Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Friday.
SOL Liberty Division
Abington 2, Upper Dublin 1 (OT)
This one had huge division title implications and the last time these two teams atop the Liberty Division played, it ended in a tie game.
Friday nearly had the same ending, but Abington picked up the huge win, thanks to a Luke O’Donnell goal just 30 seconds into the first overtime.
“Definitely a good game all the way around,” said Galloping Ghosts coach Randy Garber. “Believe it or not, the goals came on mistakes. I call it throw-the-ball-in-the-mix, and it ends up in the back of the net someway, somehow.
“It’s a big win. We get the job done against Wissahickon and Quakertown, and we win the league.”
Both teams came into Friday with identical 11-1-1 conference records and not much separated them on the field.
“It was just a good team win,” Garber said. “Our kids found a way. Upper Dublin has a good side. They could have very easily finished a goal and won it easily. It was that good of a game.”
It was a disappointing loss, but Upper Dublin knows how close the two games against Abington were and will enter the District One Class 4A playoffs very confident.
“We knew what was on the line, we knew it was going to be a really, really hard game just because a lot of people were injured, field conditions weren’t the prettiest,” said Flying Cardinals coach Noah Johnson. “It was just one of those games (and) it could go either way.
“It was definitely a fun game, and once again, probably the game of the year if you can have more than one game of the year. It was very good to see another challenge we might see in the playoffs and learn from our mistakes.”
Abington scored midway through the first half as Liam Hartman scored off a throw-in.
“Drew Paxson threw the ball in 35-40 yards,” Garber said. “It landed on the floor, Liam Hartman toe-punted it in the back of the net to give us the first goal.
“We had a lot of chances, a lot of throw-ins, a couple of corner kicks, but nothing would go in the back of the net.”
Upper Dublin came out strong in the second half and tied the game on a Tommy Clayton goal.
“Both goals were mostly the same, and hats off to both goalies,” Johnson said. “(They) had to deal with the sun in their eyes, it was really hard.
“On ours, the ball just got chipped into the area, and Kevin (Kretschman) is a fantastic goalie, and I guess the sun really bothered him enough that he literally couldn’t see anything.”
It made for an exciting rest of the second half.
“(Upper Dublin) came out and they possessed the ball, knocked the ball around,” Garber said. “We chased the ball a lot. They had some opportunities, but they didn’t finish.
“The goal they finished and tied it up was a ball that was put behind our defense, and it was just a mix-up between our goalkeeper and our defense. The kid got a foot on it and just knocked the ball on the floor past Kevin (Kretschman). It was just one of those goals – you get, I get it, no one gets it. The kid just got enough foot on it to knock it past Kevin, and it rolled in the back of the net to tie it up.
“They were pressing and trying to get the go-ahead goal. Our defense held up. We had a couple of chances late in the game, (but) didn’t finish.”
Then came the game-winner in overtime.
“We had another long throw-in,” Garber said. “The ball got thrown in the box in the mix, it bounces around, it lands on Luke O’Donnell’s foot, and he just hits a volley and buries it in the high part of the net, and game over in less than a minute in the first overtime period.”
The Ghosts’ coach lauded the efforts of several of his players.
“No question about it, Drew Paxson had a heck of a game,” Garber said. “Liam Hartman just works so hard up top, and he takes a beating every game. He’s scored 20 goals this year, and he scored 20 last year. Teams have to be afraid – they can’t let him free, so he holds defenses. You have to give Luke O’Donnell credit for finishing the winning goal.”
The outcome aside, Johnson acknowledged that facing Abington is always special.
“It’s always fun to play against Abington,” the UD coach said. “They’re like a big brother for us in the area, and whenever you can take it to big brother and give them a real run for their money and challenge them a little bit, it’s always fun to be a part of that whether you’re coaching, playing or even in the stands watching the game.”
For Abington (now 13-2-1, 12-1-1 SOL), it moves into the No. 6 spot in the District One Class 4A power rankings. It can clinch the division title and possibly move up in the rankings with wins against Wissahickon (Monday) and Quakertown (Wednesday) to close the regular season.
Upper Dublin (13-2-1, 11-2-1 SOL) is now No. 7 in the power rankings. Next week, it plays at Plymouth Whitemarsh Monday and hosts Hatboro-Horsham Wednesday.
Upper Dublin 0 1 0 – 1
Abington 1 0 1 – 2
Hatboro-Horsham 2, Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 (OT)
Isaac Kakiko scored the game-winning goal six minutes into overtime and Hatboro-Horsham came from behind to knock off Plymouth Whitemarsh Friday.
“Firdavs Mamdaliyev played a little bouncing through ball, and Isaac Kakiko ran onto it and got to it before the goalkeeper was able to come out and just headed him over it for the game-winner,” said H-H coach Kyle McGrath.
This one was back-and-forth between two teams looking to sharpen their games for the upcoming District One Class 4A playoffs. And PW opened the scoring with a Mason Clatterbuck goal seven minutes into the game.
“He had a great goal, curling into the far post upper 90,” McGrath said. “It was just a great shot.
“We didn’t play particularly well. PW was the better team for the whole 40 minutes, I would say. We did hit the crossbar once in the first half, but PW was definitely the more aggressive team.
“We talked at halftime about settling down and trying to find feet as much as we could instead of just trying to pump long balls over the top, and the guys responded well. Obviously, we haven’t been playing great recently, so it was good to bounce back.”
In the 63rd minute, the Hatters tied the game up.
“We got a free kick from maybe 22 yards out, and Jake Freedman, senior captain, stepped up and slotted it home to tie the game,” McGrath said. “After that we hit the crossbar two more times. All three of the crossbars were from JR Fulginiti.
“We just told them at the end of regulation – just keep pressing, keep playing the way you did in the second half because we were the better team in the second half.”
There was plenty of credit to go around once this win was secured.
“Anthony Pumilia started the season very well, he got injured, and he’s just working his way back,” McGrath said. “He played a ton of minutes today. We moved him into the center mid, and it changed what we were doing in the second half.
“Jake Freedman, obviously, and Thony Kuhner, my two other midfielders, stepped up and played the entire game. It was just good to get back in the win column and hopefully, we can keep that momentum going tomorrow morning.”
H-H (10-5, 9-4 SOL) is currently No. 13 in the district rankings after Friday win. It has a crossover game at Cheltenham Saturday morning (10 a.m.).
PW (8-7, 8-6 SOL) is now at No. 22 in the district rankings with a home game against Upper Dublin scheduled for Monday night.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 0 0 – 1
Hatboro-Horsham 0 1 1 – 2
SOL Colonial Division
Souderton 1, North Penn 0
In a game with huge playoff implications, Souderton made a case for itself with a 1-0 win that snapped the Indians’ four-game league losing streak.
“It was a great day for soccer,” said Souderton coach Matt Benner. “It was a good win for our boys. We’re hoping to finish strong here at the end of the year.
“It took a complete effort today from start to finish. I thought the boys played really well, so it was nice they got a result I think they deserved.”
After the win, the Indians are now at No. 28 for the 28-team District One Class 4A Tournament, which starts on Oct. 25.
Brayden Power scored the game’s only goal, in the 63rd minute, off an assist from Ethan Lacher.
“North Penn certainly had some chances in the second half after we took the lead,” Benner said. “They have so many good players across their lineup. Athleticism, skill and size, and they move the ball so well as a team, so they were able to get the ball onto the end line a couple of times and get the ball in the box. They gave us a couple scares.
“One might have hit the post and another almost cleared off the line. It was a little nervy ending. We knew they were going to throw everything at us. They have a lot of quality players, and they’re a very well-coached team, so we knew they were going to put a lot on us at the end, but we were able to fight them off and secure the win. It was really a good win for the boys.”
Benner had a lot of praise for his defense.
“Our back four today was fantastic,” he said. “Aidan Hennessey, Ethan Lacher, Ryan Schewe and Tyson Bui played the entire game back there today.
“Credit to our goalie, Chris McKenna, as well. He wasn’t called on too much, but he came up with a few when needed. Full credit to them. We knew it was going to be a game where we probably wouldn’t generate as many chances, and we had to be good on the ones that we did. We scored a really nice goal on a header halfway through the second half and saw it out.
“Brayden Power and Ty Quintois in the midfield both work so hard and do so much for the squad. Brayden has scored some really big goals for the team this season and I’m so happy for him and the success he’s having.”
Souderton (7-9, 6-9 SOL) closes its league schedule with a big game at home against Central Bucks East on Monday night (5 p.m.).
North Penn (7-8-1, 6-7-1 SOL) enters next week at No. 25 in the district rankings, with league games remaining against CB South (Monday) and CB East (Wednesday).
North Penn 0 0 – 0
Souderton 0 1 -1
SOL Patriot Division
Neshaminy 2, Bensalem 1
Neshaminy improved to 5-0-1 in its last six games and continued its late season surge to a possible District One playoff berth with a hard-fought win over Bensalem Friday.
With the win, Neshaminy is now unofficially at No. 29 for the 28-team district playoffs, with important games next week against Council Rock North on Monday and then a rematch at Bensalem on Wednesday.
“We’re certainly not going to get any style points today, but a win’s a win,” said Neshaminy coach Tom Foley. “We’ve been fortunate to take care of business. The last two haven’t been the prettiest wins, but sometimes that’s the way the season goes. You deserve to win a game you lose.
“We certainly didn’t deserve to lose, but it definitely wasn’t our ‘A’ effort. We’re going to have to bring our ‘A’ effort against Rock North on Monday if we want to win that game.”
The Redskins started strong as Joe Joe Maxwell gave his team the lead off a Kaleb Raymond assist, in the 29th minute.
“We started off really well,” Foley said. “The first 10 minutes we did some things we’ve been working on at practice a lot. We had a really nice buildup, and Joe Joe (Maxwell) hit the post. He had a couple of other near misses. We just didn’t cash them in.
“Kaleb Raymond lofted a ball to Joe Joe, and he headed it past their keeper.I think we got a little content and we stopped playing, and Bensalem started winning more balls. They didn’t really put pressure on the goal, but they just kept beating us to balls, and the play was between the 18s.”
Maxwell’s influence on this game wasn’t over.
“Bensalem was pushing forward a little bit,” Foley said. “It was a little physical. Joe Joe got sprung free, and he beat their keeper, who came way out of goal and was 40 yards out. Joe Joe beat him to the ball, he knocked the ball around him, and (the goalie) tripped him, and he got a red card, so we were a man up from the 50th minute on.”
Then, in the 52nd minute, Raymond scored on a penalty kick to make it 2-0.
Bensalem didn’t go away, cutting the lead to 2-1 in the 65th minute, as Collin Meo converted a penalty kick.
“Bensalem had a free kick from 45 yards out and lofted it to the 18,” Foley said. “The boys were going for it, and the feet got tangled up. Everyone was going for the ball, and the Bensalem kid went down, and they called a PK against us.
“To (Bensalem’s) credit, they never quit. Even though they were down a man, they played hard, they worked really hard. They some free kicks, but our wall stopped most of their free kicks. That took a little pressure off us.
“Full marks to them – they probably outworked us. They won a lot more balls than we did, but we’ll take the win, we’ll move on and see what we can do against Council Rock North on
Monday.”
Foley credited the play of Jack Sexton on defense.
“He comes up and does all our throw-ins (and) he throws the ball about 35-40 yards a pop every time he comes up the field, so that’s a dangerous weapon,” he said. “He’s continually gotten better and better in the back.
“Owen Beideman did a nice job getting up and down the right side. He did well, and, of course, Joe Joe gave a valiant effort. He’s got a bum knee and he gave us about 55 minutes as best he could. He had to come off. He got a goal, and we got one when he went off to go up 2-0. We rely on him to do a lot of stuff, so our energy dropped a little bit when he went off, but we managed to secure the win.”
Bensalem (2-11-1, 2-10-1 SOL) is back at it Saturday afternoon against Pennsbury at home.
Bensalem 0 1 – 1
Neshaminy 1 1 – 2
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