Check out the results for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Monday. To view photos of the Pennsbury/CR South, PW/Cheltenham and Wissahickon/UD games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Central Bucks West 2, Central Bucks East 1
By Ben Winderman for SuburbanOneSports.com
The game itself produces its own enchanted atmosphere, but add to it East’s quest at an undefeated run through the Continental Division, West’s win-or-wash-and-turn-in-your-uniform, and a staying fog which seemed to create nostalgic setting, muffle the crowd’s chants, and illuminate the team wearing white.
The Bucks came into this contest knowing that a loss would deflate considerably their hopes of returning to the District playoffs, but facing an East squad that boasted a convincing 3-1 victory in their first match, a 12-0 league mark, and a recent (Saturday) win over District 2 powerhouse Wilkes Barre Coughlin was a profoundly daunting challenge.
Furthermore when less than four minutes into the first half Patriot midfielder Justin Chomik banged home a long rebound for the game’s first goal, the misty scene turned temporarily haunting for the ghostly hosts.
“It was just like the first East game,” recalled West senior Conrad Urffer. “We went down an early goal again.”
“That was a cracker!” West ‘s Bryan VanEckelen interjected about East striker Evan Vare’s blast, which led to Chomik’s finish. “Daniel (Merrit) saved the first shot, but like Urf said, It’s the biggest game of our lives and we gave up pressure and an early goal again.”
“In fairness, we had about the first 20 minutes,” Patriots’ longtime Coach Mike Gorni agreed. “We missed two to three good opportunities, but as the minutes passed and the West players realized they were still in it, they became the more dynamic side.
“Their backs were to the wall,” added Gorni, “and to their credit I would say that for the last 60 minutes of tonight’s game, West was the more energized side. They played well tonight and their Brandon Morris is a very good opportunistic player.”
The junior Morris leads his team this season with eight goals, but none are more memorable than tonight’s two against CB East. Morris was one of several players to participate in tonight’s game that grew up with boring stories about East/West games and big boots to fill.
Morris’ mom, uncle, and grandmother (Cheryl 87, Brad 95, and Anne Boehringer) are CB East institutions for their field hockey, soccer, and football contributions, but with Brandon scoring goals and his freshman brother Tarin Morris playing legitimate minutes in the midfield for CB West, there can be no doubt of their current allegiance to school on Court Street (except maybe Anne).
Both of Brandon Morris’ goals were assisted by junior strike-mate Jack Tilley, who along with junior Joel Acaster began to corral clearance from the West backs and find seams in East’s shape. After surrendering an early goal and sustaining steady pressure, West’s backs forced themselves forward and began to interrupt East’s possession.
Relying on the rugged play of senior Jason Douple, the intensity of Urffer, and the explosiveness of Van Eckelen, the Bucks established themselves and with less than five minutes to play in the first half when Tilley found Morris and West found their way back to level.
As the second stanza began, the Bucks sustained their assertive posture. Instructions from the West bench were clear, “Morris and Tilley, keep going at them!”
West’s pace soon translated into the go-ahead goal. Junior Brady Boylan drove a clearance up the left flank to midfielder Joel Acaster, who won possession and played a left footed cross to far-post bound Jack Tilley. Tilley’s first touch eluded the East backs, and with his second touch, the junior striker managed to navigate the ball slightly over the aggressive charge of Patriot keeper Austin Prime. As the ball spun towards the open East goal, Brandon Morris opportunistically ensured its arrival in the back of East’s net. The striker’s family, adorned in black and gold (especially Anne), cheered as all of West’s foggy fans erupted with delight.
But, “We still need one more win,” insisted West manager Stefan Szygiel. “We play at CB South on Wednesday and we know what we have to do.”
The Bucks coach praised all of his players for their willingness to sacrifice and for the important minutes that several reserves contributed.
“Senior Nick Marella played exceptionally well for us, and Urffer was outstanding,” Szygiel complimented his center midfielder, “and Bryan (Van Eckelen) shut down that left side.”
Van Eckelen and Urffer spoke in stereo.
“The atmosphere was intense! This was the game of our lives! We played as a team, we relied on each other, we just decided, none of us (seniors) are ready to stop playing yet; it was do or die,” both players harmonized, “Everybody is playing for each other finally.”
That sentiment was nowhere more evident than among the CB West defenders – Jason Douple, Sam Winderman, Brady Boylan, VanEckelen, and Joey Recupero – whose coordinated aggressive and responsible play limited their Buckingham rivals to few second half opportunities. The chances the Patriots did create were handled by Bucks keeper senior Daniel Merrit, whose pinpoint distribution often started the West counterattack.
“Daniel’s been very consistent for us all year long,” said Szygiel. “He came up with some huge saves for us tonight once again, and that helped create more momentum for the team.”
CB East, however, is a team/program of great tradition, and until the very last moment, the Patriots fought to equalize. With seconds ticking down, left back Booker Farrior launched a deep throw-in that somehow East midfielder Julian Klockner volleyed towards the West goal. East fans rose in anticipation as West fans froze in fear. Another classic match in this historic rivalry ended with West GK Daniel Merrit catching East’s last attempt to tie.
This one deserved a winner though, and on this foggy evening, 2-1 West was a fair result.
American Conference
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2, Cheltenham 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh clinched at least a share of the conference title with a shutout victory over visiting Cheltenham.
The Colonials, who are now 15-2-0 overall and 12-1-0 in the conference, received goals by Austin Betterly and Dom Wldarczyk. Alex Bilodeau assisted on the first goal, while Dylan Ensslin assisted on the other.
The Panthers saw their seven-game win streak end, and they will need an upset victory over Wissahickon on Wednesday night at Cheltenham if they want to have a shot at making the playoffs.
Cheltenham, which was ranked 28th overall in the district entering Monday's games, is now 9-6-2 overall and 8-4-1 in conference play.
Cheltenham 0 0 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh2 0 2
Wissahickon 3, Upper Dublin 0
Cole Kropnick scored yet another goal while helping his Trojans to a shutout win over neighborhood rival Upper Dublin on Wissahickon's Senior Night.
The Trojans also received goals from Ryan Becker and Tom McHale, as well as assists from Shane Fallen and Alec Schwartz. Kropnick's goal came in the 10th minute, while the other two tallies came in the second half.
Wissahickon goalkeeper John Carrozza stopped four shots in net while earning the win.
The Trojans (14-2-0, 11-2-0) still remain one game out of first place, while Upper Dublin fell to 8-8-2 overall and 6-6-1 in conference play.
Upper Dublin 0 0 0
Wissahickon 1 2 3
Springfield 5, Upper Merion 1
Trevor McCaffrey led Springfield with two goals in the Spartans’ big win over Upper Merion, which improved the Spartans' record to 9-6-1 overall and 6-6-1 in the conference.
Corey Cottone added a goal and an assist for Springfield, which was celebrating its Senior Night. Mike Bonacci and Igor McVeagh each scored one goal for the Spartans while Will Kaufman tallied a pair of assists.
Vito Vincent scored the lone Upper Merion goal on a penalty kick. The Vikings are 3-10-2 overall and 3-9-1 in conference play.
Norristown 2, Upper Moreland 2 (2 OT)
Norristown and Upper Moreland played to a tie in a late-season affair between conference opponents.
The visiting Eagles (3-10-3, 1-9-3) received single goals from junior Tom Detwiler and senior Joe Dellobuono. The Bears (0-12-4, 0-10-3) tied the game on a header with less than a minute to play in regulation.
Norristown goalkeeper Will Baltrus was knocked out of the game halfway through the first half after a collision with an Upper Moreland player. Backup goalie Anthony Mitchell came in and made eight saves for the Eagles.
Norristown 1 1 0 0 2
Upper Moreland 1 1 0 0 2
National Conference
Abington 3, Council Rock North 1
Currently occupying one of the final two playoff spots in the latest district power rankings, Abington knew it had to win on Monday to continue to control its own destiny.
Thanks to a solid offensive effort and a fine game in net from junior backup goalkeeper Sam Wells, the Ghosts got that all-important victory, getting past host Council Rock North.
Colin Burns scored in the first half and junior Matt Bachmann added two goals in the second half to propel Abington (7-7-3, 5-6-2) to the win over the Indians.
"We're right on the bubble," Abington coach Randy Garber said. "Every win is big. We'll see where the cards fall. I don't know that we can better our position with one game left, but it's just a matter of the point system. Unless a team that is below us beats a team that is a lot higher, we should be, but there's still no guarantee."
Guarantee or not, things look good for the Ghosts, who host Harry S. Truman on Abington's Senior Night on Wednesday.
"The bottom line is we just have to win against Truman," Garber said.
On Monday, CR North (6-10-0, 5-8-0) went on top 1-0 thanks to a goal off a corner kick. Abington would tie it before the end of the half, however, as Colin Burns took a pass from David Pohle and found the back of the net.
In the second half, Juan Castillo and Burns assisted on the two Bachmann goals, with the game-winner coming midway through the period.
With starting goalkeeper Tim Seydel on the shelf for two weeks with a concussion, Wells stepped in and played well, stopping five shots.
"Sam didn't have a whole bunch of work to do today, but he was pretty steady with the work he had," Garber said. "We've had four concussions and we have a share of people being injured, but the defense is playing well and Sam is a good goalkeeper and he's got to step it up and get the job done. He's more than capable of doing it."
Bachmann, who leads Abington in scoring, made sure to put the ball on net after last week's games saw the Ghosts constantly missing their target.
"In the last three games, we weren't scoring or hitting the goal," Garber said. "Everything we shot had been wide or too high, but most of our shots today were on goal and three of them found the back of the net. It's a matter of keeping the balls on net, and if you hit enough, hopefully one or two will go in."
Abington 1 2 3
Council Rock North 1 0 1
William Tennent 1, Bensalem 0
William Tennent is looking forward to its biggest game of the season – a Wednesday night matchup with Pennsbury, which could be enough to boost the Panthers into the playoffs if they can pull off the upset win.
But the Panthers didn't look past their game from Monday night, which ended in a victory on the Panthers' Senior Night.
Junior Connor White scored on a penalty kick eight minutes into the game for the game's lone goal, as the Panthers improved to 9-8-0 overall and 7-6-0 in conference play while keeping their playoff hopes alive.
"It was wet turf and a sloppy field and it was a hard-fought game, but just credit our guys for getting to the ball first and putting a couple things together and keeping our season alive," said Tennent coach Ryan Todt, whose team was the 31st seed entering the day.
Junior goalkeeper Joe Lee stopped all four shots that came his way to record the shutout.
Tennent knows its upcoming meeting with Pennsbury won't be easy, but Todt believes his team will be ready for the challenge.
"We have to play really alert and heads up," he said. "They like to move the ball, they're skilled, they're fast and they can shoot. They defend well and they're a very well complemented team at every position. They work well and it's going to be a tall task, but we have to work hard and be very physical and take advantage of whatever opportunities we get.
"I think we're communicating well in the back and I think that our leadership has really surfaced in the second half of the season, so I hope it continues and I hope that our guys bring their 'A' game on Wednesday night when it matters most."
The Owls fell to 5-12-0 and 4-8-0, respectively.
Bensalem 0 0 0
William Tennent 1 0 1
Neshaminy 1, Harry S. Truman 0
Kenny Herrmann headed in a pass from sophomore Dylan McDonald in the game's 25th minute to score the game's only goal in a shutout win for Neshaminy over host Harry S. Truman.
With the win, the Redskins (15-2-0) remain perfect in the conference, improving to 13-0-0. The Tigers, who were celebrating their Senior Night, fell to 4-10-1 and 2-10-1, respectively, with the loss.
Neshaminy 1 0 1
Harry S. Truman 0 0 0
Pennsbury 3, Council Rock South 0
Eric Gagliardi has had a fantastic season for Pennsbury, and he made it even better on Monday.
The senior goalkeeper recorded his ninth shutout of the season with a win over host Council Rock South.
Pennsbury gave Gagliardi plenty of help, scoring once in the first half and twice more in the second. In the 27th minute, Zach LoBasso scored on a header from Eric Keresten for the game's first goal. In the second half, goals by Alex Kardos and Keion Randolph helped the Falcons (11-4-2, 10-3-0) to increase their lead and finish with the important victory.
With the playoffs around the corner, Pennsbury will look to close the season strong on Wednesday when it hosts William Tennent on the Falcons' Senior Night.
With the loss, the Hawks fell to 7-8-1 overall and 4-8-1 in conference play.
Pennsbury 1 2 3
Council Rock South 0 0 0
Continental Conference
Hatboro-Horsham 3, Pennridge 2
With the Hatters' season winding down, Hatboro-Horsham wanted to finish strong in front of its own crowd on Senior Night.
The Hatters did just that, beating Pennridge by one goal on a rainy night at Hatboro-Horsham.
Senior Dante D'Alonzo celebrated his final home game by scoring two goals while adding an assist.
"The senior class showed their resiliency in defeating a tough Pennridge team," Hatboro-Horsham coach Kyle McGrath said. "We have 11 seniors and Dante D'Alonza was a force all night. His first goal was a great show of determination, as he picked up the ball on his side of the midfield line and dribbled to the top of the box before blistering a shot off the crossbar and in to spark our rally."
D'Alonzo would assist on a goal by freshman Colin Bateman later in the first half. The Hatters (4-11-2, 3-8-2) led 2-1 at the half. Chandler Ryan assisted on D'Alzonzo's second goal later in the contest.
Hatboro-Horsham goalkeeper Kurt Dick stopped eight shots in net to earn the win.
"The boys showed great heart and fought off a Pennridge comeback attempt leading to victory on Senior Night," McGrath said.
With the loss, the Rams fall to 1-9-7 overall and 1-8-4 in conference play.
Penridge 1 0 1
Hatboro-Horsham 2 1 3
North Penn 3, Souderton 0
Two McKenna's were better than one against Souderton as Kevin and Drew McKenna helped to put North Penn on top 2-0 en route to a victory over visiting Souderton.
Kevin McKenna assisted on a Mike Kohler goal two minutes into the second half, breaking a scoreless tie while giving North Penn (13-3-0, 11-2-0) all the offense it would need on the afternoon.
Drew McKenna scored on a free kick later in the half, while David Kolbach finished the scoring later on thanks to an assist from Nick Miller.
With the loss, the Indians fell to 8-6-3 overall and 7-4-2 in conference play. The Indians will travel to Central Bucks East on Wednesday to close out the regular season. North Penn, currently ranked 13th in he district, will look to close its regular season strong at home with a Wednesday meeting against Hatboro-Horsham.
Souderton 0 0 0
North Penn 0 3 3
Saturday, Oct. 11
Central Bucks East 3, Coughlin 1
In a battle of perennial soccer powers, the Patriots knocked Wilkes-Barre Coughlin from the ranks of the undefeated with a 3-1 win at War Memorial Field on Saturday. The Patriots received single goals from Julian Klokner, Brian Gilligan and Evan Vare. Vare and Justin Chomik each drew assists.
Coughlin (14-1) is the top-ranked team from District 2. Saturday’s game was a rematch of a 2010 state playoff game. East won that game 4-0.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3, Hatboro-Horsham 2
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