Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Tuesday. Wissahickon/Upper Dublin photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko Photography. New Hope-Solebury/Springfield Twp photos courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for galleries of both games.
SOL Freedom Division
Lower Moreland 2, Springfield Twp 0
Everything was on the line under the lights at Lower Moreland Tuesday night, and the host Lions emerged with the win and captured the SOL Freedom Division title against the second-place Spartans.
“Tonight was a huge win for our program as it solidified a league title that we haven’t had since 2004,” said Lions coach Bob Barnhart. “We have been struggling a little lately with the long season and tonight I was glad to see us pull together as a unit to secure a win and the title for the Freedom Division.”
Tim Kroll was the offensive standout for Lower Moreland, as he scored both goals.
“He got us on the board in the first half, in front of the goal with a scrappy goal from a few feet out,” Barnhart said. “He crashed the goal and was able to poke it past the keeper.
“I felt a little anxious energy so I made a comment to try to cut the nervous energy: ‘Tim, in 15 years that goal will be from 20 yards out upper ‘90.’
“In the second half, that’s exactly how he scored his second of the night.”
Barnhart also credited the defense, including sophomore Aiden Linus, and senior Braden Alecia.
LM (11-2-2, 11-2-2 SOL) wraps up the regular season Thursday at William Tennent. The Lions are currently No. 3 in the Class 3A district playoff rankings. Springfield (12-4-1, 10-4-1 SOL) looks to bounce back at home against Cheltenham Thursday. The Spartans are No. 4 in the power rankings.
Lower Moreland 1 1 – 2
Springfield 0 0 – 0
New Hope-Solebury 2, Cheltenham 1 (OT)
Jake Hausner scored the game winner in overtime, as New Hope put together an all-around team effort to earn its second win of the season in its final home game.
Ethan Sirken scored the Lions’ other goal.
“We played great as a team,” said coach David Bachart. “Kyle Northrup played great defense and created opportunities up top. Sirken and Hausner were great up top creating scoring opportunities. It was a team win tonight.”
New Hope (2-14, 2-12 SOL) plays at Upper Moreland on Thursday. Cheltenham (2-13, 1-13 SOL) plays at Springfield.
New Hope 2
Cheltenham 1
Upper Moreland 1, William Tennent 0
Short-handed, the Golden Bears – thanks to a goal by Logan Taylor – found a way to get it done Tuesday night and kept its District One Class 3A playoff hopes alive with the win over the Panthers.
“I started a JV guy who never played varsity – Aidan Scullin – and he played the entire game,” said UM coach Justin Allegra. “When I get there, I have no idea who’s playing or who’s not playing. I can’t set my lineup in the morning because in the morning, I don’t know who’s coming to school, who’s sick.”
Upper Moreland (8-6-3, 6-6-3 SOL) is currently the No. 8 team in the power rankings for the eight-team Class 3A tournament, with a Thursday home game against New Hope-Solebury remaining for the regular season.
“This was a huge win,” Allegra said. “We need to win out the next two games to probably make it into districts. We got the big victory tonight. I love playing Tennent. They’re just well coached across the board. There’s no gamesmanship going on. Pretty much everyone played incredible defense, and we gutted out a victory.”
UM scored midway through the first half and then found a way to get it done from that point on.
“On a cross from a corner, one kid went up, and the ball was just laying there,” Allegra said. “Logan Taylor sweeps it in for the 1-0 score and we got into halftime up 1-0.
“It was back and forth. They had multiple opportunities, we had multiple opportunities that we missed, and then the game took a turn at the 20-minute mark of the second half.
“They gave our goalie – no warning, nothing – a yellow card for delay of game, so I had to play a freshman goalie, Anthony Carson, who’s never ever played anything, and he had to play seven minutes of a varsity game when he’s winning 1-0 and our best player goes down with possibly a concussion.
“We’re playing with a freshman goalie, and he pretty much held it together for those seven minutes so I could get our goalie, Aaron Snyder, back on. We just locked it in, played hard defense and gutted out the victory.”
Tennent (7-8-2, 7-7-1 SOL) hosts Lower Moreland in its season finale on Thursday.
Upper Moreland 1 0 – 1
Tennent 0 0 – 0
SOL Liberty Division
Abington 3, Plymouth Whitemarsh 1
On Senior Night in Abington, the Galloping Ghosts honored its 10 seniors and then won a hard-fought game against the visiting Colonials.
“It sounds like it wasn’t a good game, but it was a very good game,” coach Randy Garber said.
Plymouth Whitemarsh opened the scoring, only to see Thiago Danielle tie it up for Abington with six minutes left before halftime.
Danielle played a role in both of Abington’s decisive second-half goals as well.
“Thiago beat two players in the box and played a ball off to Liam Hartman, and Liam scored his 20th goal,” said Garber about the score that made it 2-1.
Then, Danielle did it again later in the half.
“Thiago once again beat two or three players in the box, played a ball across, and Drew Paxson scored his first goal of the season,” said Garber.
Danielle, who is from Brazil, transferred to Abington last year when he moved to the area. He was a welcome addition to the Ghosts this fall and has 18 assists on the season.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time, and this is the first time I’ve ever come across someone moving into the district like Thiago and being as good as he is,” Garber said. “He’s by far the best player in our league; he’s just a handful. Most teams struggle trying to figure out what to do with him.
“Liam Hartman just gets in position, and Thiago is capable of threading the ball for him to score goals. It’s actually quite a combination.”
Garber also credited his goalkeeper Kevin Kretschman
“PW fought to the very end,” he said. “It was our Senior Night, so a lot of our seniors played, but PW did a fine job. They should be in the tournament, they deserve to be in the tournament because it’s a very good team.
“The difference is, against Hatboro-Horsham, we didn’t finish, they packed it in, and tonight when you play straight up with them, we find a way to bury some goals, and that was the difference in the result. Kevin (Kretschman) saved them or their shots went wide. It could have been 3-2, it could have been 3-3. That’s how many chances they had.”
Abington (14-2-1, 12-2-1 SOL) concludes the regular season against Quakertown Thursday before heading off to district playoff action next week. The Ghosts are currently No. 4 in the power rankings. PW (9-7, 9-6 SOL) is No. 25 and on the playoff bubble. It concludes the regular season at home against Wissahickon Thursday.
Abington 1 2 – 3
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 0 – 1
Hatboro-Horsham 3, Quakertown 0
After a scoreless first half, the Hatters took control of the game in the second half and never looked back to score the shutout win over the Panthers.
“I thought we played well in the first half, but we just didn’t finish our opportunities,” said H-H coach Kyle McGrath. “We traded some opportunities. Their goalkeeper made a really nice save off of a corner kick. We hit the crossbar, so we were just a little bit off in the first half.
“In the second half, Nick (Katherine) hit the crossbar again, so it was good to generate opportunities. Obviously, we finished a few in the second half.”
Katherine played a part in both of H-H’s first two goals.
“Nick Katherine made a great play, beat a guy on the endline, came across the box and played a ball across,” McGrath said. “Ryan Toporowski came forward from midfield to finish it to make it 1-0.”
In the 51st minute, Katherine was taken down on a foul in the box, and Tommy Harmon knocked home the PK to make it 2-0. Jack Elwell scored from Jake Friedman for the Hatters’ third goal.”
Defensively, the Hatters also held strong throughout.
“Both my goalkeepers – Noah Schlosser and Christian Rombola – got to play tonight, which was important,” McGrath said. “This was our 10th shutout of the season, so obviously, my back four – Tommy Shegogue, Caleb Hudson, Jaccob Kim and Paul Guevara – did the job again. It was just an overall good team result.”
H-H (11-6, 10-5 SOL) is currently No. 15 in the district power rankings with a home game remaining Thursday against Upper Dublin. Quakertown (2-15, 1-14 SOL) plays at Abington Thursday.
Hatboro-Horsham 0 3 – 3
Quakertown 0 0 – 0
Wissahickon 2, Upper Dublin 1 (OT)
It was dramatic and Wissahickon kept its playoff hopes alive with the overtime win over rival Upper Dublin.
Phil Dias was the hero for the Trojans, tying the game with five minutes left in regulation and then winning with five minutes remaining in overtime.
“Phil scored the first goal playing right back,” said Wissahickon coach Stuart Malcolm. “We moved him up to center forward for overtime. He’s the kind of kid wherever you tell him to play, he’ll play.”
As for the game-winner:
“We basically threw it into the box, it bounced around and he got on the end of that,” Malcolm said. “We haven’t been good at that this year. We were fortunate he put it away.”
Wissahickon (8-8-1, 8-7 SOL) is still holding out hopes for a Class 4A district bid. It entered the night at No. 31 in what will be a 24-team field.
“This has been a tough year for them,” Malcolm said. “People not being able to be out there (because of) injuries. We’ve knocked the ball around, but we’ve struggled to put good opportunities together.
“We play PW on Thursday afternoon. It is basically number crunching. We had to win today and hope to get a win Thursday. If the results fall our way, we’ll get in. If not, at least we will have had a good final week of the season.”
Upper Dublin (8-9, 8-7 SOL) entered Tuesday right behind Wissahickon in the power rankings at No. 32. It concludes the regular season at Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday.
Upper Dublin 1 0 0 – 1
Wissahickon 0 1 1 – 2
SOL Patriot Division
Council Rock South 4, Bensalem 0
The Golden Hawks needed a big win on the road and got just that, clinching at least a tie for the Patriot Division title with the shutout of the Owls.
CR South is 9-5-1 (11-5-1 overall) with 28 points after the win. Second-place Neshaminy is three points back with 25. If South takes care of business Thursday against Harry S. Truman, it will win the title outright.
Tuesday, the Hawks got a superb effort from goalkeeper Kieran Barry.
“The big game-changer happened with 20 minutes left when Kieran Barry saved a Bensalem PK to keep our two-goal advantage,” said CR South coach Alan Nicholl. “George O’Brien scored five minutes later to put the game out of reach. It would have been a different looking finish if Bensalem scores that PK. Full credit to Kieran for another heroic night. He’s been sensational for us all season long and the clean sheet tonight was all him. He was simply flawless.”
Gave Hagan scored first for the Hawks off a Lex Lenoir throw-in in the 15th minute to make it a 1-0 game at halftime. Mike Burns scored in the 50th minute with an 18-yard strike.
O’Brien and Frankie Rafferty also scored for CR South.
“We were very organized with our approach tonight,” Nicholl said. “Bensalem is a very dangerous team and can really hurt you if you’re not paying attention.
“Vic Pumo was excellent with keeping Omar Padilla in check and not giving him room to operate in Bensalem’s midfield, but the night has to go to Kieran Barry.”
Bensalem (4-12-1, 4-11 SOL) wraps up its season against Neshaminy at home on Thursday.
CR South 1 3 – 4
Bensalem 0 0 – 0
Neshaminy 1, Council Rock North 0
Jose Rivera scored the game-winner 10 minutes into the second half, as Neshaminy won on Senior Night and kept its playoff hopes alive with the shutout of the visiting Indians.
“Richie Faul lofted a nice lofted diagonal ball that just cleared the back of the defense, and Jose Rivera was running onto it,” said Neshaminy coach Tom Foley. “It was bouncing a little bit, and he put a nice little touch and dinked it over the goaltender’s head into the goal.
“We definitely needed the win just to keep whatever minimal playoff hopes alive. It was good for the seniors. This is their last regular season game in the stadium, so it was nice to go out on top.”
Neshaminy had other scoring chances, but couldn’t cash in.
“It was a typical Neshaminy game,” Foley said. “We hit two crossbars, had a couple of headballs over the crossbar just by inches. The goaltender had a save he had to parry over the crossbar, so it was a typical game for us, getting some chances but we just can’t cash them in.”
On the other end, Neshaminy was able to shut down the CR North offensive attack.
“Both my senior goaltenders – Logan Glidea and Casey Foley – combined for the shutout,” Foley said. “Casey had a nice save in the second half, and Logan managed the box well. He didn’t really have a lot of saves to make.
“We buttoned them up pretty well, and we were fortunate to get the win and beat Council Rock North, a scrappy team that is working all the time. It was a nice win.”
The Redskins welcomed Connor Steele back in the lineup. The senior midfielder played a key role in Neshaminy’s run to a district title last fall.
“He played well,” Foley said. “He’s been sidelined with a knee injury for the bulk of the season, and we certainly missed him. He was one of our defensive stalwarts last year. He’s one of our more technical midfielders, and he’s really good about switching the play so it was nice to have him back in the lineup.
“Richie Faul played really well, but compliments to all the seniors. All the seniors that went in did a really nice job for us to get us the win.”
Foley somehow gave all 20 of his seniors 15-20 minutes of playing time in the Senior Night win.
“With having so many seniors, it was good that we were able to play all of them so many minutes because usually you don’t get away with that many minutes on a typical Senior Night game,” the Redskins’ coach said. “They all carried their weight well and did a nice job for us, so they earned their playing time tonight, so it was good for them.”
Neshaminy (8-5-4, 7-4-4 SOL) entered the night No. 28 in the power rankings and 24 teams qualify for the District One Class 4A Tournament. It needs to win Bensalem and hope the math adds for a spot in the postseason.
CR North (6-9-1, 6-8-1 SOL) hosts Pennsbury in its finale on Thursday.
Neshaminy 0 1 – 1
CR North 0 0 – 0
Pennsbury 2, Harry S Truman 1 (OT)
Sophomore Saad Williams scored the game-winner for Pennsbury on the road Thursday night, giving the Falcons the much-needed victory.
“We really played downhill in the first four minutes of overtime,” said Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart. “We created a couple of chances, and then finally one broke loose.
“Our sophomore, Saad Williams, was on the spot to bury it and end the game for us to get us back in the win column.”
The win was just the second in the last seven games for a young Falcons’ squad.
“I feel good for the kids,” Stoddart said. “They’ve been trying, keeping their heads up. The trainings have been good and spirited despite the struggles. We just haven’t been able to put the ball in the back of the net, and when we don’t get off to a quick start, we get behind the 8-ball and are struggling to get the games home.
“It felt good to compete. Truman was fantastic tonight. It was an amazing atmosphere, so I really appreciate them letting us be a part of it. We’ll take the win and the experience. I’m very happy for my boys.”
The host Tigers, who celebrated Senior Night, led this one at halftime, 1-0, after a penalty kick.
“Their number 11 took the kick, Justin Brown made a great save, but he followed it up and knocked it in,” Stoddart said. “Number 11 just really played an inspired game for them at the top. Number 18 in the center midfield and number seven in the back were very solid for them all night.”
Almin Hadzovic tied it up with 15 minutes to play in regulation.
“He did a nice little tricky restart again, similar to the one he had against Neshaminy early in the year,” Foley said. “It was a great atmosphere tonight.
“It was their Senior Night and they had a ton of fans there. I’m just really jealous that their community gives them an opportunity to have a night like that. It’s something we don’t have. We have six or seven night games, all on the road.”
Pennsbury (5-9-2, 5-9-1 SOL) wrap up its season Thursday at CR North. Truman (0-16, 0-15 SOL) plays at CR South on Thursday.
Pennsbury 0 1 1 – 2
Truman 1 0 0 – 0
SOL Colonial Division
Central Bucks East 4, Central Bucks West 0
The Patriots led by just a goal at halftime in a close game, before scoring three times to put their archrival Bucks away in the second half.
“I’m not so sure the score was indicative of the game, but our defense really held us in it,” said East coach Josh Isaacsohn. “We went into halftime 1-0, and to our defense’s credit kept us in it. West had some opportunities and had a bit of a time finding the net. (West coach Stefan Szygiel) and their coaching staff does such a nice job of getting the boys ready.
“You could tell they had scouted us, looked at what we had, and they had a good game plan going in. In the second half, it started to open up a little more. It was a nice win and put us ready to go against a really tough North Penn team on Thursday.”
Michael Frye scored East’s first goal in the 11th minute, off an assist from Nick Knepp.
In the second half, Knepp scored twice in a three-minute span, in the 49th and 52nd minutes and just like that it was a 3-0 game. Drew Owen and Cole Hedden had assists.
Liam Darreff scored from Prenav Kuppuswamy in the 77th minute to conclude the scoring.
“My keeper, Casey Prajzner, had an incredible game,” Isaacsohn said. “Honestly, for the seniors, it’s been a really big deal for them to play against West, and I was able to get in all my seniors between the first and second game we played against West. We had every field player and three senior keepers (who) all got to get some time, and that means the world. To me personally as a coach, I think the rivalry game is a bigger deal for the seniors to get into than Senior Night, and I was really, really happy and proud that we were able to do that.”
East (10-4-3, 9-3-3 SOL), currently No. 13 in the district power rankings, closes out the regular season Thursday at North Penn. West (5-11-1, 5-9-1 SOL) wraps up its season at Souderton.
CB East 1 3 – 4
CB West 0 0 – 0
Souderton 0, Pennridge 0 (2 OT)
The Rams had their eyes set on taking another step toward a possible division title, but instead ran into a determined rival still fighting for its playoff lives.
When it was over, 100 minutes couldn’t settle this one, as the two teams ended up with a scoreless tie.
“The sun and the wind definitely had its advantages,” said Pennridge coach Pete Valimont. “We had the sun and the wind in our face the first half, and they did a heck of a job. They had their plan, they knew exactly how to attack us. Coach (Matt) Benner and his staff did a great job preparing them.
“We just weathered the storm, and we were lucky on a couple. With five or six seconds left in the first half, the ball was basically shot literally on the six or just inside the six, and fortunately for us, it cleared over the crossbar, so we could have easily been down 1-0 or 2-0 at halftime. We had a couple of chances first half, nothing too threatening.”
The advantage changed in the second half.
“In the second half, we had a couple,” Valimont said. “Hit the post on one and then had a restart in overtime. Again, they had some chances too. This is probably the most even game we’ve had the entire year. It was just another good battle between two Colonial teams, end of the season, trying to get in, trying to get the highest seed we can.
“In overtime, they had some chances, and we had a chance right at the end, but it didn’t go our way.”
There may not have been any goals scored, but there were standouts.
“Our goalie, in my opinion, played lights out,” Valimont said. “CJ Dimmick made at least four ridiculous saves. One in the first half was a bang-bang putback, made a save, got back up, pushed it over for a corner. He really brought his ‘A’ game.
“I don’t feel anyone needs to specifically be shouted out because it was such an even effort for everyone, but CJ really did a heck of a job to keep the shutout. Overall, it was just a great team effort.”
The tie puts Pennridge at 10-2-3 in Colonial Division play, with one game left – Thursday night against CB South.
“We’re doing everything we can to win,” Valimont said. “We know where we are in the standings for a division title. We know where we are with the playoff seeds. We’ll regroup, rest up. We have Senior Night on Thursday against CB South.”
Souderton (9-4-3, 7-4-3 SOL) entered the day at No. 17 in the district power-point rankings and likely will be in the field. The Indians host CB West Thursday.
Souderton 0 0 0 0 – 0
Pennridge 0 0 0 0 – 0
North Penn 1, Central Bucks South 0
Jovani Gonzalez turned a pass from Alex Stewart into a goal in the 15th minute, and that goal stood as the game-winner.
Gabe Kemp earned the shutout in goal.
“Our central midfield and defense held on late to secure the win,” said NP coach Chris DePeppe. “Hunter Stites, Alex Stewart, Ryan Mindick and Nate Kim had outstanding games.”
North Penn (12-4, 11-3 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Thursday at 7 p.m. and then close out its regular season on Saturday when the Knights will host Souderton (2 p.m.). Both games will have division title implications for the Knights, who are No. 10 in the latest district power rankings.
Central Bucks South (9-7-1, 7-7-1) will travel to Pennridge on Thursday for its regular season finale at 7 p.m. The game looms large for the Titans, who are No. 24 in the power rankings in what will be a 24-team field in the District One 4A Tournament.
North Penn 1 0 – 1
Central Bucks South 0 0 – 0
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