Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Thursday. Pennsbury/CR North photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Patriot
NESHAMINY 3, BENSALEM 0
The Redskins erupted for three second-half goals, blowing open a close game and clinching sole possession of the SOL Patriot Division title.
“I knew that if we won and Pennsbury won we’d win it,” Neshaminy coach Tom Foley said. “The boys knew 10 seconds after the game was over.
“It was a nice accomplishment. We’ve played very, very well in the league. We’ve only given up one goal in the league, and that’s a tribute to the defense. The one goal was on a free kick inside of our penalty area, so I’m not upset with that one. They deserved it, they’ve played well since we started playing again. I’m really happy for the kids. This was their goal when they were sophomores. They knew they were going to be a pretty good side when they got to be seniors. They’ve earned that league championship, and even in this odd year, it’s something they can never get taken away from them. It’s well deserved.”
The two teams battled to a scoreless halftime tie.
“They played pretty well in the first half,” Foley said of the Owls. “They had some opportunities from outside the 18, they had a couple of dangerous free kicks – they had one that bounced off a Bensalem kid, bounced off the ground and bounced over the crossbar, so we were a little fortunate on that one.
“We created some chances later in the half, and that last pass was letting us down. We were making some good runs, but we’d hit it off the outside of our foot, it was too heavy and we knocked it right to the goalkeeper.”
Things changed in the second half.
“Our kids came out with their hair on fire in the second half,” Foley said. “About 10 minutes into the half, we had a long throw on the right side, and it went through the box to Lou Salmi, our left back.
“He collected it off the end line and chipped it back into the mix, and Mike Albarran headed it in for our first goal.”
The Redskins kept the pressure on, and five minutes later, they were awarded a penalty kick.
“As our year has gone, we missed a PK,” Foley said. “It’s our third one this year, so we have to practice the PKs.
“With about 17-18 left in the game, Jojo Maxwell collected the ball around the corner of the 18, he slipped it to Jose Rivera, he took it to the endline and pulled it back, and Vince DiMaria beat the keeper and hammered it underneath him. It was a really nice goal to make it 2-0.”
The Redskins’ final goal came in the closing seconds of the game.
“We were just trying to milk the clock, and Jojo was in the corner, holding the ball, holding the ball,” Foley said. “One of their kids whacked him and got a yellow card. We put it back in play, and one of their kids came up and whacked him even harder, and he got a red card.
“We put it back in play. It squirted out to Vince DiMaria, who gave it to Gavin Rowan. Gavin kind of dribbled across the 18 to about the penalty spot and just ripped a third goal. It was a really nice goal.
“In the second half, we played our characteristic defense. We were really pretty strong. We didn’t give up any good looks in the second half. It was a well-deserved 3-0 game. It was pretty even in the first half, but overall, I thought we really took it to them in the second half.”
There was plenty of credit to go around after the decisive win.
“I think our defensive midfielder – Connor Steele – has been very good the last handful of games,” Foley said. “He was winning every headball for us. You look at him, and he’s not the tallest kid in the world, but he’s got an incredible vertical leap, so he’s just winning everything for us.
“Cole Jackson played exceptionally well in the midfield – he was all over the field. My backline – Ian Siwinski, Lou Salmi, Mike Albarran, Ryan Schoeneman and AJ Rivera – all did a nice job in the back.”
Neshaminy (7-1-2, 5-0-2 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North on Monday, and Bensalem (2-4) will host Council Rock North on Friday.
Bensalem 0-0 0
Neshaminy 0-3 3
PENNSBURY 3, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
The Falcons opened up a 2-0 halftime lead and never looked back on their way to the shutout win over an Indian squad that was back in action after seeing its season halted last week due to COVID-19 cases in the school.
Jaden Haig turned in yet another stellar outing, contributing a pair of goals, including the game’s first goal midway through the first half.
“It was just a great individual effort,” coach Tom Stoddart said. “He picked a ball up at midfield. Everyone knew what he was going to do, but knowing what he’s going to do and being able to stop it are two different things.
“He’s playing at another level. He was able to carry the ball all the way from midfield, kind of dance around and get the finish. The second goal came right after that. We made a quick lineup change, and it made an instant impact.”
Alvin Wang scored to make it a 2-0 game, a score that held until halftime.
“I pushed him in an up-high position just because he’s so athletic, and he’s got some pace,” Stoddart said of Wang. “He just overplayed a poor pass by the defender back to the goalie and was able to just pass it across the goal line. He kind of stole the second one, which was huge.
“We played really well in the first half. We made a couple of mistakes in the second half, but (goalkeeper) Michael Caissie saved our bacon with three huge saves. We were actually playing well but we made a mistake, they got an opportunity, but we saved it. We were playing well, made a mistake and saved another one, and then Council Rock got some energy off those two attempts, and they were able to hold the pace for a while. We were finally able to get the ball back and control it a little bit, and Jaden (Haig) was able to get us a finish with about five minutes to go.”
Stoddart lauded the showings of several players.
“Jaden Haig was fantastic,” the Falcons’ coach said. “Our defense was great – another clean sheet, and when they weren’t great, Michael (Caissie) was there to save them a couple of times. Michael Caissie, especially in the second half was absolutely fantastic.”
Comprising the Falcons’ strong backline were Trevor Hart, Aidan Tonrey, Colby Goldschmidt and Danny Snyder.
Pennsbury (5-3-1, 4-3-1 SOL) will take on La Salle in a non-league contest Friday. Council Rock North (1-5, 1-3) will travel to Bensalem Friday.
Council Rock North 0-0 0
Pennsbury 2-1 3
SOL Colonial
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 3, PENNRIDGE 1
The Titans struck in a hurry in Thursday’s conference finale, erupting for a pair of goals in the opening minutes of the contest and taking a lead they would not lose.
It was Kyle Rychlak turning a Nick Biello pass into a goal.
“We had a really nice build of play,” coach Joe Coscia said. “Nick is our right wing and found a ball out wide to him, and he played a really nice and hard ball back into the box that Kyle – who’s our left wing – ran onto and finished.”
Shortly thereafter, the Titans scored in an almost a replay of the first, this time with Sean Rieber scoring off another Biello assist to spot the Titans a 2-0 lead.
With 10 minutes remaining in the half, the Rams cut that lead in half on a header by sophomore Shane Velez with an assist from Connor Gable on a corner kick.
“We spoke at halftime that when they got their goal back, they found some energy that they were lacking in the earlier part of the game,” Coscia said. “I encouraged our guys to really take it to them at the start of the second half, and that’s exactly what we did.
“Very early on in the second half, we set the ball up. Taso Malitas received it, laid it back to one of the midfielders and played Taso into a 1v1 against the goalie, and he finished the goal.”
That 2-1 lead stood the rest of the way.
“Hats off to Joe (Coscia) and all of them – their effort was better than ours, and we deserved the result that we got,” Pennridge coach Pete Valimont said. “We’re going to be in a tough spot now trying to find someone to play and work our way in (districts) if we can.
“It’s unfortunate given how we’ve played this season, but these are the cards we’re dealt. We just made it a lot more difficult, but we’ll do our best and see what happens.”
Coscia praised the performances of several players in the big win.
“I definitely want to give a shoutout to Ryan Gross, my goalkeeper,” the Titans’ coach said. “He definitely had some clutch plays that kept us in the game. There wasn’t anything he could have done about the goal that we gave up – it wasn’t his fault at all.
“Logan Campbell and Shane Landue on the back line as well as Dennis Cleary and Mike Monser who are on the back line – they really shut them down. Even with Aiden Castle and his speed, we really didn’t let him get in behind us in a dangerous position to keep Pennridge in the game.
“I want to give Corey Bethel a shoutout, probably playing his last game as a senior for South after four years on varsity. He really just was a rock in the middle of the field, disrupting their passing, creating opportunities for us. He did have a couple shots in the game. Only one fell on target, but he was just a rock in the middle of the field. I told the seniors – ‘That’s a (heck) of a game to walk off the field on.’ Hopefully, it’s not but flip a coin.”
Central Bucks South closed out conference play with a 5-5 record, but in the ever-changing District One 3A power rankings that includes an Upper Merion team that has played just two games at number nine, the Titans were 15 after Thursday’s win. Teams must play six games to be eligible for district play.
“We’ll see how everything plays out because I know this season doesn’t technically end until Wednesday,” Coscia said. “We’re going to have to wait and see, stay loose, rest our legs, see if some of the chips fall our way and maybe keep playing.
“I’m practicing with the boys tomorrow, going to have a fun cool-down day, talk to some of the upperclassmen with my coaches about things we’re looking for them to improve on for next year, a little exit interview for the seniors. We’re just going to have to watch how things happen over the weekend and maybe schedule a session Tuesday if there looks like there might be a chance, but really at this point, it’s just hurry up and wait for us.”
Pennridge, ranked 19th in what will be a 16-team field, closed out league play with a 5-5 record (5-6 overall).
Pennridge 1-0 1
Central Bucks South 2-1 3
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1, SOUDERTON 1 (2 OT)
CB West and Souderton have played 200 minutes of soccer – twice going into double overtime this season. Neither game could determine a winner as both ended in identical 1-1 ties.
Both goals in Thursday’s rematch were scored in the final 10 minutes of regulation when the Bucks got on the scoreboard on a goal by Tommy Monahan with a Luke Parlee assist.
“It was a good goal,” West coach Stefan Szygiel said. “We worked the ball into a dangerous area, and Luke was able to go at the defender and get to the endline and then pull the ball back. He was able to find a good pass to Tommy about 12 out. Tommy had a good first-time finish. It was good to see.
“Tommy is a junior for us, a good player who got a lot of minutes this year and will be back next year, so it was good to see him open his scoring account. It was good to see Parlee get another stat for us.”
Although that 1-0 lead loomed large, it held up for just seven minutes as Thomas Smith found the net for the Indians, using a Ty Quintois assist. Overtime could not determine a winner, and the two teams were forced to settle for the tie.
“It’s kind of been our MO all year,” Szygiel said. “We’ve been conceding late goals in halves and games. The numbers don’t lie, the results don’t lie. You have five 1-0 losses and a 1-1 tie where you again get scored on with three minutes remaining in the game. It’s been a huge, glaring problem for us all year. You can’t advance to the postseason with those types of habits.
“The senior class is definitely one we’ll miss in a lot of ways. We hope they had a good experience with us. Every high school player has a different experience, so hopefully, they’re leaving us as better young men that when they entered.”
Central Bucks West closed out its conference season with a 2-6-2 record.
“Obviously, we want to wish all the teams who qualified for districts the best,” Szygiel said. “Whoever gets into the state tournament goes straight to the state semifinals. In a modified year, you have a much shorter path to get there. A lot of the things this year were hard to swallow in terms of the decisions made, and all we can do is try and frame it for the kids – ‘Look guys, this is what it is. It’s changed day to day.’
“I don’t envy the job all these districts have. I don’t mind saying – I don’t agree with only 16 teams getting in. It was a hard decision to make. In a year like this, we could have started the tournament Friday, Oct. 30. You could have let more teams in, and that would have mitigated teams playing six games versus teams playing 12. I just don’t understand why we didn’t start the tournament earlier and not just for boys’ soccer.
“The hardest thing to do is play a full season and then grind through districts to qualify for states and then to try and grind through a state tournament. This year – more than ever – it’s less of a grind and more about having a good week or two. So be it, I don’t agree with how it’s playing out because I genuinely think if we had a couple more games we could sneak into the back end of a 24 or 28-team field, which is what we are. We’re a back end playoff team, maybe. A lot of teams I know feel the same way. I wish I could get a couple more (games) and try and get in there, but that’s not the way it is this year.”
Souderton wrapped up its conference season with a 3-4-3 record and awaits its fate when the District One 3A Tournament bracket is announced next Wednesday.
Souderton 0-1-0-0 1
Central Bucks West 0-1-0-0 1
NORTH PENN 2, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1
Josh Jones buried a penalty kick with no time on the clock to propel the Knights to the dramatic win. Hunter Stites scored the Knights’ first goal 16 minutes into the second half.
North Penn closed out its conference season with an 8-2 record while Central Bucks East was 4-5-1.
SOL Liberty
UPPER DUBLIN 2, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
The Flying Cardinals fell to Hatboro-Horsham 2-1 in overtime in the first go-round in conference play. None of them had forgotten. On Thursday, they avenged that loss with a shutout win, their fourth in a row after a 2-3-1 start.
“We were prepared for them,” UD coach Andy Meehan said. “We film every game, so we saw what our mistakes were against them the first time, and we saw vulnerabilities in the way they play. We had a game plan going in, and our players executed it to perfection.”
UD didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard. Sean Seabrook found the net in the sixth minute, using a Zach Berman assist.
“Since Abington our first game, we’ve really focused on starting strong, and the boys have responded,” Meehan said. “Zach has been getting up and down the wing very, very well. He got one-on-one and he was able to get by the defender. He put a cross in, and Sean was able to get a touch and – with his back to the goal – turn and get a shot that just snuck into the corner.
“It was almost like a typical goal for us. We were attacking down the wing, Sean was in the right spot and was able to receive it and put it in the right direction to the corner of the goal. We started strong, and we never looked back.”
The Cardinals took that 1-0 lead into halftime.
“We had the better of play,” Meehan said. “They had one or two chances but nothing that they obviously should have scored on or gave us too much of a worry.”
Berman set up UD’s second goal – a header by Sam Moss – with a corner kick.
“It was Sam’s first goal of this year, and it was off a corner kick which we have been working on this entire week,” Meehan said. “It’s been a focus for us, trying to perfect our set pieces – corner kicks, free kicks.
“We had a couple against Wissahickon we weren’t able to convert, but this time we were able to convert. Zach found Sam on the back post, and he just buried it home with his head.”
The Cardinals’ coach lauded the efforts of several players in the win.
“Sam Moss played tremendous in that holding mid role,” Meehan said. “He was able to stop their attack every single time and slow them down. He was able to actually start our attack as well and get the ball out wide.
“Ethan Hill, who is a senior, played outside back on the left side, and our other outside back, Elias Abebe – they did phenomenal in the outside back roles, and that was the area we wanted to focus on against them. We were able to continue to keep possession of the ball because they press, and they press very well, but if you’re able to find that release valve, it ruins their press and causes a little bit of disorganization amongst them, and under pressure, we were able to be calm and cool and just pass out of it and keep control of the ball and attack them when they were disorganized.”
Upper Dublin (6-3-1 SOL) – 14th in the ever-changing power rankings – awaits its fate in the District One 3A Tournament.
“We’re playing our best soccer right now, and we’re just hitting our stride,” Meehan said. “I’m hoping we get into that top 16. The sophomores we’ve had have grown, the seniors have continually led and they’ve grown as well, but they’re getting into the groove. I’m hoping we get into the playoffs. I don’t care what seed because I know that we’re going in at the right time, we’re playing the right way going into it.”
Hatboro-Horsham completed its conference season with a 6-4 record and is 17th in the latest rankings in what will be a 16-team tournament.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0 0
Upper Dublin 1-1 2
WISSAHICKON 2, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1
It was another day and another one-goal game for the Trojans. A late goal by Jake Slackman was the difference in this one.
“We’ve tried to play a decent brand of soccer,” coach Stuart Malcolm said. “Today was a little tough. Their keeper had a 70-yard punt, so we had to talk about winning the first balls, and I thought we did a good job with that.
“Throughout the season, we’ve talked about why we’ve been on the wrong side of one-goal games. I don’t think we’ve had anything more than a one-goal game in all the games we’ve won or lost. Once we’ve done a better job of winning the first ball, we’ve been successful. When we haven’t, we’ve lost it.”
The Colonials struck first, hitting paydirt on a penalty kick in the opening half. They took that 1-0 lead into halftime. Midway through the second half, the Trojans were awarded a penalty kick. Christian Vorchheimer banged it home. Five minutes later, Jake Slackman connected on a goal that turned out to be the game-winner.
“We got a ball in the box, Christian got to the ball, the goalkeeper made the save, and then Jake was on the back post, and he managed to finish,” Malcolm said.
The Trojans’ coach lauded the play of his back line comprised of Quinn Fonash, Idan Jaffee, Jack Schmidt and Blake McClintic.
“The backline did a nice job of taking care of those longer balls once they realized it was the strength of their game,” Malcolm said. “We worked the ball and got a few more opportunities.
“We had the target of winning all three games this week. That gave us an outside chance (for districts), but even if we win all three, I’m not sure that’s enough. We can only control what we can control, so let’s go out there. We had a chance to win it against (Upper) Dublin on Tuesday – a credit to them. They got the winning goal and got a good result today. We’ll see how the rest of the games play out.”
Wissahickon (4-4-1 SOL) closed out conference play with a 4-4-2 record while Plymouth Whitemarsh is 2-6.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1-0 1
Wissahickon 0-2 2
ABINGTON 1, QUAKERTOWN 0
It took a last-minute goal with time winding down in regulation for the division champion Ghosts to escape with a win.
“Quakertown is a completely, completely different team than we played the first time at our place,” Abington coach Randy Garber said. “They had a different goalkeeper (Riley Gaj) – this kid is a top-notch goalkeeper in club, and he was the difference.
“We had a lot of chances. We hit the crossbar a couple of times, but he’s a top-notch goalkeeper, and he stopped pretty much everything we shot at him.”
With two minutes remaining, the Ghosts finally got on the scoreboard on a goal by Liam Hartman (Steven Fajardo assist).
“Someone took a shot, the keeper stopped the initial shot,” Garber said. “It ended up on Liam Hartman’s foot on the left-hand side, and from six yards out, he put it where the goalkeeper wasn’t. That was the only difference.
“We’re scoring goals, but there’s a different player getting the game-winner in each game, so we’ll see what happens. It’s one of those crazy seasons.”
The veteran coach credited the play of a Panther squad that has struggled this season.
“Quakertown played an excellent game, they played their hearts out,” Garber said. “It was one of those long trips, we got there late, very little warm-up. Everything that could go wrong went wrong until the last two minutes. Our kids just find a way to score a goal, and most of the time, it’s late. We were fortunate to get out of there with a 1-0 win. Quakertown played extremely well. For a team that didn’t win a whole bunch of games, they fought like they had a chance to get in the playoffs, so my hat goes off to them.”
Abington – winners of the SOL Liberty Division title – closed out the conference season with a 9-1 record. Quakertown (1-10, 0-9) will close out its season Monday with a home game against Plymouth Whitemarsh (7 p.m.).
Abington 0-1 1
Quakertown 0-0 0
SOL Freedom
WILLIAM TENNENT 1, LOWER MORELAND 0
The Panthers wrapped up a perfect conference season with a shutout win that put an exclamation point on an unforgettable season that saw Tennent win the program’s first championship since 1994.
“That was a long time ago, so this was a great accomplishment for us,” Tennent coach Nick D’Andrea said. “What it means to the school, the students, the seniors, the coaches, everyone – it’s just been unbelievable.
“Obviously, you go into every game, and you prepare. You hope you can win and you do everything you can, but it’s not easy. You’re in one-goal games, overtime games, trailing at half – we’ve kind of experienced it all this year, and at the end of the day, we came out on top.
“I don’t know what the secret is, but I know we have a great group of kids who are challenging each other every day at practice and working hard. It’s really a tribute to their work ethic. It’s been great, it’s been a lot of fun. They’re just really enjoying the game. We talk about their legacy – they’re going to leave their legacy.”
The two teams battled to a scoreless halftime tie after an evenly played half. Ten minutes into the second half, mid Jimmy Manning played the ball to Sandu Zama who fed Shane Magrann down the sideline. He made a low cross to Sean Metz in the box for a one-time finish.
“Today at halftime, it didn’t look like they were having too much fun in the first half,” D’Andrea said. “At halftime, they went down to the corner, and the seniors were talking to all the players.
“All of a sudden, they came out the second half with a lot of energy. They were talking, and it looked like they were having fun. They were flying around the field, and they looked good.”
Six of the Panthers’ eight league wins were by one goal.
“I said it after every game – some of these games could have gone either way,” D’Andrea said. “It’s not like we’re crushing teams, but we’re finding ways to win.
“Our goaltenders are very good. Today we played James Richie, who has been in a back-up role this year, and he earned his second shutout of the year. He has been a part of two-and-a-half shutouts since he split a game. Patrick Corley has been in a starting role. They support one another, they train very hard at practice. They’re very big goalies – James is 6-5, Patrick is 6-4. They’re long, athletic. I have great center backs with a lot of height, so we’re a tough team to score on, and we’re finding ways to score goals and finish.
“Our defenders played very well. Center back Ben Weir played really well – he’s been playing well all season. He’s one of the best defenders in the league. Our senior leadership – I was so happy that our captains, Ben Weir and Sean Metz, challenged their guys at halftime to get better, and it started with themselves. The two of them played better in the second half, and it trickles through the team. When they’re rolling, we’re rolling.”
D’Andrea credited the play of Lower Moreland’s center mids Braden Alicea, John Kroll and Tim Kroll as well as the Lions’ center backs, Colin Clark and Ian Alicea. “They played really well for them,” the Panthers’ coach said. “They are young and talented and will be the team to beat next year.”
William Tennent (10-0, 8-0 SOL) will host Council Rock South Monday in a non-league game. Lower Moreland (2-6) will travel to Academy of the New Church for a non-league game Friday at 3:45 p.m.
William Tennent 0-1 1
Lower Moreland 0-0 0
UPPER MORELAND 6, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 2
The Golden Bears – deadlocked with the Lions 1-1 at halftime – erupted for five second-half goals on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win.
Michael Kane scored early in the first half, and the Bears came out on fire in the second half. Max Gerlach connected for a hat trick while Ryan Veneziale and John McKenna each added a goal to the Bears’ five-goal onslaught. Mateo Infante had a multiple assist game. Josh Henderson shut down the Freedom Division’s top player, Davis Nagg, and Aaron Snyder had another solid game in net for the Golden Bears.
Upper Moreland (6-2 SOL) will host Bensalem in a non-league game Monday. New Hope-Solebury closed out its conference season with a 2-5-1 record.
Upper Moreland 1-5 6
New Hope-Solebury 1-1 2
Wednesday, Oct. 21
Non-league
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 3, HOLY GHOST PREP 2
The Golden Hawks picked up their second win in as many days, but it wasn’t easy.
“We were coming off an emotional Senior Night win last night, and it showed with a slow start to today’s game,” coach Alan Nicholl said. “The wet sloppy field didn’t help matters, and we were fortunate to find the net first, against the run of play off of a miscommunication between the Holy Ghost Prep defender and goalkeeper. Dylan Bennett found the empty net from 18 yards.”
“Holy Ghost tied it up in 25 minutes, and they were unlucky not to lead going into halftime.”
The Hawks broke the 1-1 halftime tie when Shane Cohen scored with an Andrew Rosenfeld assist. The Firebirds again had an answer, knotting the score by converting a PK in the 60th minute. Five minutes later, Jake Brossman scored the game-winner, again with a Rosenfeld assist.
“The second half saw us come into the game a bit as we found our feet on the sloppy field,” Nicholl said. “We were rewarded with a Shane Cohen goal off of Andrew Rosenfeld’s hard work and inviting cross from the flank. Jake Brossman scored the winner on a thunderous shot from just inside the box with Rosenfeld again providing the cross.
“It was a professional finish to the game as we closed it out without incident. We worked very hard for the win in difficult conditions. We’re very proud of the win against a gutsy HGP team who continued to fight throughout, and were unlucky at times, if I’m being honest. I wouldn’t imagine Holy Ghost loses often at home, so getting a win out there was a huge statement and I’m very proud of our effort.”
Goalies Kieran Barry and Andrew Roberto split time in the win.
Council Rock South (4-4-1, 2-4-1 SOL) will travel to William Tennent on Monday.
Council Rock South 1-2 3
Holy Ghost Prep 1-1 2
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