Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Wednesday. Wissahickon/New Hope-Solebury photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Bensalem 3, Pennridge 2
Bensalem has been looking for a signature win to jump-start its season, and it came Wednesday, on the road, with an upset over a Pennridge team battling for the top spot in the SOL Colonial Division. Omar Padilla – just back from an injury – connected on a second-half hat trick to lead the Owls.
“We have had a rough start to our season, with high expectations coming in,” said Owls’ coach Rob Brown, whose team is now 3-8-1 overall, 3-7 in the SOL. “We have been in most games but have been missing a lot of key players. I would say we are way better than our record shows but I’m a bit biased.
“I had a good feeling about this game after practice yesterday. We had our best training session all season and the guys really picked up the intensity, and we had some competitive juices flowing just to get a point in a training activity. We worked hard on some of our issues and hit a bunch of different topics.
“I was really down (and so was the team after Monday’s loss) and really did some soul searching myself and thought about some of our problems. I was able to refocus and come in with a plan that I believed in and the boys responded well to it.”
It was a loss that stung the host Rams, who fell out of first place.
“All credit to Bensalem and coach Rob Brown,” coach Pete Valimont said. “They played an exceptional game today. I know he’s been pushing those guys, really working them and doing a great job. They were getting some tough results earlier, but they took it to us today and they really kicked our butts all the way around.”
Pennridge jumped ahead with two goals in the final 90-second span at the end of the first half, as Jake Saville scored both – the first with an assist from Tommy McKinney and the second with a Shane Velez assist.
“We started the match off well and fought for a lot of balls we usually didn’t go for,” Brown said. “Again, the boys stepped up. Zach Lentchner made some really great saves and good decisions to collect early balls played in for them to run into because of their speed. Nate Rosas was awesome on the defensive line again. He plays such good defense and is such a hard worker, I love his effort and energy. Josh Murray, Nate Rubin and Matt Ebner played great as well, limiting our mistakes and making up for some with hustle. Collin Meo, Tom Khmil, Matt Wheaton, Bryan Estrada and Nikita Schaefer all played some in the midfield and each had their moments.
“The problem with soccer is that you sometimes play so well and then it’s gone. We let up two goals in the last minute of the first half. Pennridge did threaten to score a few times, including a free kick that slammed off the crossbar on a great effort. They beat us with their speed and got two really good through balls within seconds of each other, and they nearly scored a third with five seconds left but thankfully Zach made a great save with his foot.”
Despite the lead, by no means was Pennridge happy with the way it played in the first half.
“Take away that minute and seven seconds, Bensalem owned us the rest of the time,” Valimont said. “It was 2-0 at halftime – a terrible lead to have. Next goal for us maybe ends it. Next goal for them gives them life, and they got a whole lot of life.”
Bensalem wasn’t happy at halftime either.
“Our guys went into halftime not in a good space mentally and things almost fell apart,” Brown said. “I had to step in and I really wasn’t happy with the finger pointing and such. We talked through some things, regrouped and went after the game. At halftime, we also talked only about getting the next goal. “
Omar Padilla scored the next goal, and was just getting started, as he added the deciding second and third goals as well.
“Omar Padilla was playing out wide and we were lucky he played today,” Brown said. “He’s been hurting and was going to start but didn’t and then came in as a sub. Omar had the hat trick in the second half.
“His first goal was highlight reel material. He received the ball in from Collin Meo, took some touches and hit a left-footed shot that curved right into the far upper 90. It was an awesome shot. We got that one goal back and took some momentum going forward.
“Omar’s second was from a great through ball from Collin and it was a dummy by Andrew Leibig that I believe helped give Omar the little opening he needed to get through some traffic and slotted the ball into the net for the equalizer.
“We both had some chances, and to be fair, they had more than us, but we got another Omar goal with about 2.5 minutes left. It was huge and a lot of fun. This time the great pass came from one of our outside backs, Matt Ebner.”
To go on the road to pick up a win like Wednesday’s was definitely one this Bensalem team will remember.
“The boys were psyched to come into Pennridge and go home with three points,” Brown said. “My first year coaching at BHS, we lost to them in the first round of districts and we weren’t happy about it. This gave a few of our older guys a chip on their shoulder to play with.
“Pennridge is one of the best teams in the league and we were happy to give them a good game and we worked hard for the win. Pete (Valimont) is a great coach and has his boys playing at such a high level, I didn’t know what to expect. We talk often throughout the year, and I really respect him and his program. We wish them luck the rest of the way.”
Bensalem will look to make it two in a row Friday at home against Souderton. Pennridge (8-2-2, 6-2-2 SOL), now one point behind first-place North Penn in the SOL Colonial standings, looks to bounce back Friday at Council Rock North.
Bensalem 0 3 – 3
Pennridge 2 0 – 2
Central Bucks East 1, Pennsbury 0
CB East scored early in the first half and then had solid goalkeeping from Casey Prajzner down the stretch to hold off Pennsbury and secure the one-goal win.
Michael Frye scored the game-winner for CB East five minutes into the second half, off an assist from Michael Montabana
“The first half was back and forth as Pennsbury has some talented players through the central midfield and up top,” said Patriots coach Josh Isaacsohn. “However, our central defenders, Nick Knepp and Luke Christmas, were solid and managed to keep the game out wide.
“Casey Prajzner had three stellar saves in goal to keep us in the game toward the end of the second half.”
The Patriots’ coach also lauded the play of his wingers – a combination of Michael Frye, Toby Senior, Dylan Rose and Pranav Kuppuswamy.
“The play from our wingers proved crucial as we were able, at times, to get the ball out and serve it back in,” Isaacsohn said. “Hats off to Pennsbury for a very hard fought and organized game. Their goalie made a few outstanding saves to keep them in the game.”
CB East (7-3-2, 6-2-2 SOL) next plays Saturday when it hosts Neshaminy. Pennsbury (3-6-2, 3-6-1) plays at CB West on Friday.
CB East 0 1 – 1
Pennsbury 0 0 – 0
Neshaminy 2, Central Bucks South 1
Things haven’t gone well for Neshaminy recently, so, needless to say, this was a big one, as the Redskins rallied from an early deficit to get past CB South for a key SOL cross-over victory.
“It was something they certainly needed because we haven’t gotten a lot of breaks recently,” said Neshaminy coach Tom Foley. “So, it was good to get on the good side of a game against South.
“Overall, it was a team win. All the kids played hard, all the kids on the bench stood the whole time, so it was really nice to see. Hopefully, we can build off of this and get a few more wins by the end of the season.”
Neshaminy was 0-3-2 in its last five games and scored just two goals in those five games. Early on Wednesday, things didn’t look good.
“We got down early in the first two minutes,” Foley said. “We were kind of sleepwalking, and we gave up a corner. I think it was Sean Rieber hitting a low ball on the ground, one of their kids dummied it, and we bit on it hook, line and sinker. Logan Campbell came in and tucked it past our keeper. It was a real nicely designed corner kick, and it completely fooled us, and we’re down 1-0 early on.
“We were kind of running in mud the first 15-20 minutes. We were fortunate. They had a couple of other decent looks that went wide, and then we righted the ship a little bit.”
In the 30th minute, Jose Rivera scored off an assist from Colin Hepler to tie the game at halftime.
In the second half, Neshaminy picked up the game winner, as Joe Joe Maxwell scored off a Matt Lamb assist.
“Joe Joe went in on their goalkeeper and he faked like he was going to his right, and he wound up going to his left, and he tucked that into the corner as well,” Foley said. “We buttoned them up pretty well defensively the second half. Their dangerous opportunities were two 35-yard free kicks. I was real pleased with our defensive effort in the second half. We took away what they like to do.
“For the most part, we didn’t have any panic moments in the waning moments of the game. We still needed to knock balls forward because they’re going to give me a heart attack, but it was a well-deserved win tonight.”
The Redskins’ coach praised the efforts of several players.
“I thought Evan O’Neil had a stellar game,” Foley said. “He just works and works and works and never gives up on the ball. Their kid was a little bigger than he was, and he managed to hold his own and then some. He dispossessed them several times. He did a great job.
“Colin Hepler did a really nice job on the right side in the back. Richie Faul again had a really nice game at the defensive center midfield, and Vince DiMaria put a lot of pressure on their backs from the right side.”
CB South coach Joe Coscia called it a “good match between two good teams.”
“We played pretty sloppy in the second half, especially after they scored their second,” Coscia said. “We didn’t play our game. Logan (Campbell) was outstanding again, as were Eric Green and Mike Monser. Sean Rieber and Nolan Helsel had a tough battle in the middle of the park; it was a very physical match.”
Neshaminy (4-5-2, 3-4-2 SOL) looks to make it two straight Saturday morning when it plays at Central Bucks East. CB South (8-2-1, 6-2-1 SOL) hosts Council Rock South on Friday.
Neshaminy 1 1 – 2
CB South 1 0 – 1
Central Bucks West 5, Harry S. Truman 0
Kevin Leiva-Benitez had two goals and one assist, as CB West jumped up early in this one and went on for the shutout win.
“We worked hard and created some good scoring opportunities,” said West coach Stefan Szygiel. “I also liked that we kept the clean sheet.
“The Truman boys also worked hard and have some nice players.”
Harrison Brownlow opened the scoring for the Bucks off a Levia-Benitez assist. Levia-Benitez then scored the next two goals, and Tekalegn Leaf’s goal made it 4-0 at halftime.
Christian Evans scored in the second half. Ben Sterling, Brownlow, Justin Moore, Cole Kujath and Richard Newall added assists in the game.
Goalkeeper Griffin Blokker made four saves to record the shutout, his fourth of the season.
CB West (4-7-1, 4-5-1 SOL) hosts Pennsbury on Friday night. Truman (0-11, 0-10 SOL) plays at North Penn.
CB West 4 1 – 5
Harry S. Truman 0 0 – 0
North Penn 1, Council Rock North 0 (OT)
North Penn moved into sole possession of first place in the SOL Colonial with the overtime win against CR North Wednesday.
In the sixth minute of the first overtime, Alex Stewart scored the golden goal for the Knights, using an assist from Kyle McKeever.
“Because we lost two games early this season, we’ve been saying, ‘All the Suburban One games matter for points, and you know what? We’re not playing for draws,’” said North Penn coach Chris DePeppee. “We went down to ten men midway through the second half when Ryan Mindick took a second yellow, so to hold on without our senior center back and get three points was tremendous.
“Even down a man, we were playing a little better with 10 than we were with 11. Hunter Stites stepped in the back and he was solid, so we didn’t have any worries. We said, ‘We’re at home, let’s go for it. We’re creating chances.’
“So, we didn’t go too defensive. We kept two up top, and Alex Stewart was running at attacking center mid and splitting the middle and getting chances. His work rate is unbelievable. I kept asking him, ‘Do you need a break?’ He said, nope, so he stayed on.
“(The winning goal) was a deflection. It was unfortunate for Rock North. Alex can hit a ball with great power, and when he hit that one, I didn’t know if it was going in, but it took a big deflection off a leg and the keeper didn’t have a chance. We got fortunate.”
There were plenty of accolades to go around, on both sides.
“(CR North) keeper Jeremy Berman played really well,” DePeppe said. “Their two center mids were excellent – Nick Cirincione and Ari Pollack. Simon Rupp is another kid that had a really good game for Rock North. They created chances and they really deserved more.
“(CR North coach) Joe Stackhouse is an old friend and teammate, and he’s a very good coach. I didn’t think this would be an easy match at all. What it really came down to at the end of the game and in overtime, our big players, Jovani Gonzalez, Hunter Stites and Alex Stewart, kind of raised their level.
“Gabe Kemp in goal was great and Hunter Stites dropping back and locking down defensively was the unsung hero. This was our first overtime game so we’re happy to get the golden goal.”
North Penn now sits at 8-3, 7-2 SOL, one point ahead of CB East and Pennridge and two points up on CB South. The Knights will host Harry S Truman on Friday. Council Rock North (4-6-1, 4-5-1) will host Pennridge on Friday.
North Penn 0 0 1 – 1
CR North 0 0 0 – 0
Council Rock South 2, Souderton 1
Everett Kurtz scored in the 60th minute off a Lex Lenoir assist as Council Rock South came up with a big win on the road late Wednesday night at Souderton. The loss was just the second of the season for the Indians.
“Souderton is an excellent side and their movement off the ball is mesmerizing,” said Golden Hawks coach Alan Nicholl. “But we won the game in the trenches, won the tackles and headers. We tried to limit their space and disrupted their rhythm, and it flipped the game in our favor.”
Josh Nikolevski gave CR South the lead in the 20th minute, but Souderton answered early in the second half to tie it up, as Nolan Hughes scored off of a Dillon Barbieri assist
Nicholl lauded the efforts of several players.
“Josh Nikolevski, Stepan Kovalev, and Isaac Burenga were very disciplined, and Everett Kurtz was relentless in keeping a very high tempo for us, and his winner was a just result for his efforts,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said. “But if I’m being honest, we are very fortunate to take full points, because (Souderton coach) Matt Benner has them playing a wonderful brand of football.”
Aidan McClure had seven saves in goal for the Indians.
CR South (7-5, 5-5 SOL) looks to make it two straight on Friday as it plays at Central Bucks South. Souderton (7-2-2, 5-2-2 SOL) plays at Bensalem.
CR South 1 1 – 2
Souderton 0 1 – 1
SOL Liberty/Freedom Crossover
William Tennent 3, Abington 1
Abington scored first, but after that William Tennent took over, handing the Galloping Ghosts their first loss of the season in an upset that sent shockwaves in the SOL and District One power rankings.
“I was happy with the way we played today, especially after losing big last game,” said Tennent coach Nick D’Andrea, whose team was coming off Monday’s 5-1 loss to Plymouth Whitemarsh. “We showed great character today against one of the best teams in the area.
“We know how well coached they are. They’re going to be in the playoffs making deep runs, but for us to be able to compete with them today was a big deal. It gave a lot of confidence to our kids.”
The Ghosts opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a Pat Capone goal, but that lead would be short-lived and one of the final highlights of the day for Abington.
Tennent came right back and tied it off a deflected long cross by Bryce deFontney, and then Paul Nedeoglo scored to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead going into halftime. Nedeoglo later scored again for the 3-1 final score.
“We just weren’t winning any balls,” Garber said. “The ball was in the box and one of their players got to the ball first and put it into make it 2-1 at halftime.
“We were pressing, and they came back and the ball deflected off of one of our defenders and got redirected and went into the back of the net for them, and it’s 3-1, and that’s where it stood. We had a lot of chances, but they just did a nice job. They deservedly won the game.”
For Tennent, it was the type of win that can completely turn the season around.
“We have been an up and down team all season,” D’Andrea said. “We knew we had the talent to do things like this, but we have been very, very inconsistent. Today, for whatever reason, we played very inspired soccer. They battled with Abington who is fantastic. They’re one of the best teams we’ve played all year.
“We knew going into the game there’s not a weak spot on their team, and we couldn’t match up with all of them. We had a great practice yesterday, and that was important because we really got our butts kicked the game before against PW away (a 5-1 loss). We kind of got steamrolled, but today we were at home. We finally got to play in our stadium on our new turf. We do well when we’re able to play in big open space, and I thought that helped us out a little bit, but they just competed hard today. It was a nice game of soccer to watch. I think it was the best game of soccer we were a part of all season.
“The game ended with four of my players cramping up because of their effort. They were running all over the place. We had to make some subs late in the game to get some guys on the field, just to hang on. They put it on us at the end. They missed two that should have been goals at the end of the game. They had a kid with a head ball on the back post and another kid who put it over the top, so they had chances. It could have gone in their favor, but they didn’t fall for them today. The ball bounced our way for once today.”
D’Andrea had plenty of praise to go around after Wednesday’s win.
“I was really happy with some of our seniors and the way they played,” the Panthers’ coach said. “I know personally a couple of kids on their team, and I knew they were going to present a challenge, especially Liam Hartman up top for them and Thiago (Danielle). I knew those kids were going to be two of the best forwards we go up against, but our defenders played very well. They competed hard.
“Henry Guzman, at center back, did a great job along with Aidan Markowsi, trying to control those guys. It wasn’t that they could control them, it was just that they competed really hard.”
The Panthers’ coach also had high praise for for center mids Jimmy Manning and Ryan Kerr.
“At center mid, I thought that was the difference,” D’Andrea said. “I thought Jimmy Manning was the best player on the field today. He controlled the ball when we needed to control it. He saw lanes when we needed to see lanes, and he really just inspired his teammates from a leadership standpoint. I give him a lot of the credit today.
“It was just a fun game to be a part of. As coaches, we were really proud to see our kids respond from adversity in terms of a big loss. They had a great practice yesterday, and they showed up today and played their hearts out.”
Abington coach Randy Garber had praise for the way the Panthers played as well.
“William Tennent beat us in every phase of the game,” Garber said. “They beat us. They didn’t steal the game. They just flat out played a better game. Our kids looked at the record they had and who they lost to, and mentally, they figured all they had to do was show up and the result would take care of itself, and that’s not the game.”
Abington (10-1-1, 8-1-1 SOL) looks to rebound Friday against Upper Moreland at home. Tennent improved to 5-5-2 with the win, 5-4-1 in the SOL. The Panthers will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Friday.
“We have to have a short memory,” D’Andrea said. “We have Hatboro-Horsham coming up on Friday on the road. We’ll see if we can keep playing the way we’re playing. If we keep playing the way we’re playing, we’re going to be in every game. We’ll see how consistent we can be.”
William Tennent 2 1 – 3
Abington 1 0 – 1
Upper Dublin 5, Cheltenham 2
An early deficit didn’t deter Upper Dublin as it bounced back to go up a goal by halftime and then put the game away with three more in the second half.
“We had a pregame chat, and I told them that we are playing well, but the problem is we’re applying too much pressure to ourselves,” said Flying Cardinals coach Noah Johnson. “Every game that we play something goofy is going to happen. It’s just what do we do when goofy things happen? Are we going to respond or are we going to put our head in our hands and just walk away?”
“I didn’t say anything today because I wanted to see how they would respond. They responded very, very well. Instead of getting down on each other and going crazy, they quickly adjusted themselves as to what they needed to get done. I made one sub just to help them out a little bit with that change. After that, immediately they started dominating the game again. The biggest thing was they didn’t lose confidence after getting scored on.”
After the Panthers’ Cameron Rhoades scored an early goal, Miles Bondi and Erik Petushi scored first half goals for UD, while Kyle Spirt, Reilly McLaughlin and Pat Stewart scored in the second half.
Johnson credited the strong play of Reilly McLaughlin, Zach Berman, Nick Fiore, Erik Petushi, Miles Bondi, Mason Pensabene and Elias Abebe.
Rhoades scored both goals for the Panthers.
UD (5-7, 5-5 SOL) is back in action Friday at New Hope-Solebury. Cheltenham (1-9, 0-0 SOL) hosts Quakertown on Thursday night.
Upper Dublin 2 3 – 5
Cheltenham 1 1 – 2
Springfield Twp 4, Hatboro-Horsham 1
Riley Martin scored two goals and added an assist, as Springfield pulled off the big win, putting this game away with two unanswered goals in the second half for the impressive crossover win over the Hatters.
With the win, Springfield is now 6-3-1 overall, 5-3-1 in the SOL, four points back of first-place Lower Moreland in the SOL Freedom.
Peter Schmidt opened the scoring with an unassisted goal and later assisted on Martin’s first goal later in the half.
H-H scored on an own-goal, also in the first half, as it remained a 2-1 game at halftime.
Martin again scored off a Schmidt assist, and then Grant Williams put it away off a Martin assist, as the Spartans earned the hard-fought win.
Springfield hosts Wissahickon on Friday. H-H (7-5, 6-4 SOL) will look to snap a three-game losing streak Friday at home against William Tennent.
Springfield 2 2 – 4
Hatboro-Horsham 1 0 – 1
Lower Moreland 1, Quakertown 0
It’s never easy to play on another team’s Senior Night, but first-place Lower Moreland prevailed with a 1-0 win at Quakertown on Wednesday.
“Senior Night games are always tough because you are out of your normal routine,” said Lions coach Bob Barnhart. “We had almost an hour bus ride and the JV played before us. All things that can mess with your mental preparation. They pressed us from the opening tap as an organized unit. Always with a purpose and together. I told our guys that I thought we were going to have to absorb some pressure early and we did just that.
“Our veteran guys helped settle us into the game after the initial surge they had. We found the net with like 15 minutes to go in the first half.
“As the game progressed in the second half, they started to take a few more risks which opened lanes and chances for us, but we were struggling to finish. It was a mentally tough win for us and a game that I think we took a little for granted looking forward to our game against PW on Friday.”
LM (7-1-2, 7-1-2 SOL) hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday afternoon. Quakertown (1-9, 1-8 SOL) hosts Cheltenham Thursday.
Lower Moreland 1 0 – 1
Quakertown 0 0 – 0
Wissahickon 5, New Hope-Solebury 0
Andrew Slackman scored in the fifth and 25th minutes, as Wissahickon got off to a quick start and never looked back in this one.
Ziggy Macfarlane and Michael Orn also scored for Wissahickon. Slackman, Julian Memis, Nathan D’Aquanno and Phil Dias added assists.
In goal, Aditya Shah and Joey Connolly combined for the shutout for the Trojans, who held a 15-6 advantage in shots.
With the win, the Trojans improved to 6-5-1 overall, 6-4 in the SOL, and Friday plays at Springfield. New Hope (1-10, 1-8 SOL), will host Upper Dublin.
Wissahickon 4 1 – 5
New Hope-Solebury 0 0 – 0
Upper Moreland 5, Plymouth Whitemarsh 1
Upper Moreland turned a one-goal halftime lead into a decisive victory against a very good opponent, knocking off the Colonials on Wednesday.
“PW is a well-coached team,” said UM coach Justin Allegra.
The Golden Bears scored in the first minute of the game to take the 1-0 lead, as Alex Emmell headed in a corner kick from Logan Taylor.
In the second half, they put the game away, as Mike Kane scored off assists from Heron and Taylor. Taylor scored on a corner-header later, and Max Gerlach added two goals to put the game away.
Allegra acknowledged the strong showings of several players.
“Mike Soraka, Shawn Townsend and Chris Heron played a phenomenal game,” the Golden Bears’ coach said.
UM (6-3-3, 4-3-3 SOL) is back in action Friday at Abington. PW (6-5, 6-4 SOL) looks to bounce back at Lower Moreland on Friday.
Upper Moreland 1 4 – 5
PW 0 1 – 1
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