Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Thursday. (CB South/Souderton photos provided courtesy of Mike Tait/CB South soccer)
Patriot Division
NESHAMINY 5, BENSALEM 0
Youth was served in a big way for Neshaminy on Thursday. Freshman David Lopez scored the first two goals, and recent JV call-up Monty Jawawdeh accounted for the last two tallies, as Neshaminy downed Bensalem 5-0 in Thursday’s Patriot Division matchup.
Lopez opened scoring early, finding the back of the net in the second minute in a melee in front of the Bensalem goal.
Scoring summary
First half
David Lopez (N) 2nd minute
David Lopez (N) assisted by Christos Vasilarakis, 30th minute
Connor Choi (N) from Julian Shaw, 35th minute
Second half
Monty Jawawdeh (N) assisted by Allen Marin, 70th minute
Monty Jawawdeh (N) assisted by Damien Castro, 75th minute
Neshaminy coach Tom Foley:
—On the game: “Our first half was a little messy. It wasn’t the best half we played. In fact, it was 1-0, and Bensalem had a couple of really good chances, so they were feeling good about themselves. The referee did us a favor, they gave us an unearned free kick to the right side of the box. It was probably 30 yards out and flighted it in, and David Lopez found the free kick and made it 2-0, and that kind of took the wind out of Bensalem’s sails, and then Connor scored the goal.
“The second half, we were a little cleaner, but we didn’t generate a lot of opportunities. Then we found a rhythm late with Monty getting those two goals.”
—Props: “David (Lopez) is a freshman, and he’s got five goals already. It’s pretty impressive for early on. He’s been a magnet for the ball, and he’s been tucking them home, so it’s great.
“Monty came up from the JV where he was scoring goals down there. He’s picked up three in the last two games, so he’s done really well.
“Our defense – especially Nick Indellicato and Jake Fallon are doing a superior job in the back.”
Up next: Neshaminy will visit nonleague opponent Radnor at 11 am Saturday. Bensalem will visit North Penn at 3:30 pm Tuesday.
Bensalem 0 0 – 0
Neshaminy 3 2 – 5
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 3, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
Council Rock North overcame a slow start, finding its rhythm and scoring three goals in the second half to pull away from Harry S Truman in Thursday’s Patriot Division game.
Ben Pucaro for the Indians on the board in the 52nd minute, converting a Ben Novik setup to break the scoreless tie.
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Ben Pucaro (CRN) assisted by Ben Novik
David Morais (CRN) assisted by Darek Miller
Logan Adams (CRN) assisted by Andrew Foulke
Council Rock North varsity assistant Brian Hoffman:
—On the game: “In the first half, we were trying a different formation as well as playing some guys trying to give them some gametime experience. and it was not effective, so we switched back into our more successful formation, more of our typical starters. Again, it could have been the combination of players we had out there were not as used to playing with each other, so some of it could have been that, but the execution was not clicking. But we adjusted.”
—Props: “Elias Berman, our goaltender, played fantastically as he has in pretty much every game all season.”
Up next: Truman will host nonleague opponent MaST Community Charter School at 3:30 pm Monday. North will visit Central Bucks East at 5:30 pm Tuesday.
Harry S Truman 0 0 – 0
Council Rock North 0 3 – 3
PENNSBURY 0, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 (2OT)
The effort was there. The opportunities were there.
But in the end, neither team was able to capitalize on offensive chances as Pennsbury battled Council Rock South to a scoreless tie in Thursday’s Patriot Division clash.
Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart: “We played very well. I’m disappointed for my boys that they didn’t take care of some of the opportunities they worked to create. But we have plenty to build on from today’s performance.”
—Props: “James Purdum made a couple of great saves to earn a 100-minute shutout. All seven players in the back worked well to correct the positioning errors from Tuesday night. Ryan Mathis gave everything he had until he couldn’t go anymore.”
Council Rock South coach Alan Nicholl: “Both teams gave it a go but neither could find the winner. There were chances on both sides, so this was a fair result at the end of the day.”
—Props: “I thought Ryan Conway had a great engine today and kept Pennsbury’s attack off-balance and made them work for every inch.”
Up next: Pennsbury will visit Central Bucks West for a 7 pm Tuesday game. The Golden Hawks will square off against Central Bucks South at 5:30 pm Tuesday.
Pennsbury 0 0 0 0 – 0
Council Rock South 0 0 0 0 – 0
Colonial Division
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1, NORTH PENN 1 (2OT)
Dan Frey put Central Bucks East ahead early in the second half. Ryan Smith knotted the score for North Penn late in the game. And after double overtime could not determine a winner, both teams settled for a thrilling, hard-fought 1-1 tie in Thursday’s Colonial Division showdown.
“This was an all-around great match,” North Penn coach Chris DePeppe said. “Just a lot of quality players and very intriguing matchups. There is a lot of mutual respect between these programs going back decades, and it really shows on days like today.”
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Dan Frey (CBE) from Jack Thiebeault, 43rd minute
Ryan Smith (NP), 72nd minute
Central Bucks East coach Josh Isaacsohn: “It was kind of a back-and-forth first half. I think (North Penn) probably had a little more opportunities on goal and couldn’t finish. We actually had a PK called, and our guy stepped up, and it was saved.
“We went into the second half, and it felt like we had a bit better of the play. Just three minutes into the half, we put one in. We were doing okay, held on. It was a fairly even match. We just had a defensive breakdown – a couple bad touches, our goalie was screened, and they put a decent low ball in. We went through double-overtime. It was a hard-fought game.”
North Penn coach Chris DePeppe: “East is an impressive team, and we knew we had to be really solid defensively today, but that we also had to be bolder and more dangerous going forward and that we had to create more chances.
So it was great to see us creating a few very good ones in the first half. It’d be even better to see us convert one of those.”
—Defensive standouts: “So much credit today has to go to our primary defenders – senior Cole Taylor, freshman Leo Biase, senior Ryan Smith, and junior Rylan Weed. They were strong in their challenges and sound in their decision-making and they made East’s best players really work to find anything around our goal. And I doubt anyone who was watching would have guessed that our center backs Cole and Leo were making their first start playing together in the heart of our back line.”
—Smith stepping up: “I cannot say enough about what Ryan Smith is doing this season. He scored another huge late goal today to balance the score with 5 minutes left. Ryan probably touched every inch of that turf today, and he makes an immediate impact wherever he plays. He would be the best left back in our conference if I just let him stay there.”
—Making the big saves: “Brady Schwengels saving another PK was our play of the day. What a boost that gives your team. That lift carried over into the second half and we were trading blows with East for a few minutes before one of their long throw-ins led to a goal. And that threat is always lurking with an East team that has five or six good players who are over 6’2″, I think. The fact that we lost Brady for the rest of the game with a possible head injury made that moment potentially devastating.
—Gritty efforts: “It speaks to the resilience of our boys and the example set by seniors like Ryan and Fionn Regan and Carson Schell, who played every minute and really dug in to find that late goal and earn a draw. We always play for three points at home, but I think when you look at the way the game unfolded and the quality of the opponent, we have to be happy with the result.
“But there is very little margin for error in this conference, and no one will come through this schedule unscathed. As we saw today, coach Josh Isaacsohn and his crew have a heck of a team at East.”
Up next: The Patriots will host nonleague opponent Notre Dame at 2 pm Saturday. North Penn will host Boyertown at 2 pm Saturday.
Central Bucks East 0 1 0 0 – 1
North Penn 0 1 0 0 – 1
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1, SOUDERTON 0
Souderton traveled to Central Bucks South on Thursday for a match of co-division leaders. South scored 13 minutes into the match when center back Rowan McDonald battled for a loose ball and started the attack. He found Jackson Tait on the run and Tait collected the ball and went 1-on-1 with the Souderton keeper, dribbling past him and putting the ball into the goal.
Both teams traded several chances the rest of the game but were unable to convert.
Scoring summary
First half
Jackson Tait (CBS) from Rowan McDonald
Second half
No scoring
Central Bucks South coach Ed Brnardic: “We were happy to be at home. It’s an odd season for us where we only play 7 of our 18 games in our home stadium. We came out energetic and we controlled the first half and scored, but Souderton controlled the second half and had chances to tie the match. The game could have gone either way – we had several chances to open up a two-goal lead, but Souderton hit two goalposts in the second half and could have taken the lead themselves. Souderton is dangerous and we knew their winger Liam Manners was in form, scoring several beautiful goals this year.”
—Winning and looking ahead: “It was good for us to get into a match where we had to defend the lead and grind out the game. You need a few of these games during the season, and it was great to see us close it out. We will enjoy the weekend because we are back on the road on Monday to start a tough week that includes three games in four days.”
—Props: “Finn Commins was our man of the match today. We were missing Lucas Tyson, our regular center back, so we slid Finn into the middle to take his spot. Finn was exceptional. He had been out for the first three weeks of the season and has recently come back and is playing his way into fitness. Today he looked like the player we had seen all summer – rock solid on defense, explosive on counter attacks and dominant in the air.
“Nate Monser may have had his best game of the season today, and that says a lot given that he had a goal and an assist against Downingtown West a couple weeks ago. He was strong in attack, and he was focused and responsible defensively. At the end of the game, Nate broke up the Souderton attack in our own end and took off on an 80-yard breakaway – when he got to the goal, he unselfishly slid a pass over to TJ (Tyler Jaskelewicz) to try and give him the tap-in, but the Souderton goalie made a great play to knock it away. Not many players would run 80 yards with the ball and be willing to pass it at the end. Class. Total class.
“Coach Anthony Ditri was on point with our substitutions today. Every player that he brought in (Alex Otto, Evan Nguyen, Alex Centafont, Leo Propato, and Zach Prest) made a positive impact on the game. It was so important for our program’s future that these guys got meaningful minutes in a competitive Colonial Division matchup. These experiences will help them grow and be ready for when it’s their turn to lead the team.”
Souderton coach Frank Demas: “We played well for most of the game tonight. In the second half especially, we looked really good and created some really solid chances, hitting the post twice. We just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net.”
—Props: “The defense for us again was good. Russel, Cusano, Hoover, Scotti played great in the back. And shout-out to Trevor Aldefer for another great game in net.”
Up next: South will visit nonleague opponent Holy Ghost Prep for a 7 pm Monday game. Souderton will host Harry S Truman at 6:30 pm Tuesday.
Central Bucks South 1 0 – 1
Souderton 0 0 – 0
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 4, PENNRIDGE 1
For Central Bucks West, this was about putting their foot on the gas and never letting up.
The Bucks built a 2-0 advantage in the first half and responded to Pennridge cutting their lead to 2-1 by scoring two more in the second half to top the Rams 4-1 in Thursday’s Colonial Division matchup.
Andres Reyes scored a pair for the Bucks. Jace Soto scored the Rams’ lone goal on a beautifully played free kick late in the first half.
Scoring summary
First half
Beck Walton (CBW)
Andres Reyes (CBW)
Jace Soto (P)
Second half
Andres Reyes (CBW)
Max Petrella (CBW)
Central Bucks West coach John Adair: “I have to start out by saying how classy Aaron (Rapinski), his entire coaching staff, and players are. They’ve dealt with a lot this season in terms of injuries and still, there’s a togetherness and level of respect within that group.
“In terms of the game, we came out really strong and scored two early goals from Beck Walton and Andres Reyes to gain some much-needed control. Later in the half, they scored on one of the better free kicks that you’ll see at this level and we struggled a bit to really get back into a rhythm before halftime.”
—Second-half surge: “After halftime, we were much better with the ball going forward and more aggressive defensively to keep them pinned in a bit more. Andres found the back of the net for a second time before Max Petrella capped off the night for the fourth.
“Tonight was important for us to show that we can be a bit more ruthless after we’ve let some results get away from us by not making the right decision when it comes to the final action in some earlier games.”
—Youth is served: “We were able to give minutes to 25 guys tonight, which is great to give some guys a bit of rest and others experience. With so many guys playing a part tonight, it’s difficult to single anyone out individually but Andres and Beck up top continue to be really dangerous while our freshman Kai Rutan really put in a great shift for us in the wide areas. John Vrettos is another young guy, solidifying himself in midfield as a sophomore and really imposing himself on games as of late.”
Pennridge coach Aaron Rapinski: “Jace Soto scored a really nice free kick from just outside the box with 10 minutes left in the first half to claw us back to 2-1. We just had a few mistakes in each half that we couldn’t recover from. The effort is there, we just can’t put together a complete game of soccer.
“West did a really good job of putting away their chances and we didn’t. They possess and build so well they were bound to get chances. They put theirs away.”
Up next: The Bucks visit nonleague opponent Conestoga at 3 pm Saturday. Pennridge will visit Quakertown at 10 am Saturday.
Pennridge 1 0 – 1
Central Bucks West 2 2 – 4
Liberty Division
ABINGTON 6, QUAKERTOWN 0
Abington scored early and often, powering in four first-half goals to blank Quakertown 6-0 on Thursday and remain undefeated in Liberty Division play.
Jazafith Vasquez had a huge game, playing a part in three of the Ghosts’ four first-half goals. Vasquez finished the day with a goal and three assists. Kyle Kretschman and Owen Gesing each added a pair of goals.
Scoring summary
First half
Zach Yurchyshyn (A) assisted by Jaza Vasquez, 38:03
Kyle Kretschman (A) 31:42
Kyle Kretschman (A) assisted by Jaza Vasquez, 25:14
Jaza Vasquez (A) 4:15
Second half
Owen Gesing (A) assisted by Kevin Kelly and Jaza Vasquez, 36:27
Owen Gesing (A) assisted by Aaron Comisar, 33:49
Up next: Quakertown will host Pennridge at 10 am Saturday. Abington visits Springfield Twp at 3:30 pm Tuesday.
Abington 4 2 – 6
Quakertown 0 0 – 0
WISSAHICKON 3, HATBORO-HORSHAM 2 (OT)
The early part of the season has been trying for Wissahickon. But if this week is any indication, the Trojans just might be putting things together and turning the corner.
After picking up a 3-1 win over Quakertown on Tuesday, the Trojans continued their winning ways when Lex Agou scored on a penalty kick in overtime to give the visiting Trojans a thrilling 3-2 win over Hatboro-Horsham in Thursday’s Liberty Division matchup.
“This was good for the boys,” said Wissahickon coach Stuart Malcolm. “They’ve had a couple of results early in the season where unfortunately they worked hard but came out on the wrong end, and I thought it was going to happen again today.
“To come back and win the other day after losing 7-1 (to Abington), we had to have some kind of response, and we did that. The conversation before the game was, ‘If you want to keep this going, these are the kind of games you have to come out and get a result in.’ It was nice for the guys to eventually come out with a win. We made it very difficult, and we’ll talk about it in practice tomorrow.”
Agou set up Tyler Philip on the game’s first goal, and Paolo Seponara-Sills made it 2-0 in the visitors’ favor heading into halftime. But the Hatters responded with goals by Kevin Long and Louis Matullo in a 3-minute span to force the overtime heroics.
Scoring summary
First half
Tyler Philip (W) assisted Lex Agou, 15th minute
Paolo Seponara-Sills (W) assisted by Paul Brogan, 30th minute
Second half
Kevin Long (H-H) assisted by Ethan Kamchatov, 48th minute
Louis Matullo (H-H) assisted by Leighton Saxer, 51st minute
OT
Lex Agou (W) PK
Wissahickon coach Stuart Malcolm: “The first half we played really well. We pressured them a lot, had a lot of opportunities in their half. A little fortuitous on the first goal, but we’ve been on the wrong end of some of those ourselves. It was nice to get the lead especially with the amount of pressure we had.”
—The second half: “We went in at halftime and talked about it. Obviously, we had to manage the game in the second half and get that all-important third goal. Credit to Kyle (McGrath). He basically figured it out in terms of changing things up a little bit.
“We got a little bit disjointed in our defense. We talked about it at the end of the game to make the right adjustments. Their goals came in quick succession because within 10 minutes of the second half, it was 2-2. By the time we were looking at the first one and the issues with that, the second one was already in, so we had to pull players off and talk to them about what was going on – what we saw, what they saw.
“The game settled in to hitting the ball back and forward. We crashed against the bar midway through the second half and didn’t get the rebound. They had some chances from distance. Both goalkeepers didn’t really have a lot to do in the rest of the second half. We got a penalty kick with eight minutes to go in regulation and, unfortunately, missed it.”
—Responding in OT: “We did a nice job in overtime. Five minutes into overtime, we got more into what we were doing in the first half, having a little more of the ball and a little more on the front foot, taking the game more to them in the first few minutes of overtime. Fortunately, one of our players went through, and the referee spotted two hands in the back on our player who went over and, unfortunately, ran into their goalkeeper, but it came because of the initial contact. I was at the other end of the field, and that’s how (the ref) explained what happened. Lex Agou took the penalty kick and scored, and that was it.”
—Props: “Early on in the game, we were doing a nice job in the middle of the field. Luke Frankenfield, Tyler Philip, and Braden Vorchheimer basically were dominating the middle of the field, and that’s where we had the success. We talked about it at halftime – we were getting a little bit away from what we were doing successfully in the first half. What gave us the opportunity to get ahead 2-0 was them taking charge of the middle of the field. In overtime, I don’t think Tyler was on the field, but Braden and Luke were and just managed to get back on the front foot in the first overtime period and put enough pressure on that we forced the situation that gave us the penalty kick that won us the game.”
Hatboro-Horsham coach Kyle McGrath: “Not our best first half and we were down 2-0 at halftime. We were the better team for much of the second half and had a goal called back for a close/questionable offside. We just need to put together a full 80-minute performance.”
Up next: The Trojans look to make it three in a row when they visit Upper Moreland at 3:30 pm Tuesday. The Hatters visit William Tennent at 3:30 pm Tuesday.
Wissahickon 2 0 1 – 3
Hatboro-Horsham 0 2 0 – 2
UPPER DUBLIN 6, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0
Jake Picker provided a spark off the bench, while Jackson Bryan (two goals) and Leo Kuznits (one goal, one assist) led the attack as Upper Dublin rolled to a 6-0 victory over Plymouth Whitemarsh in Thursday’s Liberty Division game.
Picker assisted on the Cardinals’ second goal of the game, which put the visitors up 2-0 going into halftime.
Scoring summary
First half
Chase Rappaport (UD), assisted by James Smith
Jacob Peng (UD), assisted by Jake Picker
Second half
Jackson Bryan (UD), assisted by Duncan Boyd
Jackson Bryan (UD), assisted by Leo Kuznits
Leo Kuznits (UD), assisted by Dom Bova
Alec Fisher (UD), assisted by Dylan Plaku
Upper Dublin coach Noah Johnson: “I’m really pleased with all of them for being mature today and doing what needed to be done to get the win today. Well done to Jake Picker – in the past two games he’s made a difference in coming off the bench and bringing the energy we need to be successful.”
Up next: The Cardinals will visit undefeated Lower Moreland at 3:30 pm Tuesday. The Colonials visit Cheltenham at 3:30 pm Tuesday.
Upper Dublin 2 4 – 6
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0 0 – 0
Freedom Division
SPRINGFIELD TWP 6, CHELTENHAM 0
Harry Bates powered in three goals and Eden Ha had a goal and two assists as Springfield Twp downed Cheltenham 6-0 in Thursday’s Freedom Division game.
The Spartans led 3-0 at halftime.
By the numbers: Springfield Twp: Harry Bates (3 goals), Eden Ha (1 goal, 2 assists), Cody Natalie (1 goal), Henry Hasty (1 goal), Ryan Lewis (1 assist), Sean Currier (1 assist).
Up next: The Spartans host Abington at 3:30 pm Tuesday. Cheltenham hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh at 3:30 pm Tuesday.
Cheltenham 0 0 – 0
Springfield Twp 3 3 – 6
WILLIAM TENNENT 1, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0
William Tennent withstood a strong first half from host New Hope-Solebury, and Carter Jameson netted the only goal of the game with 15 minutes left in the second half as the Panthers pulled off a 1-0 win over the Lions in Thursday’s Freedom Division game.
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
Carter Jameson (WT), assisted by Peter Comans and Vincent Kurz, 65th minute
William Tennent assistant coach Nick D’Andrea: “New Hope dominated the first half and were buzzing everywhere. New Hope junior Jayson Cajeira was terrific. It was a good game.”
—Props: “Vincent Kurz crossed it and Peter Comans took it off his chest but the ball bounced to Carter, who finished it for our goal. Jason Brandt earned the shutout in goal.”
Up next: Tennent will host Hatboro-Horsham at 3:30 pm Tuesday. New Hope-Solebury hosts Quakertown at 7 pm Tuesday.
William Tennent 0 1 – 1
New Hope-Solebury 0 0 – 0
LOWER MORELAND 4, UPPER MORELAND 1
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