Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Tuesday. CR North/Bensalem photos courtesy of John Gleeson, Upper Moreland/New Hope-Solebury photos courtesy of Tracy Valko and Hatboro-Horsham/Quakertown photos courtesy of Rimas Gaver. CLICK HERE for galleries of SOL BOYS’ SOCCER.
SOL Patriot Division
Council Rock North 3, Bensalem 1
Trailing at halftime 1-0, CR North bounced back with a huge second half, as it scored three times to get past Bensalem to maintain its grasp of first place in the Patriot Division.
Landon Lentz tied it with a penalty kick, and later Windsor Varady and Zayd Najimi added goals to give the Indians the win.
Humza Baig scored for Bensalem in the first half.
Scoring Summary
First Half –
Humza Baig (B) from Aboubacar Bayo 14th minute
Second Half –
Landon Lentz (CRN) Penalty kick 47th minute
Windsor Varady (CRN) from Corey Brennan 63rd minute
Zayd Najimi (CRN) from James Reynolds 72nd minute
Council Rock North assistant coach Brian Hoffman on the game:
“After playing them the first time this season when the game became very out of hand, luckily, today cooler heads prevailed, which was necessary. I thought this was the most composed that we’ve been. There were things that could have put us off target – not getting some calls from the referees or getting into immature back-and-forths with the other team, but we stayed the course. We were down 1-0. It could have gone off the rails, but instead, everyone kept themselves where they should be mentally, and because of that, it resulted in what we wanted. There have been times when my team has not been as mature as I’d like them to be, but I thought they did a really nice job today of doing what they needed to do because that was what was necessary at the time.”
—Goal of the game: “Zayd Najimi’s goal was outstanding, just high class. Literally, everyone on the field – both teams and the referees – were like,
‘Wow, that was impressive.’ He’d gotten a through ball from James Reynolds, and he ended up going one-on-one with the goaltender. In almost one fluid motion, he flipped the ball up with his left foot, and before it got out of reach, he knocked it back with that foot basically around the goaltender. Literally, you’d be seeing it on SportsCenter. It was that good.”
—Props: “A really good game for Windsor (Varady) in his first game back after being injured in the preseason.”
Bensalem coach Kevin Bock on the game:
“We were up 1-0 at the half with Humz Baig tapping in a rebound of a shot by Aboubacar Bayo that was initially save by their keeper. We had a strong first half and came out strong in the second half.
“We had a couple calls go against us and a couple key injuries and couldn’t recover. Proud of the effort from the boys today. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we wanted.”
Next up: CR North (11-2-1, 6-0-1 SOL) plays at Neshaminy on Thursday. Bensalem (5-8-2, 2-5 SOL) plays at Pennsbury.
Bensalem 1 0 – 1
CR North 0 3 – 3
Neshaminy 1, Council Rock South 1 (2 OT)
Ronan Harding scored with six minutes left in regulation for CR South to force the tie with Neshaminy on Tuesday afternoon.
Rezi Tebidze gave Neshaminy the lead in the first half.
Scoring Summary
First half –
Rezi Tebidze (N) from Brody Collins, 15th minute
Second half –
Ronan Harding (CRS) from George Simon, 74th minute
Neshaminy coach Tom Foley on the game:
“Overall, I thought we played a really good first half. We moved the ball well, we created some chances. At halftime, they came out pretty hard and maybe had the better of play the first 15-20 minutes, and then we righted the ship and kept them away from our goal. They really didn’t have many opportunities in that span, but they were down in our end a lot more.
“A questionable call by the referees led to their goal, but credit to them, they cashed in on it. The first overtime was relatively even and nondescript. We created some chances in the second overtime. I thought we had the better of play in the second overtime. I was disappointed we didn’t get the win today, but in our last nine, we haven’t lost, which is a nice run. We’ll get back to work, we’ll have a light practice and see what we can do against Council Rock North on Thursday.”
—Neshaminy goal: “The pass that Brody (Collins) gave Rezi (Tebidze) was upper level passing. He did a nice job getting it through their backs and allowed Rezi to run onto it, and Rezi made a deke around their goalkeeper and pushed it into the open net. It was a real polished finish by him.”
—Props: “Our whole back line – Mark Andreyeu, Matt Diamond, Brian Birmingham and AJ Kollie – were just fabulous. They have a kid that plays on one of those next level teams playing with them, and he’s a real dangerous player, and they kept him under control all night long, and they did a great job. They probably deserved a shutout, but it’s one of those things tonight that we couldn’t pull it off to get the shutout. Overall, they were outstanding. Credit to Rock South, they took advantage of their chances. Alan (Nicholl) always has their kids playing really, really hard. They never gave up. They’re always a tough out. It’s always an enjoyable game to play against them.”
CR South coach Alan Nicholl said about the loss:
“We were unlucky not to win it with seconds on the clock, missing a sitter from inside the 6. I thought a tie was a fair result at the end of the day. Neshaminy is a very hardworking team, winning more tackles, headers, and second balls than us tonight. They kept us off balance and made things very uncomfortable for us. It’s not surprising they haven’t lost a game in a month.”
Next up: Neshaminy (10-2-3, 5-1-1 SOL) hosts CR North in a first-place battle on Thursday. CR South (7-5-3, 3-2-2 SOL) hosts Harry S. Truman Thursday.
CR South 1 0 0 0 – 1
Neshaminy 0 1 0 0 – 1
Pennsbury 4, Harry S Truman 0
Aiden O’Donnell’s goal in the 37th minute broke a scoreless tie late in the first half and that opened up the floodgates for Pennsbury on the way to the shutout victory on Tuesday.
Sami Awadalia, Shaiden Jahanbini and Ajdin Hadzovic each scored in the second half for the Falcons.
Fillip Milik and Jacob Gomez split time in goal and shared the shutout.
Scoring Summary
First Half –
Aiden O’Donnell (P), 37th minute
Second Half –
Sami Awadalia (P) from Nico Espinoza, 47th minute
Shaiden Jahanbini (P), 53rd minute
Ajdin Hadzovic (P) from Liam Bobbing, 76th minute
Coach Tom Stoddart about the win:
“The boys have continued to work hard and stay positive. It was great to get a total team win today with all players on the roster able to contribute.”
Next up: Pennsbury (5-9-1, 3-4 SOL) looks for another win at home on Thursday against Bensalem. Truman (1-12, 0-7 SOL) plays at CR South on Thursday.
Pennsbury 1 3 – 4
Truman 0 0 – 0
SOL Colonial Division
Central Bucks East 5, Pennridge 4 (OT)
Nick Bonargo tied the game in the 69th minute and then scored the game-winner in overtime, as CB East rallied from way back to survive a scare against Pennridge by a 5-4 final score.
Dan Frye also had two goals for the Patriots, while Jack Thibeault had one goal.
For the Rams, who led 4-2 at halftime, Sam Turco scored two goals, while Jace Soto and Lucas Glibowski had the other two in the first half.
Both teams missed a penalty kick in the second half.
Scoring Summary
First half –
Dan Frye (CBE) from Matt Walloff 9th minute
Sam Turco (P), 10th minute
Sam Turco (P) from Parker Annan, 15th minute
Jack Thibeault (CBE) from Finley Rennie 20th minute
Jace Soto (P) from Turco, 25th minute
Lucas Gilbowski (P) from Jace Soto, 30th minute
Second half –
Dan Frye (CBE) from Nick Bonargo 49th minute
Nick Bonargo (CBE) 69th minute
First overtime –
Nick Bonargo (CBE) from Sean O’Donnell 86th minute
Central Bucks East coach Josh Isaacsohn on the game:
“They had a spark plug of a kid (Sam Turco) who we’ve never seen before who apparently just got pulled up from JV. He just came out on fire and actually scored their first two goals, and we ended up tying it 2-2. Then we had a couple defensive lapses in the box off set pieces where no one could get a foot on it, and Pennridge scored two goals, and it’s 4-2 at the half.
“Huge massive credit to Aaron Rapsinski and that crew. They came out ready, and in the box, they finished when they should have, and we did not defend well. We spoke at halftime. We knew we had the soccer in us, we knew we’d come back quite a few times this year, and honestly, the coaching staff really believed the boys could do it.
“We had a big barn burner, and I just feel blessed to get out of this one with a win. It was just a really huge character-building thing for these kids. It was a really special thing to be a part of. Again, I give a lot of credit to Pennridge. They came out ready to play. We always seem to have a difficult time up there, but this team just rallied from behind, and I’m just incredibly proud of them tonight.”
—Tying & game-winning goals: “Nick Bonargo had just an absolutely beautiful left-footed shot from outside the 18 that curled in the upper right corner and was just incredible to tie the game at 4. In overtime, Nick Bonargo off a half volley assist from Sean O’Donnell ended up finishing it six minutes into the first overtime.”
—Props: Nick Bonargo has been working for years and years on his touch, his shot, and a lot of it is seeming to come together towards the end of his senior year. I’ve got to give him massive props.
“The defenders were pretty upset because they knew they were not doing their job in the beginning. Again, they pulled it out together, so our defensive unit of Ethan Cruz, Eric Schmidt, Matt Walloff and Chris Gulbish ended up doing a good job in the end.”
Pennridge coach Aaron Rapsinski on the loss:
“Every game is a must win for us at this point in the season with playoffs on the line. It’s a tough result because we can’t just keep ‘playing well.’ We need results if we want to make playoffs.
“East just outworked us in the second half. Hats off to their scorer of their fourth goal (Bonargo), because he maybe one-upped Sam Turco’s goal from the first half with a banger himself. East was able to finish on a corner kick to end the game.
“Game came down to who wanted it more, and East put it together in the second half. When we put together a full 80 minutes, we can hang with anyone in our league. I think we showed that tonight. But at some point we need to turn those efforts into wins. We just need to get it done.”
Explosive first half: “Even though we gave up an early goal, we bounced back quick. Sam Turco scored 10 mins into the game off a ball that was bouncing around inside the 18 to make it 1-1. Turco scored again five minutes later. He hit an absolute laser from a Parker Annan assist to put us up 2-1. East answered again quickly to make it 2-2, but we kept pushing. With 15 mins left in the half Jace Soto got on the scoresheet after Turco fought to slide him a ball in the box. Five minutes later, Lucas Glibowski found the net off a Jace Soto corner kick. It was a crazy half of soccer, but unfortunately this game was a tale of two halves.”
–Props: “Even though it wouldn’t seem like it giving up five goals, Gavin Dimmick played great in goal and made a lot of really good saves. He saved a penalty when the game was still 4-3. He kept us in the game.”
Next up: CB East (8-5-2, 4-3 SOL) plays at Souderton on Thursday. Pennridge (5-8-2, 1-5-1 SOL) plays at North Penn.
CB East 2 2 1 – 5
Pennridge 4 0 0 – 4
North Penn 2, Central Bucks South 1 (2 OT)
Ryan Miller scored his second goal of the game in the second overtime, as North Penn upset first-place CB South 2-1.
Tyler Jaskelewicz gave the Titans the lead in the first half, but 10 minutes into the second half, Miller tied it up for the host Knights.
South did not lose any ground in the standings since second place Souderton also lost Tuesday.
Scoring Summary
First Half –
Tyler Jaskelewicz (CBS) from Evan Jaskelewicz
Second Half –
Ryan Miller (NP) from Demitri Ilovski
Second Overtime –
Ryan Miller (NP), unassisted
North Penn coach Chris DePeppe on the win:
“It was a great game today. CB South beat us 2-1 at their place, and the first half looked like it was going to be a repeat or worse. We were under duress early and often. Their #6 (Tyler Jaskelewicz) was tearing through us and he created their goal and finished it. They hit the post twice in the first half, and we were fortunate not to concede more than one goal. We looked dazed and they certainly had us on the ropes. We made a few adjustments at the break but more importantly we came alive and raised our level in the second half. We talked pregame about the importance of winning a big game to build some momentum heading into the final week and beyond.”
–The Knights’ equalizer: “The second half was very evenly played, and there were some quality chances at both ends. But senior captain Demetri Ilovski and senior Ryan Miller were relentless in attack and played well off each other. Demetri split their backs with a perfect pass to Ryan who bounced to the left and finished it with power. Ryan can pull off some amazing feats but what I love about him is his mentality – he is always going to goal.”
–Overtime game-winner: “I thought we were the better team in OT but not by much. I was very pleased with our play. That was our first OT this season, and it is always good to go through one or two before the postseason. We were up to the task today, and at the break before the second OT, we talked about going for the win for five minutes and then securing the draw for the last five. And I was about to make two defensive substitutions when Matt Haines made a tremendous overlapping run from right back and crossed a low ball that hit one defender, and Fionn Regan did a great job of blocking the ball back into Ryan Miller’s feet on the doorstep.”
–Props: “So, even though Ryan scored two (goals), my man of the match today was Ian Balisalisa, senior captain and center back who locked horns with #11 (Anthony Bice) all day and kept him off the scoresheet. He and Eoin Regan were outstanding. Credit to Joey DeMaria too. Joey plays five different positions for us and all of them well. Today he stepped into defensive center midfield and changed the game for us.
“Lastly, a shout out to our fifth captain (yes, it is a lot) Caiden Myers. Caiden was a three-year varsity player coming into senior year, but he suffered a knee injury playing lacrosse, and he has not yet returned…but he has played an important role as a vocal leader who the players respect and listen to him.”
–Props for the Titans: “I think CB South deserves to win the conference. They are strong, athletic, well-coached, and they play unselfishly. They have had a great season, and I am happy for Ed Brnardic. He is a class act and a very good coach.
“He is also the father of our two senior co-captains Bruno and Nino Brnardic, so it feels right to split the series this year. Keeps the dinner table lively”
“Also, CB South’s striker #11 Anthony Bice is a real handful. He killed us in the first game, and we certainly had to gameplan for him.”
CB South coach Ed Brnardic on the loss:
“We had a great first half, scoring once, hitting two posts (Tyler Jaskelewicz shot one off the post and Christian Canally headed another one), and creating several more opportunities in the penalty box, but we just couldn’t put the game away, and later we were punished for it.
“North Penn took some of our momentum away in the second half and scored a great goal to tie it up, and from there it just felt like someone was going to need some luck to win it. Halfway through the second overtime, North Penn came down the right wing – we had our defense set up very well to deal with the threat and we cut off their pass with no real sense of danger, but the ball got stuck in our feet, and after an unlucky stumble and bounce, the ball somehow ricocheted right to Ryan Miller, who scored the winner.”
–Props for NP’s Ryan Miller: “I have coached Ryan since he was 6 years old and he has scored almost 200 goals for our Dynamo team throughout the years, so it certainly didn’t surprise me that he was the one who scored both goals today. The first one he put it in the only place that our keeper Pat couldn’t get to it – right in the upper corner. And then in overtime he was able to find a pocket of space and the ball came to him and he made no mistake.”
–For Tyler Jaskelewicz: “Tyler was fantastic today covering the entire field. He almost opened the scoring 10 minutes in when he dribbled past his man and was denied by a great kick save from North Penn keeper (Brady Schwengels). TJ was first to the rebound, only to see his follow up shot come off the post from a tough angle. Ten minutes later he was on the opposite wing, winning the ball, beating his man, and driving to the goal – a nice drop back pass found its way back to him and he finished on the short side to score the opening goal. His workrate all game was off the charts today.”
–Props for his team: “We have had several come-from-behind victories this year, but this was the first time we surrendered the lead. On top of that, it’s always tough to lose in overtime. But these guys show great maturity, and they are unfazed. We congratulated North Penn on a competitive game, and we are ready to fight again. We knew that our division is brutally tough. There are no easy games, and we expect every game to be a battle. We will be ready for yet another rivalry game with CB West on Friday.”
Next up: CB South (12-2, 6-1 SOL) hosts CB West on Friday and North Penn (9-6, 3-4 SOL) hosts Pennridge on Thursday.
CB South 1 0 0 0 – 1
North Penn 0 1 0 1 – 2
Central Bucks West 3, Souderton 2
Michael Rafalowski scored two second-half goals, including the game-winner, as CB West celebrated Senior Night by picking up its biggest win of the season, denying second-place Souderton a share of the lead in the Colonial Division with the 3-2 win.
Souderton’s Nico Ziegler scored the only goal of the first half, only to see the Bucks come back with a pair of goals – one each from Rafalowski and Cole Barrett.
After Cam Taylor tied it for the Indians, Rafalowski won it for the Bucks with his second of the night.
Scoring Summary
First Half –
Nico Ziegler (S) from Cam Taylor
Second Half –
Michael Rafalowski (CBW)
Cole Barrett (CBW)
Cam Taylor (S) from Nico Ziegler
Michael Rafalowski (CBW)
CB West coach John Adair on the win:
“With it being our Senior Night, it’s always one those guys are up for emotionally, and sometimes it can be hard to channel that into a good performance, but I couldn’t be more proud of the way our guys and especially our seniors carried themselves tonight. They’re all developing as leaders, and it really showed in so many great ways tonight.
“I’ve got to give Frank a lot of credit. His boys are playing some really good soccer, and while their record obviously shows it. He’s done wonders with that group in just a year. Knowing that, we knew we would have to be at our best, and our seniors and everyone else delivered.”
–The game: “In the first half, I thought we had the better of the play, but we weren’t decisive enough in and around the box, which led to us going into the break with no goals after a late first half goal against the run of play.
“The second half was really, really fun to watch. We were dangerous, more assertive in the final third and really spent most of the time on their half, but we’ve been consistently talking about how we need to have that bit of final product to finish plays off.
“The second half showed what our staff always knew – that these boys could do it and can play with anyone.”
–Props: “Michael Rafalowski obviously scoring two goals from midfield deserves a mention and a ton of credit. He’s so much fun to watch, and we can’t wait to see how he continues to develop over the next two seasons, but he’s already been a catalyst this season for us.
“Kieran Thompson didn’t put a foot wrong tonight in the back either, and I could probably say that about 75 percent of his performances this season. He’s such a privilege to coach, and just to see his growth and maturity from last season to this season is a huge reason why we all love coaching.
“Cole Barrett and Luca Testani are two that have really started to lead within the group with their performances as well. Both have obviously contributed with goals and assists this year, but it’s their effort and willingness to run in all phases of play that really gets our team going.
“All in all, I could mention every single player that stepped foot on the field today because they all deserve a ton of credit, and I’m so happy and thankful for each of them and what they give us day in and day out.”
Souderton coach Frank DeMas on the loss: “We played a good first half and had the lead, then let up too much in the second half. But after going down 2-1, I was really proud of our guys to not give up and tie the game.
“But hats off to John and CB West – they played very well
Next up: CB West (5-6-3, 1-5-1 SOL) will play at first-place on Friday. Souderton (12-2, 5-2 SOL) hosts CB East on Friday.
Souderton 1 1 – 2
CB West 0 3 – 3
SOL Liberty Division
Abington 1, Upper Dublin 0
Jaza Vasquez scored in the 72nd minute to break a scoreless tie to help lead Abington to a key 1-0 victory in a battle for first place in the SOL Liberty Division.
Abington played the game minus three starters, who also happen to be the team’s three captains – Brandon Murataj (lost for the season with a broken ankle), Brady Hartman and Brian O’Neill.
With the win, the Galloping Ghosts now have a one game lead over the Flying Cardinals in the standings.
Scoring Summary
Second half –
Jaza Vasquez (A) 72nd minute
Abington coach Randy Garber on the game:
“This was a real good win. This is the first time I think we’ve won (at Upper Dublin) in a couple years. That’s a tough place to win for us, for whatever reason. Today, we had a good second half. They had the better of play in the first half and had a real good chance. Daniel Oliveira took the ball off the line or else they would have scored a goal in the first half. It ended up 0-0 at halftime, but there was a little bit of a breeze that was just enough, if you played the ball in the air, it would favor one side. They were going with that breeze in the first half. In the second half, we had it.
“We scored one goal and had two very good chances. We hit the post, and it came out. We were probably on the 12-yard line one-on-one against the goalkeeper, and the goalkeeper saved it, so we had three real good looks, and we finished one of them.
“Between Upper Dublin and us, we’ve been battling for the last how many years, so it was a good win. This was an important game for us.”
—The game-winner: “It was eight minutes to go in the game. There was a shot taken – the ball was hit on the ground, the goalkeeper saved it, and when he saved it, the ball caromed to the end line on the left-hand side and Jaza (Vasquez), who ended up scoring the goal, raced down and literally got the ball on the end line and brought it back. It was on the left-hand side, and there was a little bit of a window because the goalkeeper was still on the ground. He just slid it between the near post and the goalkeeper, and it hit the back panel. He did a nice job just by keeping his cool and finishing it.”
—Props: “We were missing three starters, and the reserves stepped up and did a nice job. Jaza, our goal scorer, did a nice job by filling in. This was his first start. Kevin Kelly came in and played in the midfield and did a real nice job. Also in the midfield, Owen Gesing and Sean Westmoreland did a nice job, and our defense kept a clean sheet – Dan Oliveira, Nicky Gray, Brandon Escobar and Kyle Kretschman and our goalkeeper, Justin Waterfall. They did an excellent job in the back.”
Upper Dublin coach Noah Johnson on the game:
“It went down all the way to the last eight minutes of the game. It was a good game. Neither team could score. It wasn’t the best game for either one of the teams, but Abington deserved it. The got their one goal and ran away with it.
“We need to figure it out and fast because playoffs are coming up.”
Next up: Abington (9-3-3, 6-0-1 SOL) plays at Wissahickon on Thursday. Upper Dublin (8-5-1, 6-1-1 SOL) plays Quakertown.
Abington 0 1 – 1
Upper Dublin 0 0 – 0
Hatboro-Horsham 4, Quakertown 0
Logan Gisondi scored once in the first half and then a second time early in the second half, leading Hatboro-Horsham to the shutout win on the road at Quakertown Tuesday night.
Christian Patelmo and Miller Kahmar had one goal each for the Hatters.
Scoring Summary
First half –
Logan Gisondi (HH) from Logan Clayton 27th minute
Second half –
Logan Gisondi (HH) from Evan Paone 47th minute
Christian Patelmo (HH) from Logan Gisondi 51st minute
Miller Kahmar (HH) 55th minute
Hatboro-Horsham coach Kyle McGrath on the game:
“We worked yesterday at practice just on attacking balls in the box. We’ve kind of lacked that offensively and defensively this year. I think we did a better job of that today obviously, scoring four goals and two of them off balls in the box. Defensively, we were able to take care of clearances and hold their attacking players in check.
“It’s a long bus ride up to Quakertown. It was their Senior Night. We didn’t get started until almost 7:30. It was a bit of a wait for my guys, but the energy was good, and we were able to get a win. Now we move on to our next game on Thursday.”
—The goals: “The first goal was in the 27th minute. Quakertown had a 6-yard kick, and Logan Clayton won the head ball. His head ball set Logan Gisondi free on a half breakaway, and he was able to finish it.
“In the second half, in the 47th minute, Evan Paone won the ball from one of their midfielders and played a little through ball to Gisondi, who hit a great shot to the upper 90. The third goal was in the 51st minute. It was a good link up play between Christian Patelmo and Logan Gisondi. Christian played Logan out wide. We had some great runners in the box, and Logan played a great ball across, and Christian was able to finish it back across the face of the goal. The last goal was in the 55th minute. Logan Gisondi took a shot, the goalkeeper made a save, and Miller Kahmar was there to put the rebound in off the original shot.”
—Props: “Sawyer Cruz and Evan Hair combined for the shutout in goal. The back four of Will Fisher, Louis Matullo, Nick Bellizzie and Finn Marsden did a good job defensively to keep them off the scoreboard.”
Next up: H-H (6-7-1, 3-4 SOL) hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday. Quakertown (2-12-1, 1-6 SOL) hosts Upper Dublin Thursday.
H-H 1 3 – 4
Quakertown 0 0 – 0
Wissahickon 3, Plymouth Whitemarsh 2
Charlie Fortescue scored two goals, as Wissahickon rallied late to get past Plymouth Whitemarsh 3-2 in a wild one on Tuesday.
Braden Vorcheimer had the other goal for the Trojans. Ryan Dowdy and Will Fath had assists.
Wissahickon Scoring
Charlie Fortescue – 2 goals
Brian Vorcheimer – 1 goal
Ryan Dowdy – 1 assist
Will Fath – 1 assist
Wissahickon coach Stuart Malcolm on the win:
“We gave up a 1-0 lead and were down 2-1 with 20 minutes to go. Two goals in the last 20 made it 3-2. We gave up a number of chances in the last few minutes but held on for the ‘W’.”
Next up: Wissahickon (8-6, 4-3 SOL) hosts Abington on Thursday. PW (2-12, 1-6 SOL) plays at Hatboro-Horsham Thursday.
Wissahickon 1 2 – 3
PW 0 2 – 2
SOL Freedom Division
Cheltenham 7, William Tennent 3
Chamar Blanchard scored in the first minute of the game, and then helped blow the game wide open in the second half with four more goals, as Cheltenham pulled away from William Tennent for the division win on Tuesday.
Other scorers for Cheltenham were Billy Fishman and Xavier Chanione.
Naz Kukhnly, Chase Criss and Travis Donovan scored goals for Tennent.
Scoring Summary
First Half –
Chamar Blanchard (C) from Noah Jutzi, 1st minute
Billy Fishman (C) from Xavi Chanione, 2nd minute
Xavi Chanione (C) from Ean Justice, 12th minute
Naz Kukhnly (WT) from Chase Criss
Chase Criss (WT) from Naz Kukhnly
Second Half –
Chamar Blanchard (C) from Zack Rosser
Chamar Blanchard (C) from Xavi Chanione
Chamar Blanchard (C) from Jordan Rodriguez
Travis Donovan (WT) from Gavin McSherry
Chamar Blanchard (C) from Zack Rosser
Cheltenham coach Bill Tonkin said about the win:
“We took our foot off the gas after a great start and got away from things we do, and they made us pay for it to get back into the game. (Assistant coach John Tonkin) got on them at halftime and they got back on track early in the second and continued through the half. Chamar Blanchard scored four goals in the half. They were playing a high line and just couldn’t keep up with Chamar.
“Credit to Tennent for playing hard. John said even though the score seemed like it was kind of an easy game, he never felt comfortable because of how hard Tennent kept coming at us.
“It was a good performance for us coming off this holiday break, and we need to finish strong these last four games.”
–The goals: Chamar Blanchard scored his first goal of five 31 seconds into the game assisted by Noah jutzi. A minute later, Billy Fishman hit a beautiful shot into the upper corner off an assist from Xavi Chanione. The third goal of the half was about 10 minutes later off a free kick played into the box by Ean Justice that found Xavi Chanione, who finished it to make it 3-0. Tennent came back and scored twice to finish the half out at 3-2
“Chamar Blanchard scored four goals in the second half. They were playing a high line and just couldn’t keep up with Chamar. He was assisted by Zack Rosser twice, Jordan Rodriguez and Xavi Chanione.”
Next up: Cheltenham (8-5-1, 4-2-1 SOL) plays at Upper Moreland on Thursday. Tennent (3-10-2, 2-3-2 SOL) plays at Springfield.
Tennent 2 1 – 3
Cheltenham 3 4 -7
Springfield Twp 3, Lower Moreland 0
Harry Bates opened the scoring with a goal in the first half, and Springfield inched closer to a repeat SOL Freedom championship with the shutout of rival Lower Moreland.
Ed Ha and Kayden Sowell had second half goals for the Spartans.
Scoring Summary
First Half –
Harry Bates (S) from Adam DiBattista
Second Half –
Eden Ha (S) from Chase Rubincam
Kayden Sowell (S) from Shaun Bleeker
Next up: Springfield (11-1-3, 5-1-1 SOL) can clinch a share of the division title with a win at home against William Tennent Thursday. Lower Moreland hosts New Hope-Solebury.
LM 0 0 – 0
Springfield 1 2 – 3
Upper Moreland 2, New Hope-Solebury 1
Jackson Stuetz scored the game-winner late, as Upper Moreland upset New Hope-Solebury 2-1 in a Freedom Division game on Tuesday night.
Scoring Summary
First Half –
Max Hubbard (UM) from Ty Ryan, Davide Acosta
Second Half –
Aramis Shire (NHS) from Rex Smith-Cumminings
Jackson Stuetz (UM)
New Hope coach Chris Van Pelt on the loss:
“Wish we could’ve gotten a better result on Senior Night. I thought the seniors all had good moments tonight. Upper Moreland brought a lot of energy and had momentum for most of the game. I’m proud of the guys for the fight they showed in the second half.”
Next up: Upper Moreland (6-9, 2-5 SOL) next hosts Cheltenham on Thursday. New Hope (9-5, 4-3 SOL) takes Lower Moreland Thursday.
UM 1 1 – 2
NH-S 0 1 – 1
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