Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Wednesday. Hatboro-Horsham/New Hope-Solebury photos provided courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f660777489 (Neshaminy/CB South photos provided courtesy of Trish Sexton/Neshaminy boys’ soccer)
SOL Freedom/Liberty crossover games
Springfield Twp 1, Upper Dublin 0
Riley Martin scored the game’s only goal 30 minutes in and that held up to give the unbeaten Spartans the exciting 1-0 win over Upper Dublin. Chase Rubincam delivered the defensive play of the game to preserve the win.
“Honestly, the goal was created out of not much,” said Springfield coach Dan Meder. “They had defenders behind him, and he just got really creative for a second, knocked one in and caught everyone off guard.”
UD coach Noah Johnson had high praise for Martin.
“When you’re playing against the best kid in the state, he gets one opportunity and the one opportunity he gets he puts away,” Johnson said. “We just had a nap for one second, he made us pay for that one second. Hats off to him. He is that good.”
The Cardinals came on strong in the second half and applied a lot of pressure in the Springfield end.
“Upper Dublin pressed us,” Meder said. “They came out in the second half and had some really good chances to score. They hit the crossbar, our goalie (Owen Hastings) made a couple of big saves, and our center back, Chase Rubincam, saved one from behind the goalie. He slid behind the goalie and knocked one out that was going in. For us, that was probably the play of the game. The ball was by us, and he came out of nowhere and made the big save. Chase made the play of the game.”
Nick Hanushchak picked up the assist on the Martin goal. Keeper Hastings finished with nine saves.
“It was a great team win,” Meder said. “Everybody that played, played well. Upper Dublin had chances, and it could have gone either way.”
Upper Dublin had plenty of opportunities but couldn’t find a way to get the equalizer.
“We can’t find the back of the net, but it was a great effort,” Johnson said.
Springfield (6-0, 4-0 SOL) is back in action Thursday at Upper Moreland.
Upper Dublin (4-2, 3-2 SOL) is on the road Tuesday at William Tennent.
Springfield 1 0 – 1
Upper Dublin 0 0 – 0
Hatboro-Horsham 4, New Hope-Solebury 2
The Hatters needed this one, snapping a three-game losing streak with a solid 4-2 win against New Hope on Thursday.
“Logan Gisondi and Anthony Pumilia both had two goals and had an assist each, so they partnered up pretty well today and created lots of chances,” said Hatboro-Horsham
coach Kyle McGrath.
“I thought maybe we could have scored one or two more, but it’s good to be back on the scoresheet and get back in the win column after a couple of tough games with a relatively young and inexperienced group. We’re still learning, we’re still trying to improve, and hopefully, today’s win catapults us a little bit to have success.”
H-H jumped up with two goals in the first 25 minutes, both by Gisondi, with assists to Pumillia and JohnPaul Polizzi.
In the second half, New Hope made things interesting with a penalty kick goal in the 44th minute, but Pumillia scored two goals six minutes apart – in the 56th and 62nd minutes – to put the game away. Gisondi and Jesse Wisnoff had assists.
H-H (2-3, 2-3 SOL) next plays at Quakertown on Friday.
New Hope (0-5, 0-5 SOL) has a tough crossover game Tuesday at Plymouth Whitemarsh.
New Hope 0 2 – 2
H-H 2 2 – 4
Lower Moreland 1, Quakertown 0
Temur Temirov scored the only goal of the game with seven minutes remaining, as Lower Moreland survived a tough road test at Quakertown on Thursday afternoon.
“We definitely did not have our best game today,” said LM coach Bob Barnhart. “Any time you have to take the hike up there, it’s a tough one. It’s close to an hour bus ride and it showed for us in the first half. Our touch was off, we were missing shots by six feet or more over the net from inside the 18.
“(Quakertown coach Bill James’) team is always well-coached, and they play a physical style of soccer. We had to get our legs, which proved tough to do for the most of the game.
“(Goalkeeper) Sean Greenleaf kept us in the game, making a few key stops for us.”
Temirov scored off of an assist from Adam Shiloni.
“Our defense anchored down and was able to absorb the pressure that Quakertown put on us for the remaining seven minutes,” Barnhart said. “This was a big win for us starting our crossover leg of the season. Playing the Liberty Division is always tough for the smaller schools, but the coaching staff is glad that we were able to start out on a positive note.”
Lower Moreland (4-1, 4-1 SOL) has a huge division game at home against rival Springfield on Monday.
Quakertown (1-4, 1-4 SOL) next hosts Hatboro-Horsham on Friday.
LM 0 1 – 1
Quakertown 0 0 – 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3, Cheltenham 2
Trailing at halftime, the Colonials battled back to win the second half and the game, scoring a solid crossover win over Cheltenham on Wednesday.
“Another gut check game for the Colonials,” said PW coach John DiCriscio.”After trailing 2-1 at halftime, the boys dug deep to seal a 3-2 win in an eventful finish.
“Strong midfield play combined with Nate Risi’s equalizer was the spark to help determine the game.”
Jeff Schneider had the first goal for the Colonials, and then after Risi tied it up, Schneider had his second later in the second half to clinch the win.
For the Panthers, Ean Justice scored to tie the game 1-1 off a rebound of a free kick taken by Jordan Rodriguez. Chamar Blanchard scored to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead, using an Oscar Chaney assist.
“The boys played very hard today and did not deserve to lose,” Cheltenham coach Bill Tonkin said. “Plymouth Whitemarsh also played well, but I thought we were the better team but ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.”
With the win, its third straight, PW improved to 3-3 overall and 3-2 in league play. It next plays Tuesday against New Hope-Solebury.
Cheltenham (4-2, 4-2 SOL) has a nonleague game Thursday at Archbishop Carroll.
PW 1 2 – 3
Cheltenham 2 0 – 2
Abington 7, Upper Moreland 1
Braeden Brownholtz and Tristan Burns had two goals each, as the Galloping Ghosts routed the Golden Bears in this crossover game on Thursday.
Abington jumped up 3-1 by halftime, with goals by Braeden Delgado and Oscar Hoffmann, and then Brownholtz’s first goal on a penalty kick.
Brownholtz scored again in the second half to make it 4-1, Jose Rosario-Martinez found the net for the fifth goal, and then Burns scored his two goals to finish the game off.
Abington (7-1, 6-0 SOL) next hosts rival Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Upper Moreland (2-4, 1-4 SOL) hosts Springfield in a divisional game on Thursday.
Abington 3 4 – 7
UM 1 0 – 1
Wissahickon 3, William Tennent 1
Dylan Horwitz scored a pair of goals to propel the Trojans to the 3-1 win at home against Tennent Thursday night.
Charlie Fortescue put the Trojans on the scoreboard with a goal in the 38th minute. Horwitz scored a pair of late goals – the first in the 70th minute and the second in the 75th. Fortescue added an assist in the second half.
With the win, the Trojans improved to 3-4 overall and 2-4 in SOL play. They play at Upper Moreland on Tuesday.
Tennent (1-4, 1-4 SOL) has a nonleague game Friday against Calvary Christian Academy.
Tennent 1
Wissahickon 3
SOL Colonial/Patriot crossover games
Souderton 1, Bensalem 0
An early goal held up as Souderton played well and blanked Bensalem in a 1-0 crossover win for the Indians.
Cam Taylor scored the Souderton goal, off an assist from Drew Kerns.
The Indians had other chances, but couldn’t cash in, including hitting the post twice in the second half.
“Great result for Souderton tonight,” said Indians coach Frank Demas. “In a game where we struggled to finish, having multiple opportunities, I’m proud of the team for their dedication to keeping the clean sheet.
“Shout out to Cam Taylor on scoring his first varsity goal tonight. Bensalem fought hard to the end.”
Souderton (2-2, 2-2 SOL) has another crossover game Tuesday night at home against Harry S. Truman.
Bensalem (2-4, 2-4 SOL) next hosts CB East on Tuesday.
Souderton 1 0 – 1
Bensalem 0 0 – 0
North Penn 2, Pennsbury 2 (2 OT)
The Knights went up 2-0, only to see the Falcons score the next two goals, and after scoreless overtime periods, this crossover game ended in a 2-2 tie.
“Today’s game was a great character builder,” said Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart. “We gave up two goals in the first 10 minutes. Ben Bedard provided excellent (goalkeeping) to keep us in the game.”
Conor Sullivan scored both North Penn goals.
“But after dominating (Pennsbury) for 25 minutes, we let them back in with a few moments of indecisive play in the back and then a terrible lack of communication between two senior captains,” said North Penn coach Chris DePeppe.
In the 29th minute, Cooper Gray scored off the initial header from Jaiden Bewtra to make it a 2-1 game.
Pennsbury tied it in the second half, as Saad Williams scored off the header assist from Jack Nicols.
Both goalkeepers played well in overtime to force the tie.
Stoddart also thanked the Yardley Mansfield Soccer Club, where his team has played its home games waiting for renovations to finish up on its campus field.
“We are super excited to move into our new home next week,” the Falcons’ coach said.
Pennsbury (2-2-2, 2-1-2 SOL) next plays Friday at Council Rock South.
North Penn (1-3-2, 1-2-2 SOL) hosts Neshaminy on Tuesday.
“This week was all about lost opportunities and we have to learn from it,” DePeppe said. “I want to keep things positive because we’re playing much better soccer overall, but when you make stupid mistakes and concede gift goals it can lead to frustration and really pull a team apart.”
Pennsbury 2 0 0 0 – 2
North Penn 1 1 0 0 – 2
Central Bucks East 3, Council Rock South 1
The Patriots came out firing and scored two first-half goals and used that momentum to propel themselves to a huge crossover win over visiting CR South on Thursday.
“I was just really (pleased) with our whole first half, the way we came out,” said CB East coach Josh Isaacsohn. “I think we handled them in all different aspects of the game. We were extremely physical, very emotional. We just played really, really good soccer.”
Daniel Frye had a big half for the Patriots, scoring in the 11th minute off an assist from Joey Roth. He then assisted on Michael Montabana goal in the 32nd minute.
“I just have to massively compliment Daniel Frye,” Isaacsohn said. “His assist was one of the nicer passes that I’ve seen. It was about a 35- to 40-yard pass around two defenders right to the feet of our forward. It was just a really, really great soccer play – kind of the reason why we do this. He really had a good game.”
CR South came out strong in the second half and made things interesting, as Frankie Rafferty scored off a George O’Brien assist, to cut it to 2-1.
“East pushed us around in the first half and deserved their lead,” said Golden Hawks coach Alan Nicholl. “The second half, we were much more up to the task, and we were well in it when Frankie scored to make it 2-1.”
In the 68th minute, CB East again established a two-goal advantage with an unassisted goal by Sean O’Donnell.
“To be honest, in the second half, they kind of stole the energy,” Isaacsohn said. “They really came out on fire. I know coach (Alan) Nicholl really, really well, and he is an extremely organized, hard-nosed coach, and that’s exactly how they came out.
“We knew they were very strong up the spine, and we expected them to be a bit more physical in the first half, and I think we rested back a little bit. We got a little bit complacent, and they really controlled the first 20 minutes of the second half, they put one in, and it seemed like the game was tilting in their direction. We had a couple of chances, and I think the third goal was the one that deflated them.
“Michael Montabana and a couple other guys up top had a few more opportunities where we could have been four and five, and I wish we had put those away. As we go further on into the season, those are going to be really important. I’m just really impressed with the boys’ effort top to bottom, minus the kind of dip out for the first 20 minutes of the second half.”
That third goal was the backbreaker for CR South.
“East scored their third goal (in the 65th minute) on a ball that we didn’t clear,” Nicholl said. “It got back in behind us and they put the game away.
“They are a big, strong team and played a spirited game tonight. We simply didn’t match their energy for 80 minutes and the score reflected that.”
CB East (5-1, 5-0 SOL) next plays Tuesday at Bensalem.
CR South (4-1-1, 3-1-1 SOL) hosts Pennsbury in an important divisional game on Friday.
CB East 2 1 – 3
CR South 0 1 – 1
Central Bucks South 4, Neshaminy 2
The Titans scored three goals in the second half to break it open for a big road game win at Neshaminy on Thursday night.
“First half was theirs and the second half was ours,” said CB South coach Kyle Pettican. “Fortunately, we managed to put more away to seal the 4-2 victory. It was, by no means, our best soccer. It was a scrappy (but clean) game.
“Owen Tyson and Evan Jaskelewicz deserve huge credit for their efforts today. They came off the bench and didn’t come back off again.”
At halftime, this was a 1-1 game.
“In the first half, we played reality well,” said Neshaminy coach Tom Foley. “We gave up a PK, and our goalkeeper, Dan Raivitch, saved it, did a nice job. Maybe five minutes later they scored in a scrum in front of the net.
“We did a nice job. We pressured them into mistakes, which I was really happy about. We’ve been preaching that. We got a corner kick goal. Jack Sexton (had) a nice head ball into the goal from Jake Delaney.”
In the second half, South scored first, only to see Neshaminy answer right back to make it 2-2.
“Then, we shoot ourselves in the foot,” Foley said. “Someone passes it to someone on the right side of our midfield, it goes under our foot. They get a quick throw-in, and they get a corner kick off that, and off that corner, they get their second goal.”
Damien Castro scored Neshaminy’s second goal with a “low and hard volley that deflected off somebody and went in,” according to Foley.
Tyson and Josh Dozier scored goals for CB South, while the other two came off of own goals, caused by pressure from Dozier and Pat Chrzanowski.
“The first half was all Neshaminy,” Pettican said. “They came out direct, hungry and pressed. We were unable to connect with one another. At 1-1 at the half, we had to change the way we went about the game, so we tried to give it back to them.”
Neshaminy had its chances and played well, but mistakes at inopportune times proved costly.
“We played well, but we shoot ourselves in the foot,” Foley said. “It’s a lot of inexperience, and we’re not blessed with a lot of size, so that hurts us as well.
“Dan gave up four goals, but he made a couple of nice saves. We don’t bail him out very much, he bails us out, and unfortunately, he didn’t get the help he needed. Jack Sexton played well again tonight. He got the goal, and he plays like a beast in the middle. Sophomore Mark Andreyeu played really well, and freshman Jake Fallon played about 60 minutes tonight, and he did a really good job today too.
“It looks like we’re turning the corner a little bit. We’re starting to give an effort, we’re starting to figure out the defensive end, we got a couple of goals. We just have to eliminate some of those mistakes that cost us in the end. That comes with on-the-job training unfortunately, and you’re going to take your lumps, but we did some decent things tonight that we certainly can build on.”
CB South (3-2, 3-2 SOL) has another big crossover game Tuesday at CR North.
Neshaminy (1-4-1, 1-4-1 SOL) plays at North Penn on Tuesday.
CB South 1 3 – 4
Neshaminy 1 1 – 2
Council Rock North 2, Central Bucks West 0
Ari Pollack and Logan Adams scored goals, and defensively CR North was strong all game, as the Indians pulled out a huge crossover win over CB West on Thursday night.
“Michael Pinho played well in the back along with Darek Miller,” said CR North assistant coach Brian Hoffman. “We had a couple guys out with injuries or other situations, and those guys held the back together well when CB West was pushing with a lot more energy in the second half.
“They kept people calm, and it was probably one of the best times that they’ve communicated over the course of the season defensively. It was good to see that, especially as we progress over the course of the season. I thought they played well in the back.”
The Indians also had a huge effort from goalkeeper Cal Hopkins.
“Cal Hopkins played outstanding this evening,” Hoffman said. “He was under control, patient – all those things a really stellar goalkeeper should be. He made a couple of big saves in moments they needed to be there.”
Pollack gave CR North the lead midway through the first half, assisted by Windsor Varady. The Indians took that 1-0 lead into halftime.
Then, with 15 minutes remaining, Pollack assisted on Adams’ goal to salt the game away.
CR North (6-0-1, 5-0-1 SOL) is at home Tuesday against CB South.
CR West (3-3, 3-2 SOL) looks to bounce back Tuesday at CR South
CR North 1 1 – 2
CB West 0 0 – 0
Pennridge 9, Harry S Truman 0
After a rough start to the season with four tough division losses, the Rams broke through in a big way with a shutout of Truman on Thursday.
“Give Truman credit, their guys fought for 80 minutes today,” said Pennridge coach Aaron Rapsinski. “They didn’t show a letdown. They did have a couple of opportunities that had us raising our eyebrows. They worked really hard and did what they could, so hats off to them.
“Our guys worked really hard today. We moved some guys around to different positions. A lot of guys got a lot of playing time, and we were able to put the ball in the back of the net a decent amount.”
Pennridge captains Pat Fannon and Luca Angello both had big games, with Fallon scoring three times and Angello adding two goals.
Parker Annan also had two goals, while Dean Gunning and David Le had one goal each.
It was a solid win, and a necessary one for a Rams’ team looking to turn the corner.
“It felt good,” Rapsinski said. “It doesn’t really matter who the opponent is. It’s always good to go out there and get a win, but we really wanted to focus on just getting back to basics and doing the small things right.
“Even though we scored more in the first half, we actually played a much better, more complete half in the second half. We got back to basics and just tried having fun on the field again. It does feel good to get that first one out of the way. We feel good rolling this into the rest of the season.”
Pennridge (1-4, 1-4 SOL) looks to make it two straight Friday night with a nonleague game at Faith Christian Academy.
Truman (0-7, 0-6 SOL) is off until Tuesday when it plays at Souderton.
Truman 0 0 – 0
Pennridge 5 4 – 9
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