Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Tuesday.
SOL Patriot
PENNSBURY 1, NESHAMINY 0
The Redskins celebrated the team’s 14 seniors with yet another shutout win. All 14 – Nate Armstrong, Manny Weagba, Jason Spencer, Mike Darigo, Cole Jackson, Lou Salmi, AJ Rivera, Gavin Rowan, Ian Siwinski, Mike Albarran, Justin Lykonov, Kaeleb Lowry, Kristian Gkegka and Ryan Schoeneman – saw action in the Senior Night victory.
“It was definitely a well-deserved win,” Neshaminy coach Tom Foley said. “I thought we were the better side for most of the night.
“A lot of different kids got playing time, and they kept the level of play up. I can’t complain about what we did. We created shots, and we played some attractive soccer. We just couldn’t find the net.”
The neighboring rivals were locked in a scoreless tie at the intermission.
“In the first half, we controlled a lot of the play,” Foley said. “They like to play out of the back, and we pressured them and created some turnovers and got some opportunities, but we couldn’t find the target in the first half.
“We knocked it over the bar a couple of times. Gavin Rowan hit a couple to the near post that just missed. We continued to be snake bit as far as finding the goal, but we had the majority of the play in the first half.”
Ten minutes into the second half, the Redskins were awarded a free kick near midfield that was taken by goalkeeper Trevor Rush.
“Our goalkeeper lofted it into the box, it bounced down to Rich Faul, and Rich slotted a nice ball over to Cole Jackson, and Cole buried it and made no mistake about it,” Foley said. “We were knocking on the door most of the night.
“We continued to play pretty well until the last five minutes. We lost our composure a little bit, we took some unnecessary fouls, and we gave them a couple of chances at the end. I think they might have had three shots, and two of them were in the last 60 seconds.
“Their best shot was with about seven seconds left when our goalkeeper (Rush) made a great save off a corner. That’s twice he saved our bacon against Pennsbury – he had the one to maintain the tie at the end of the second overtime the last time we played them, and today almost at the buzzer again to preserve the win for us. We have to do a better job of putting teams away.”
Tuesday’s shutout was the sixth in seven games for the Redskins, who have allowed just one goal this season.
“We’re doing the right things,” Foley. “We’re just not scoring. It’s hard to argue with giving up one goal in seven games. We’re doing a great job defensively, and we’re moving the ball well offensively. We’re just struggling to find the net.”
Foley lauded the efforts of his defensive backs – Mike Albarran, AJ Rivera, Ryan Schoeneman, Lou Salmi and Ian Siwinski.
“The defense was stout again,” Foley said. “Ian Siwinski, a senior, got probably 30 positive minutes for us. He was a starter for us last year, but he had a pretty severe knee injury to start the season, so he’s just working his way back into the mix. He did a nice job with the back four.
“Lou did a nice job on that kid (Jaden) Haig, who had a hat trick the last game. He really didn’t give him any good looks at the goal. I was really pleased with him. That kid is a pretty dynamic player, and he kept him off the scoreboard, which is nice.”
The last time the two teams met, Pennsbury and Neshaminy settled for a 0-0 tie.
“It’s a nice rivalry,” Foley said. “They know those kids from club ball. They can talk their smack back and forth. Now they have bragging rights.”
Neshaminy (5-0-2, 4-0-2 SOL) will travel to La Salle for a non-league game Friday at 4 p.m., and Pennsbury (2-3-1) will travel to Council Rock South on Thursday (3:30 p.m.).
Pennsbury 0-0 0
Neshaminy 1-0 1
SOL Colonial
SOUDERTON 2, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0
In an early season meeting between the two teams, the Patriots and Indians battled to a scoreless tie. It looked like Tuesday’s rematch might be heading in the same direction as the scoreless streak for both sides continued into the second half.
“We struggled to generate some scoring opportunities in the first half, largely because of how well CB East played,” Souderton coach Matt Benner said. “They came out really firing, they got numbers forward, they had good athleticism in the top half of the field through the midfield, and they really put a lot of pressure on us.
“It looked like at times we were going to go down, but our goalkeeper, Aidan McClure, made some good saves, and our defense bended but didn’t break. It just allowed us to get into halftime and take a collective breath and talk things out as a group. It helped that we had the wind in the second half, but I think it was real important that we weathered the storm and were able to come out and get a quality goal and then really just go from there.”
That quality goal came in the 50th minute when senior Brody Emery connected on his first goal of the season with an assist by TJ Hibsman.
“The first goal came as a result of our midfielders getting forward,” Benner said. “Our senior captain, Brody Emery, scored his first goal of the year. He hit a really, really good shot from just inside the 18.”
Four minutes later, Ethan Lacher scored an unassisted goal, and the Indians had a 2-0 lead that held until the final whistle.
“The whole team as a group picked things up in the second half,” Benner said. “They came out with a lot more energy and a lot more willingness to play our style – to keep the ball on the ground, to get the ball wide, to try and get numbers in the box.
“We started the second half with a different look. We started Sean Healy, a junior who played up top. He has just been working really, really hard, pressuring back lines and making it tough for teams to get a little bit of a rhythm. With his athleticism and his pressure, he created opportunities for some of his teammates as the second half got underway. I thought Sean did a real nice job just like he did against CB South last Thursday.”
The Indians were 0-2-1 in their last three games after a 2-0-1 start.
“We can’t say enough about the quality of our opponents in our league,” Benner said. “Every single game is just a real tough grind, and you’re happy to come away with three points any time you can, so that was the case tonight.
“It was really, really good for the boys to get back in the win column and try and gain a little momentum as we head towards the stretch.”
McClure anchored the defense with eight saves in goal.
“Aidan was solid today,” Benner said. “He came up with quite a few saves that even impressed me, I have to say. I’ve got to tip my hat to his athleticism. He’s got long arms, and he can tip some balls over the bar, or he can come out and collect balls in the box when there’s a lot of congestion. Aidan was really, really good today, but it really was a team effort.”
Benner acknowledged the efforts of his back line – Lacher, Dylan Barbieri, Tyler Bovell and Tyson Bui.
“Any time you can post a shutout against a team as good at getting forward and getting goals like CB East, you have to tip your hat to your defending group,” he said. “They have a lot of really athletic players who create lots of scoring opportunities in different ways. For us to come out of today’s game with a home win and a shutout against them, coach (Josh) Isaacsohn had them playing so well, so I was really, really happy with the result.”
Souderton (3-2-2 SOL) will travel to North Penn on Thursday, and Central Bucks East (3-3-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks South Thursday for a 7 p.m. contest.
Central Bucks East 0-0 0
Souderton 0-2 2
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
Prior to Tuesday night’s game, West honored the team’s eight seniors – Vincent Cavanaugh, Owen Duddy, Ryan Levant, James Lutz, Jayden Morris, Luke Parlee, Luke Shank and manager Erik Mantano, who also had a shift in the Senior Night game.
“We prepared really since last Friday we started talking about – the best thing you can do is deliver a win,” West coach Stefan Szygiel said. “We need to balance both trying to get the result and keep moving forward with results but also try and give these kids their opportunity to get minutes.
“We did our best to try and manage it, but I think the program tonight was focused on getting three points for the seniors, and they did that.”
A first-half goal by Parlee was all the Bucks would need as they held off the Titans to earn the hard fought win.
“South is so clean on the ball, and they create overloads, and they create great sequences and combinations,” Szygiel said of the Titans. “We just have to defend. We try our best to get them on the counter if possible and try and get some set pieces to hopefully get higher numbers up the field.”
Parlee’s goal came just beyond the midway point of the opening half.
“We had a long throw, and the ball kind of bobbled around, it was scrappy and somebody had to end up with the ball at their feet,” Szygiel said. “James Lutz was able to get a shot off. The keeper made the first save, and Luke Parlee came in for the finish.
“It was good to see Luke open his scoring account this year. He’s a senior who’s scored some varsity goals before. He was role player for us last year. He knows what we’re about, he knows how to play forward in our system. I was happy to see him hunt the rebound.”
The Bucks were able to hold that lead the rest of way.
“They’re quick and they’re slick with their passing, and they caught us a few times – definitely a testament to the way they play, the overloads and the combinations they create,” Szygiel said. “(Goalkeeper) Luke Shank had another really good night. Every game I watch him add a layer to his overall ability and game. He probably had six or seven saves tonight, and I would say two or three of them were game-saving.”
The Bucks’ coach also credited the play of Lutz.
“He’s a four-year starter, he’s always played in the back,” Szygiel said. “We pick our moments to let him get more involved in the attack. He’s certainly been adding another layer for what we’re trying to do in the offensive third.
“Because we’re young, you still need leadership and you need someone who just knows where you need to be on first and second balls, how to put a ball right back in if that’s what we’re trying to do. These young guys are still learning, and James has been always a pleasure to coach, and this year seeing him take on a bigger role has been really enjoyable these past few games.”
Tuesday’s win was the second in as many games for the Bucks, who had not notched a win in their first five games.
“This was just a good program win,” Szygiel said. “It was at times a little bit boring. Sometimes you get high school games where it’s end to end, back and forth. Tonight a lot of the game was played between the 20s, the ball went out of bounds a lot. There wasn’t a whole lot of energy and momentum at times. Both teams kept trying to grab the game and run with it, and we were fortunate to come out on the right side of it.”
Central Bucks West (2-4-1 SOL) will travel to Pennridge Thursday for a 3:30 p.m. contest. Central Bucks South (3-4) will host Central Bucks East on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Central Bucks South 0-0 0
Central Bucks West 1-0 1
NORTH PENN 4, PENNRIDGE 1
Josh Jones had himself a day.
North Penn’s all-everything senior scored four goals in a brilliant performance – all in the first half.
“We know he’s a great player, and I think he gets frustrated because he gets marked by two guys every game,” associate coach Paul Duddy said. “He was on fire tonight.”
The fun started early for Jones and the Knights.
“He got the ball – went left and hit it into the far corner. It was just a great shot,” Duddy said of his first goal.
The second goal came on a Jones penalty kick. Appropriately, the Louisville-bound senior did the work to earn the PK.
“Josh had beaten two guys and clearly got tripped in the box,” Duddy said. “It had to be a PK, and it was. He took the PK.”
Roman Ilovski set up Jones’ third goal that gave the Knights a 3-0 lead.
“Roman put a ball through to him, and again, he finished,” Duddy said. “It was another great goal. He’s just a talented player.”
The Rams’ interrupted Jones’ personal tear with a goal of their own, but Jones answered, connecting on a goal that was set up by a through ball from Kevin Murphy.
“Kevin Murphy, who’s a defender, had a tremendous game,” Duddy said. “Other than Josh, he was probably the best player on the field.”
The Knights’ associate coach credited Sawyer Meade for his performance in goal.
“We didn’t give up many shots, so the defense deserves credit too,” Duddy said. “Across the back, it’s Ryan Mindick, Kevin Murphy, Achilles Triantafyllos and Alex Stewart.
North Penn (5-2 SOL) will host Souderton on Thursday, and Pennridge (4-4, 3-4) will host Central Bucks West on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
North Penn 4-0 4
Pennridge 1-0 1
SOL Liberty
UPPER DUBLIN 2, QUAKERTOWN 0
Senior Sean Seabrook scored a goal and assisted on the other to lead the Flying Cardinals to the win.
“We played very well as a team,” UD coach Andy Meehan said. “It was nice to get a win, especially after our last three games which is the toughest part of our season with Wissahickon, Hatboro-Horsham and Abington. It was nice to get a good result in this one.”
Two minutes into the contest, Seabrook turned a corner kick by Zach Berman into a goal and a 1-0 UD lead.
“We’ve been focusing on scoring early ever since our first game when we came out flat against Abington,” Meehan said. “Since then, we’ve really set the tone early in games and started very well.
“We were able to get the ball up the field and get a corner off of it. Zach Berman put in a great ball, and Sean was at the back post. It almost seemed like a wake-up call for Quakertown as well.”
The Flying Cardinals took that 1-0 lead into halftime.
Senior Josiah Kutai added an insurance goal 15 minutes into the second half, using a Seabrook assist, and that 2-0 score held the rest of the way.
“We started out the first half very good, but in the last maybe 10 minutes Quakertown got a few chances, and they were really taking it to us,” Meehan said. “We were actually, I would think, fortunate not to get a goal scored on us.
“We regrouped at halftime and made a few minor adjustments. We came out in the second half strong, and once we got that goal, it went in our favor. The momentum never seemed to change after that.”
The UD coach credited the efforts of several players in the win.
“Sam Moss, who’s a senior, was our holding midfielder,” Meehan said. “We changed our formation because of the fact that he was able to cover so much ground. He’s been playing very well in that role.
“Karan Acharya played very well in the back as a center back, leading the line and clearing the ball out when we needed and making some pretty strong defensive plays as well.”
Upper Dublin (3-3-1 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday for a 7 p.m. contest. Quakertown (0-7, 0-6) will be on the road at Wissahickon Thursday.
Upper Dublin 1-1 2
Quakertown 0-0 0
ABINGTON 3, WISSAHICKON 2
Ghost senior captains Gavin O’Neill and Bryce Lexow connected for the dramatic game-winner with 49 seconds remaining in regulation.
“We had a restart 35-40 yards out on the left-hand side,” Abington coach Randy Garber said of the game-winner. “Gavin O’Neill just served a perfect ball into the box, and Bryce Lexow went up and flicked it off his head. It went in the back of the net with 49 seconds to go.”
A goal by Jake Slackman (Julian Memis assist) spotted the visiting Trojans a 1-0 lead 11 minutes into the game. Less than four minutes later, the Ghosts scored the equalizer on a goal by sophomore Liam Hartman.
With 4:36 remaining in the half, Hartman connected for his second goal to put the Ghosts on top 2-1. But not for long. Michael Om turned Jack Schmidt’s free kick into the tying goal with 56 seconds remaining in the half, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
Garber praised the efforts of several of his players.
“Alex Woll, our senior defender, was outstanding – he just won a lot of balls, and he was just very good,” Garber said. “Bryce Lexow just won so many heads balls in the middle and controlled a lot of the flow of the play for us.
“Liam Hartman is a sophomore, and he’s scoring goal after goal and has more than anyone, and he’s doing a great job. He’s a standout. Gavin O’Neill, our other captain, also played well.”
The Trojans were without Christian Vorchheimer, who received a red card in the Trojans’ previous game against Hatboro-Horsham.
“They were missing their star, and that could have been the difference in the game,” Garber said. “They missed him a great deal. He’s a very, very good player, and it’s not in his makeup to get a red card in any game. It’s just unfortunate the way it happened. He is definitely an accomplished player and an awesome young man.”
Abington (6-1 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a key Liberty Division contest. Wissahickon (2-3-2, 2-3-1) will travel to La Salle for a non-league game Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Wissahickon 2-0 2
Abington 2-1 3
SOL Freedom
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 3, LOWER MORELAND 1
Lower Moreland – thanks to an unusual chain of events – took a 1-0 lead into halftime only to watch the visiting Lions rally for three unanswered goals in the second half.
“We had a PK and we scored, but the ref called it back because somebody stepped in the box,” New Hope-Solebury coach Dave Bachart said of the sequence that led to the game’s first goal. “Then rather than let us kick it, he gave an indirect kick the other way. They went down right away and ended up scoring a goal on us.”
It was Eden Attias turning a Javin Cooper pass into a goal, and Lower Moreland took that 1-0 lead into halftime.
“We controlled the majority of the play in the first half,” Bachart said. “We just weren’t finishing.
“At halftime, the basic speech was, ‘Guys, it doesn’t matter what the refs are doing. We’ve had our chances, we’re not finishing. You need to take control of the game now and put this team away because the scores of our games are not reflecting your play.’
“They went out there and they just went at it. They controlled 95 percent of the second half. We were in their end – it was just an onslaught of shots.”
In the second half, Nate Donohoe scored the equalizer for NHS, and Davis Nagg scored the other two, including a highlight reel goal.
“It was a crackerjack of a shot from about 35 yards out – it was amazing,” Bachart said. “Davis Nagg always plays well for us, and he’s probably the best player on the team, but today he went to another level. He took it upon himself to put the team on his back and just made some outstanding plays.
“The one goal he had – he ran back, got the ball from the Lower Moreland guy, pretty much ran him over without fouling him, turned and went to goal by himself and hit a 35-yard shot. Things like that today – he was just on another level. We all know he can do that. Today he turned it on.”
The NHS coach also credited the play of his defense.
“Our defenders really stepped up today – they played a great game in the back,” Bachart said. “Kyle Northrup and Will Albano hold down that back line. They did really well.
“Jake Hausner did a great job of getting up field in the back. He had a lot of quality shots. He just couldn’t connect with them, but they did a great job of just getting the ball forward today and finding those forwards that we needed.”
“Both teams fought hard,” LM coach Rob Dominick said. “But (three) goals in the second half by the NHS Lions proved to be the difference.”
New Hope-Solebury (2-3-1 SOL) will travel to William Tennent on Thursday for a 3:30 p.m. contest. Lower Moreland (1-5) is off until next Tuesday when the Lions will travel to Springfield Township (3:30 p.m.)
Lower Moreland 1-0 1
New Hope-Solebury 0-3 3
WILLIAM TENNENT 2, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 1
The Panthers rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit to earn their seventh win of the abbreviated season.
In the first half, Riley Martin scored with an assist from Grant Williams to spot the Spartans the lead. Early in the second half, Tennent senior Sean Metz tied the game off a head ball by Jimmy Manning. With 11 minutes remaining, Henry Guzman scored during a scrum in front of the net, giving the Panthers a lead they would not lose.
“Damian Dangler was our best player again in the midfield and helped defensively against their strong midfield,” Tennent coach Nick D’Andrea said. “Offensively, he had a ton of energy.”
William Tennent (5-0, 7-0 SOL) will host New Hope-Solebury on Thursday at 3:30 p.m., and Springfield Township (1-4-2, 1-4-1) will host Upper Moreland Thursday.
Springfield Township 1-0 1
William Tennent 0-2 2
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