Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Friday. CR North/Archbishop Wood photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Non-league
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1 (2 OT)
It’s a rare day when both coaches walk away from a game feeling good about it.
Friday was one of those rare days, and a contest pitting a pair of coaches with mutual respect for each other, it appropriately ended in a tie.
The Bucks got on the scoreboard early when Michael Pano scored off a corner, and they held that 1-0 lead until the 52nd minute when Sean Davis turned an Anthony Abreu free kick into the equalizer.
That 1-1 tie stood the rest of the way.
Scoring Summary
CBW – Michael Pano volley off a corner, 5th minute
CRS – Sean Davis from Anthony Abreu free kick, 52nd minute
CB West coach John Adair on the game: “This was a really enjoyable game to be a part of. I’ve known Alan for years and always look forward to playing his team because I know that both teams will try to spend most of the game with the ball on the ground.
“I thought early on we did really well to control the tempo and the territory. It felt like we had so much of the ball in the first half and were consistently in their half or our final third. It was easily the best half we’ve played so far this season, but we needed to open up a bigger lead by putting away our chances.
“In the second half, I thought South came out and did a much better job of making us uncomfortable with and without the ball. As a result, we allowed them too much momentum which ultimately led to their goal.
“To our boys’ credit, I thought we were back to looking a lot more like the team that we can be in overtime. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find the net as often as we probably could have, and the game has a funny way of punishing you for things like that. With that said, I was really proud of our boys for their response when the game did change after their goal.”
–Props: “Michael Rafalowski was terrific for us today. For a kid to be able to impact the game in so many different ways really bodes well for him. He was great on the ball today and helped us control the tempo for large stretches, but without the ball, he was incredible to watch tonight between the amount of duels he won and the ground he covered.
“All in all, when we looked our best, our entire midfield was a joy to watch. Our wide players were the best they’ve been so far this season, and while we would’ve loved to win the game obviously, it was a pretty big step in a positive direction.”
CR South coach Alan Nicholl on the game: “Excellent soccer match, incredible energy, as both teams worked tirelessly for the three points. It was such a terrifically competitive game, it would have been unfair for either team to lose. West scored after five minutes on a corner, and Sean Davis tied it in the 52nd minute from an Anthony Abreu free kick.
“My back four (Farid Ganiyev, Tim Grabowski, Owen Lubieski, and Diego Soto) had their hands full with West’s movement, and keeping Barrett in check is a full-time job. John has his team playing with great energy, and it took us 40 minutes to adjust. I’m very happy how we responded to get back into the game and make a fight of it.”
Next up: Central Bucks West (1-1-1) will travel to North Penn Wednesday for its league opener at 7 pm. Council Rock South (1-1-1) will host Pennsbury in Wednesday’s league opener.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2, ARCHBISHOP WOOD 0
The Indians won for the third time in three games and have outscored their opponents 9-1 in those three wins combined. Friday’s shutout was the Indians’ second.
Will Kamp scored the only goal his team would need midway through the first half, capitalizing on a Wood miscue, and Zayd Najimi converted a penalty kick drawn by Landon Lentz, who has been outstanding for the
Indians.
Scoring Summary
1st half
CRN – Will Kamp 1-0
2nd half
CRN -Zayd Najimi PK
CR North assistant coach Andrew Roberto: “We controlled the game a lot. Number 11 on Wood’s team was mainly their guy in the midfield. They played through him a lot, but we started to man-mark him a little more, and I would say we controlled the ball 75 to 25.”
–The scoring: “We scored our first goal midway through the first half. A ball was played back to the defender, and the ball was popped in the air. Will Kamp ran onto it, got there before the defender and basically burned right past him. It was more of a mistake that led to a goal. Our second goal was a penalty kick by Zayd Najimi in the second half with about eight minutes to go. The penalty was won by Landon Lentz.”
–Props: “Landon Lentz played phenomenal the entire game. It won’t show up in the box score. He had no goals, no assists, but Landon was our heart today. He was winning a ton of balls in the middle of the midfield, he was picking up the ball. He must have beat a good 5-10 defenders today with the ball at his feet, so he was our heart and soul.
“Darek Miller played really well in the back, and keeper Cal Hopkins came up with a big save in the second half to keep the game at 1-0. Isaac Morais was terrific today in the back. He’s always one of our guys who’s going to work hard, try to get back for our defenders if they push up the field, or if anyone is out of position, you can go look at that position, and Isaac’s there. He knows the game, so he knows where to be.”
Next up: Council Rock North (3-0) will host Harry S Truman in Wednesday’s SOL opener.
Archbishop Wood 0-0 0
Council Rock North 1-1 2
SPRINGFIELD TWP 5, HARRY S TRUMAN 3
Harry Bates connected on a hat trick, including back-to-back goals to cap a dominant first half that saw the Spartans open up a 4-0 lead. Adam DiBattista and Eden Ha each added a goal for the Spartans who won for the third time in as many games to open the season.
The Tigers didn’t go down quietly, scoring a goal late in the first half and two more in the second.
Scoring Summary
1st half
S – Adam DiBattista from Roman Corcoran 15th min 1-0
S – Eden Ha PK 16th min 2-0
S – Harry Bates from Nate Gazzara 33rd min 3-0
S – Harry Bates from Igor Hyvel 35th min 4-0
2nd half
HST – Elvin Santos 41st min 4-1
S – Harry Bates from Ben Hubley 46th min 5-1
HST – 57th min 5-2
HST – Kevin Stoklas 65th minute 5-3
Next up: Springfield Twp (3-0) will host New Hope-Solebury in its SOL opener Wednesday. Harry S Truman (0-2) will travel to Faith Christian Academy for a non-league game Saturday at 5 pm and then will open its SOL season Wednesday at Council Rock North.
Harry S Truman 0-3 3
Springfield Twp 4-1 5
ABINGTON 1, ARCHBISHOP RYAN 0
A goal by Kyle Kretschman with 10 minutes remaining in regulation propelled the Ghosts to the hard-fought non-league road win.
Next up: Abington (2-1) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham for Wednesday’s SOL opener.
LOWER MORELAND 1, CALVARY CHRISTIAN 0
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