cheltenham 1
(Information will be added when it is received.)
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