Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Tuesday. Upper Dublin/PW photos provided courtesy of Geanine Jamison. Check back for a gallery of photos. (CB East photo provided courtesy of Kelly Reid.)
SOL National
William Tennent 1, Neshaminy 0
Danny Higgins scored in the first half, and sophomore Pat Corley recorded six saves to get the shutout as William Tennent knocked Neshaminy from the ranks of the unbeaten on Tuesday.
“In the first half, we had great possession,” said Tennent coach Nick D’Andrea said. “We actually were connecting passes on the turf and really seeing what our identity is as a team.
“The goal came off a lot of combinations, but the ball bounced to the upper right-hand side, and Danny came across the top of the box. He’s left-footed, and he just hit a nice shot far post that went in. They had a lot of chances and they played really well. I think the first half when we were connecting passes – that’s our identity as a team, and we’ll try to play possession, but they did a good job of minimizing that in the second half. They’re really tough.”
Neshaminy had chances to draw even in the second half, especially down the stretch, but Tennent held on for the upset victory.
“They actually had more chances on goal than us,” D’Andrea said. “In the first half, we had really good established possession, but in the second half, we really had to hold on. Neshaminy came with some energy. In the last 15 minutes, they had corner kicks and throw-ins. We just held off, held tight.
“We gave up two games this year in the last minute, so this was good to hang on to this one.”
D’Andrea also credited the play of Ben Weir on defense.
“Neshaminy is so dangerous with number 21, 10, 7 (Justin Lykonov, Cole Jackson and Manny Weagba), who are very good players coming at us for 80 minutes,” D’Andrea said. “Ben Weir was matched up with their forwards all game (Lykonov and Weagba) who we knew were really dangerous coming in, and I thought he did a really, really nice job.
“Especially on (Lykonov). He is just fantastic. He’s a big strong forward and we knew coming in we had to do something about him. Ben had a tough task, and he did a good job.
“Danny Higgins was injured during the game at the start of the second half with a concussion on a bad collision, so we want to wish him well. Danny was playing really well before his injury. Every game is tough. It was a good game. Both teams played really well. Neshaminy is so good. It was a good win.
Neshaminy slipped to 6-1 overall (4-1 SOL) with the loss.
“Credit to Tennent,” said Neshaminy coach Tom Foley. “They beat us in every aspect of the game. We will be watching the film to see the areas of the game we need to improve.”
The Redskins will travel to Holy Ghost Prep for a non-league game Wednesday, and Williams Tennent (3-3, 2-2) will host Archbishop Wood in a non-league game on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
William Tennent 1 0-1
Neshaminy 0 0-0
Pennsbury 2, Council Rock South 1
Jaden Haig and Evan Reichard each scored in the last eight minutes as Pennsbury erased a one-goal deficit to rally for the win.
Both goals – Haig’s with eight minutes left and Reichard’s game-winner with under two minutes – were set up by Josh Panaro restarts after Sean Armstrong scored for the Golden Hawks midway through the second half.
“I thought we were a little sluggish,” coach Tom Stoddart said. “We had trouble matching their energy in the first half.
“I thought we did better coming into the second half, but Council Rock took it back and got their goal, but I thought from there on out, we were playing downhill. We did some nice things. We were able to get a couple of restarts, and Josh Panaro has been deadly on serving those things in, and the boys have done a nice job of putting them in the goal and being in the right spot to hit them home.”
Also for Pennsbury, senior captain Joe Ficarotta made his 2019 debut after breaking his ankle this spring.
“It was definitely a big moment for him coming off a broken ankle,” Stoddart said. “Definitely the boys were excited to have him back. Today, we ran him up top in a forward position – he just settled things down with the way he played. It was a very good shot in the arm to have him back, no doubt.”
Pennsbury (6-0, 4-0 SOL), the lone conference team without a loss, will travel to Harry S Truman on Thursday, and Council Rock South (2-5, 1-3) will host William Tennent on Thursday.
Pennsbury 0 2-2
CR South 0 1-1
Bensalem 3, Harry S. Truman 1
Ricky Pierre Toussant scored early for Truman, but the Tigers couldn’t hold on as the Owls rallied for the two-goal victory. Auyuob Fask assisted on the Truman goal.
“Right before that, Edwin Rivera, who stepped in for Jon Abarayak, who was unable to play keeper today, made a save off of a direct kick,” said Truman coach Matt Terry. “
The Owls – winners for the second time in as many days – came back and scored two to take a 2-1 lead into halftime, as Brian Gibson and Ronaldo Montero each scored, with Kal Ivanov assisting on both.
“Our goalie, Chris Rowan, punted it, Kal Ivanov got it, cleared the ball and Brian Gibson finished it,” Bensalem coach Rob Brown said of the equalizer. “The (Truman) goalie came out, Brian went around him and scored, basically, in an empty net.”
Ryan Fadako scored in the second half off of an assist from John Larbi to finish the scoring.
“We pretty much just dominated the ball in the midfield,” Brown said. “Our three midfielders – Kal Ivanov, Chris Russo and Hunter Shay – played really well and dominated the ball in the middle, and we were able to play the ball out to the corners and make runs. We were very effective that way.
“Blaine Zavala played outside back, and he won a ton of balls in the midfield. He’s the shortest kid on the field. Even (Truman’s) assistant yelled, ‘How are you going to let the smallest kid on the field win all the head balls.’ He definitely worked his butt off. At the end, they were trying to pressure us to get one in. He was all over the place and won a lot of 50-50 balls out of the air. He did really well.
Truman had a few chances, but after the first goal was unable to cash in.
“Jon Hamilton and Artie Dingley played well in the back,” Terry said. “We were unable to hold possession and that hurt us today. Bensalem turned up the defense in the second half and made it hard to convert our chances.
“The keeper for Bensalem (Rowan) was sound. Ayoub Fask hit a nice shot and their defensive player headed it off the line. We pushed some players up and Bensalem caught us on a counter and finished.”
Bensalem (2-5, 2-3 SOL) is already looking ahead to Thursday’s big game against Council Rock North.
“We’re hoping for a perfect week so we can get back in it,” Brown said. “I feel like we left a couple (games) on the table we should have done better with. We were up on Neshaminy 2-0 with an extra man on, and we let that slip away in overtime. We hung with Tennent until we started pressing forward for a goal and gave up a penalty. We’ve won a couple, we’re going to North, which is always a tough match.”
Harry S Truman (2-3-1, 0-3-1) will host Pennsbury on Thursday.
Bensalem 2 1-3
Harry S. Truman 1 0-1
SOL American
Hatboro-Horsham 4, Cheltenham 0
Four different players scored goals as Hatboro-Horsham jumped up with two goals in the first half and cruised to the win in the second half. The win was the fifth in a row for the Hatters after dropping their first two games of the season.
“Offensively, we were very good today,” coach Kyle McGrath said. “We created a lot of opportunities and would have scored more goals were it not for Cheltenham’s goalkeeper (Lou Liodtka) who played very well.
“Offensively, it was good to see guys creating those opportunities. Bradan Mallon played very well, Enrico Romano was involved in a couple of goals, and Lucas Howieson came off the bench and gave us some good minutes as a winger. All those guys really did a good job today.”
Matty Harmony opened the scoring with a free-kick goal in the 19th minute. Romano assisted on a Mallon goal 10 minutes later.
“J.D. Mallinder played a ball from about midfield, and Enrico went up to win the initial head ball. He flicked it on, and Bradan ran in behind and finished it,” McGrath said of his team’s second goal.
In the second half, the Hatters scored two goals five minutes apart. Nick Katherine scored off of a Romano assist, and then Katherine assisted on an Adam Manfaa goal.
Hatboro-Horsham (5-2, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Abington on Thursday, and Cheltenham (2-6, 0-5) will be on the road at Springfield Township on Thursday.
Hatboro-Horsham 2 2-4
Cheltenham 0 0-0
Upper Dublin 4, Plymouth Whitemarsh 3 (2 OT)
Ethan Hill scored the first goal of his varsity career less than 25 seconds into the second overtime as Upper Dublin emerged with a thrilling 4-3 win.
“We tied it at 3-3 with two minutes remaining (on a goal) by Sean Seabrook,” said UD coach Andy Meehan. “Then 25 seconds into the second overtime, Ethan took a shot from the corner of the 18 to the top corner of the goal for the first goal of his varsity career.”
The two teams were deadlocked 1-1 at the intermission, and both teams scored a pair of goals in the second half.
Seabrook finished with two goals on the night to lead the Flying Cardinals, while Luke Rappaport also scored.
Upper Dublin (4-3, 4-1 SOL) will be on the road at Wissahickon on Thursday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (3-4, 3-2) will host Upper Moreland on Thursday.
Upper Dublin 1 2 0 1-4
PW 1 2 0 0-3
Abington 3, Wissahickon 1
Nevin Baer scored two goals in the second half as Abington pulled away for a 3-1 win on Tuesday.
A goal by Thomas Santangelo made it 1-0 at halftime for the Galloping Ghosts, only see Wissahickon tie the game early in the second half on a goal by Matt Henderson.
Anthony Piccone (four saves) and Sam Dumas combined for five saves in goal for the Trojans, who held a 10-6 advantage in shots.
Abington (6-1, 5-0 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday in a key conference battle. Wissahickon (2-6, 2-3) will host Wissahickon on Thursday.
Abington 1 2-3
Wissahickon 0 1-1
Springfield 3, Upper Moreland 1
Grant Williams scored twice in the second half – the second with an Evan Bunting assist, and Springfield won its first conference game over Upper Moreland on Tuesday.
Leo Castro scored the Spartans’ first goal.
Upper Moreland’s Dylan Swedberg scored his team’s only goal in the first half, which made it a 1-1 game at halftime.
Springfield Township (2-4, 1-4 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Thursday, and Upper Moreland (3-5, 1-4) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Springfield 1 2-3
Upper Moreland 1 0-1
SOL Continental
North Penn 5, Central Bucks West 2
Jamie Stewart turned a pass from his brother, Ryan Stewart, into an early goal, but Reid Thompson scored the equalizer for the Bucks. Carter Houlihan’s goal off a Jones assist with 15 seconds left before halftime but the Knights back in front for good.
“It was actually a close game until we got the fifth goal almost,” said NP coach Paul Duddy. “When we play West, it’s always back and forth. Even a two-goal lead doesn’t feel comfortable.
“Last year (in a district quarterfinal playoff game), when we had a two-goal lead, they came back, tied us and beat us in overtime. I never feel comfortable against that team. Even a two-goal lead isn’t enough.
“I think we played much better in the second half than we did in the first half. Despite the score (at halftime), West probably had the ball more in our end in the first half.”
In the second half, Ryan Stewart made it 3-1 off an assist from his brother Jamie, and later after CB West cut it to one, North Penn answered with goals by Houlihan (Ryan Stewart assist) and Ilovski (Jake Sinn assist) to put the game away.
The Knights’ coach lauded the efforts of several players.
“Both of the Stewart brothers had great games and Josh Jones,” Duddy said. “Carter Houlihan, as always, and Roman Ilovski is stepping up and scoring some goals.”
North Penn (5-1, 2-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Thursday for a key conference game, and Central Bucks West (2-3-2, 1-2-1) will be on the road at Quakertown Thursday.
North Penn 2 3-5
CB West 1 1 -2
Souderton 1, Pennridge 0
Senior captain Reece DiRenzi scored the game-winner and Souderton recorded its fourth shutout in five games against conference, next-town rival.
“It was just a typical game between Pennridge and Souderton,” said Indians coach Matt Benner. “We always know what we’re getting from them. They’re a very, very athletic team, a ton of really talented players, and normally, it’s probably going to take one goal to win it, and that was the case tonight.
“We were able to get a ball out wide, get a ball played across on the six, and our senior captain Reece DiRenzi was there. He just got a foot on it before the keeper could get it. Luckily, it went in the back of the net, and we were able to see it out.”
The Indians’ defense stood tall in the final six minutes.
“We had to deal with a restart, and Pennridge is really good on restarts,” Benner said. “They have good size, good delivery. They have a really long throw as well to deal with, so we tried to make sure we kept it away from the sidelines. We took it to the corner and tried to win as many first balls as we could.
“Our backline played well and it was a good team win.”
The win improves the Indians to 4-1-2 overall and 2-1-2 in the conference, good enough for second place at this point of the season.
“It’s good to see,” Benner said. “Our boys are really focused right now, and whether t’s non-league or league, they’re taking each game as a challenge. They’re really focused on trying to keep other teams off the board.
“We feel if we can not give up any goals we’re going to have a fighting chance in every game. It really was a team effort tonight. We got great contributions from our defenders, our midfield rotations and we tried to keep our forwards fresh, pressing Pennridge when we could and trying to get opportunities and crosses, but it really was just a good team win.”
Souderton will be on the road at Upper Dublin for a non-league game Friday, and Pennridge (5-2-1, 1-2-1) will take on Central Bucks East at Talen Energy Stadium, home of the Philadelphia Union, on Thursday.
Souderton 1 0-1
Pennridge 0 0-0
Central Bucks East 1, Quakertown 0
Jacob Bing-Zaremba scored the game’s only goal as Central Bucks East emerged with a shutout win over Quakertown on Tuesday.
“Both sides played hard and deserve praise,” East coach Josh Isaacsohn said. “I was proud of the players after a tough game against Abington.”
Senior Tyler Okin saved seven shots to pick up the save for the Patriots.
Central Bucks East (4-2-1, 3-1-1 SOL) will take on Pennridge at Talen Energy Stadium on Thursday, and Quakertown (1-4, 0-3) will host Central Bucks West on Thursday.
CB East 1 0 -1
Quakertown 0 0-0
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