Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Monday. Hatboro-Horsham/Pennsbury photos courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography, and Souderton/New Hope photos courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for galleries.
SOL Liberty/Patriot Crossovers
Hatboro-Horsham 1, Pennsbury 0
Christian Patelmo scored two minutes into overtime, as H-H outlasted host Pennsbury for a huge crossover win.
Louis Matullo assisted on Patelmo’s goal.
“They started with the ball in overtime, and we were able to clear it,” said Hatters coach Kyle McGrath. “Louis Matullo played a ball forward to Christian Patelmo, who picked the ball up around midfield and then was able to use his pace to get around their one defender. He got in the 18-yard box and finished a nice shot to the far post two minutes into the first overtime.”
Scoring Summary
Overtime –
Christian Patelmo (HH) 82nd minute
Hatboro-Horsham coach Kyle McGrath on the game: “Overall, the game was pretty even. Pennsbury had periods of pressure on us. We had some periods of pressure on them. We hit the crossbar early in the first half. Their goalkeeper made some good saves, our goalkeeper made some good saves. It was just kind of a back and forth even game, and we were able to come out on top in overtime.”
—Props: “The first thing we talk about pregame is trying to keep a clean sheet and making it difficult for the other team offensively, which my defenders were able to do for the most part today. Luke Weiss, Louis Matullo, Will Fisher and a combination of Christian Patelmo and Finn Marsden were able to keep Pennsbury off the scoreboard and did enough defensively and got the one goal that we needed when it mattered to get out of there with their road win.
“Logan Clayton had another strong game in the center midfield for us. He did a good job in front of the back four to make things easier for them. He did a good job winning a lot of balls in the center midfield to get us forward.”
—A first: “Tom Stoddart, the Pennsbury coach, and I were talking. I’ve been the head coach for 16 years and so has he, and this is the first time we’ve actually played against each other. It’s interesting because we’ve played so many Suburban One schools either during the regular season or in the playoffs, but this was the first time we’ve played them since we’ve both been coaches there.”
Next up: H-H (5-4) plays at CB West on Wednesday. Pennsbury (3-6-1) looks to bounce back at William Tennent.
H-H 0 0 1 – 1
Pennsbury 0 0 0 – 0
Lower Moreland 2, Central Bucks South 1 (OT)
After surrendering a late goal to force overtime, Lower Moreland responded in the extra period, capitalizing on an opportunity to shock previously unbeaten SOL Colonial Leading CB South on the road Monday night.
Marco Fiocca scored the game-winner for the Lions, off the serve from Tyler Millinger four minutes into overtime,
Adiv Opinkaro scored to give LM a second half lead, only to see Sean Clevenstine eventually tie it up for the Titans, setting the stage for Fiocca’s late game heroics.
Scoring Summary
Second Half –
Adiv Opinkaro (LM)
Sean Clevenstine (CBS) from AJ Okoniewski
First OT –
Marco Fiocca (LM) from Tyler Millinger
LM coach Bob Barnhart on the win:
“CB South is a very skilled team, and they have a great coach in Ed (Brnardic). They ran guys at us all night and we knew we were in for an extremely tough test tonight. I didn’t think going into tonight that we have seen the best Lower Moreland soccer has to offer this season.
“We were well-organized all game tonight, and I give the starting 11 a lot of credit. I told them pre-game, we were going to need to play different tactically, and they bought in. Eleven guys playing for each other, and it took 87 minutes of soccer for us to get the result that we wanted. We held a (Class) 4A team, who only had one loss to an out-of-state team, to no goals for almost 60 minutes of soccer.”
—Monday Night Lights: “It’s always easy to get players up for night games, even if there are not many people in the stands. Under the lights always brings out the best in kids. We had a bunch of kids with this game on their radar at the beginning of the season, and with South having such a strong start to the season, it just amplified the importance of us needing to get points out of this game.”
–The scoring: Adiv Opinkaro opened up the scoring with about 11 minutes left in the game. Credit to Ed and his players. They made a few adjustments at halftime, and after we scored, they kept coming in waves., They scored with about four minutes to go in the game, and we were just looking to get it to overtime.
“The coaching staff talked a lot about changing tactics after full time, but we were getting to the goal and had a good amount of chances. We just couldn’t put it away.
“Tommy Keaton hit a ball poised to go upper 90, but their keeper made a phenomenal save to push it over the bar. We were just grinding all night, trying to hold them off and stay in a good, defensive shape. Marco Fiocca scored off a serve from Tyler Millinger for the game winner.
–Props: “Our goalie, Keegan Courduff, had three crucial saves in OT to keep us in the game. Nathan Fellah, Alex Pickering, Enrico Sellecchia and Luke Wheeler held down the back line for us all night. Lian Fellah, Adiv Opinkaro, Jordy Barrera, and Justin Cusack worked hard for us up top. Adam Shiloni, Tommy and Marco and Conner Huber held down the midfield all night. It was a HUGE team win, and I couldn’t be more proud of all the guys tonight.
CB South coach Ed Brnardic on the loss: “There are no easy nights in our league, and In the end, the result didn’t favor us, but we can take many good things from the game. Lower Moreland brought a lot of energy to the contest, and I thought we matched them well in that department. I was also happy with the number of scoring chances we created, but some nights the ball just doesn’t go in like you want it to.
“However, my favorite moment of the night was watching how our guys responded when we went down 1-0 with only 11 minutes to go. The positive energy was contagious, and you could see them believe that we would tie the game. Then when Clev scored with 4 minutes to go it was a great scene.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the storybook ending tonight, but full credit to Lower Moreland for battling to the end and converting their chances.”
Next up: CB South (10-1) hosts Upper Dublin on Wednesday. Lower Moreland (7-3-2) hosts Council Rock South Wednesday.
Lower Moreland 0 1 1 – 2
CB South 0 1 0 – 1
Abington 1, Council Rock North 0
In a classic battle of SOL powers, the Ghosts did what no team before them had done in 10 games – they handed Council Rock North its first loss of the season in Monday’s non-league crossover.
Midway through the first half, Brady Hartman turned a pass from Nicky Gray into a goal. That score stood the rest of the way, and the Ghosts had the huge win.
Monday’s win came on the heels of a 2-1 loss to Springfield Twp on Thursday.
“We lost the game to Springfield because we didn’t defend well when we were winning 1-0, so they got a talking to – ‘One goal can win you a game,’” Abington coach Randy Garber said. “They finally finished it today. We gave away the Springfield game, and we were up 1-0 against Upper Dublin, and they came back and tied us. We think we’ve got to get a second goal and a third goal. Well, guess what – you don’t get any more points by winning 3-0 as you do 1-0, so just win.”
Scoring Summary
First half
Brady Hartman (A) from Nicky Gray
Abington coach Randy Garber on the game: “The first half I thought we played well. We scored a goal, we hit the crossbar twice, the ball didn’t go in – we were unlucky that way, but I thought we played well the first half, and we ended up scoring, so it was 1-0 at halftime on a goal from Nicky Gray to Brady Hartman, who finished.
“In the first two minutes, their goalkeeper got hurt. I don’t know how serious the injury is, but he didn’t play the rest of the game. The scouting report was their goalkeeper is very good and very active. They lost him, but his replacement did a super job as well. I thought he played well.
“The second half, they were in our half the whole entire time. It’s not that we packed it in, it’s just that they had the better of play. They hit the crossbar probably twice. The halftime speech was – ‘You’ve got 40 minutes. If you play good defense and don’t let anybody get behind you, you can win this game,’ and that’s exactly what they did.”
—Crossover games: “These crossover games – anybody can beat anybody. That’s one of the strong points the way they made it that the first place teams play the first place teams. When you’re going in these crossover games – we lost one the other night against Springfield Twp, and it could have gone either way. Springfield won on our field, so that made it ever more special (for them). Obviously, the kids were crushed.
“A game like tonight where you’re going to Council Rock North – you know how good they are. They’re 9-0, they’re at the top of the charts (in the SOL Patriot), they’re high in the district. To go and beat Council Rock North at Council Rock North – it’s a big win for us. We have another game Wednesday that’s going to be just as big because CB East is capable of beating either of us.”
—Props: “Justin Waterfall, our goalkeeper, stood on his head. He did a superb job. Our whole entire defense did a superb job. Nicky Gray was absolutely brilliant, and Dan Oliveira and Kyle Kretschman were definitely good. Sebastian Marina was the right back and did a superb job, and Brendan Murtaj was superb. Sean Westmoreland and Owen Gesing are both sophomores, and they worked their butts off in the midfield. Brian O’Neill did a nice job as well. It was a team effort, but our defense and Justin Waterfall were the key.”
Council Rock North assistant coach Brian Hoffman on the game: “We have a handful of injuries. We’re looking forward to getting through this week because we have a week off from games next week, which should help us heal up.
“We played outstanding. We hit the crossbar and the post three times. Their keeper made two phenomenal saves. They played well. We just fell asleep for about a minute, and in that minute, they scored, and that sometimes is all she wrote.
“In the first half, it was pretty close to 50-50. I think they had better chances than we did, but we controlled play better than they did. In the second half, it was all us. I don’t know that they offensively crossed midfield other than a cleared ball here or there. We really controlled play and created a ton of opportunities, and they weathered the storm well. They’re a well-organized, disciplined team, and they had to be tonight.
“This one and Springfield next are going to be good tests. Beating CB East in the first crossover was a good test. You knew these would be as well because all three of the teams that we have to face were champions of their league last year, so they know how to go far in the playoffs, etc.”
Up next: Abington (7-2-1, 4-0-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks East for a non-league crossover Wednesday (7 pm), and Council Rock North (9-1-1, 4-0-1) will be on the road at Springfield Twp Wednesday.
Abington 1-0 1
Council Rock North 0-0 0
Wissahickon 4 Bensalem 2
Lex Agou scored twice and Wissahickon pulled away from Bensalem Monday in a Liberty/Patriot Division crossover.
The Trojans took control early with a goal by William Fath in the fifth minute. Agou then scored in the 27th minute and 48th. The final goal came from Andrew Gajan.
Athan Zografakis and Jackson Horvat had assists.
For the Owls, Chase Esposito and Andrew Price each scored a goal.
Scoring Summary
First Half –
William Fath (W) from Athan Zografakis, 5th minute
Lex Agou (W), 27th minute
Chase Esposito (B) from Brian Bock
Second Half –
Lex Agou (W), 48th minute
Andrew Gajan (W), from Jackson Horvat, 68th minute
Andrew Price (B)
Wissahickon coach Stuart Malcolm on the win:
“Good defensive performance today with solid play all across the back line. Defense includes Ryan Dowdy, Matthew Frankenfield, Athan Zografakis, and Malachi Hodges. Good performance against a tough Bensalem team. Props to the grounds crew at Bensalem for maintaining an excellent grass playing surface.”
Next up: Wissahickon (6-3) plays at North Penn on Wednesday. Bensalem (3-6-1) plays at Upper Moreland.
Wissahickon 2 2 – 4
Bensalem 1 1 -2
Council Rock South 2, Upper Dublin 1
Ronan Harding scored a pair of second half goals five minutes apart, as CR South broke through with a big win over Upper Dublin in crossover play on Wednesday.
Both Titans’ goals were assisted by Reid Van Demark.
Jacob Peng scored for UD with 15 minutes remaining to make things interesting down the stretch.
Scoring Summary
Second Half –
Ronan Harding (CRS) from Reid Van Demark
Ronan Harding (CRS) from Reid Van Demark
Jacob Peng (UD) from Kaleb Abebe 65th minute
Council Rock South coach Alan Nicholl on the game: “We should have had a comfortable lead at the half but had to settle for 0-0 with our final touch letting us down more than once. I told them at halftime, ‘This is a comfortable game. Don’t let the scoreboard fool you. We were the better team,’ but it was 0-0. I actually wasn’t overly concerned – ‘Stay the course. We’re good here. No need to make drastic changes. You’re banging on the door.’
“We came out the second half and scored maybe 10 minutes in and another five minutes later. At that point, I felt it was relatively comfortable. There’s 15 minutes to play, and we’re up by two. Ronan Harding’s two second-half goals gave us some breathing room. Upper Dublin scored with 15 minutes left.”
—The ending: ” The ball got cleared of our of the defensive end, it got knocked back in, and they scored. All of a sudden, we’re in a tight game. With 10 minutes left, you could tell Upper Dublin was pushing. What should have been a comfortable win ended with a frantic and nervy finish to the game.
“You don’t want to see a game go that way. I think if it had stayed 2-0 or maybe even 3-0, the game probably would have ended relatively unspectacularly, but because it got suddenly tight, Upper Dublin started throwing everything forward, and it got very frantic. Not what I wanted to see, but we saw it out. They easily could have tied it up. The game should have been well sealed prior to that point. For 70 minutes, we were well in control of the game.
“There have been quite a few games we’ve played in that the goals haven’t come for us, and as a result, it puts us under pressure. We have lost a few games, but we haven’t been beaten. No team can come out and say they mopped the floor with us. Even CB South beat us 3-0, but two of those goals they scored in the last 10 minutes, so 70 minutes into the game, they only had a 1-0 lead. I think scoring the goal was the difference today. I feel like in other games, we’d still be playing at 0-0. I always say, if you don’t take care of your business when the chance presents itself, you find yourself going down in a game. That’s been the story of our season, not being able to put teams away when you have them on the ropes.”
—Props: “Our back line – Owen Lubieski, Farid Ganiyev, Timmy Grabowski and Diego Soto – stood strong over the hectic end to the game, so I have to hand it to goalkeeper Andrew Freeman for keeping us organized and composed.”
Upper Dublin coach Noah Johnson on the game: “It was a good game from both sides. Just a little bit of injuries catching up to us, and us being a little tired is starting to catch up to us a little bit. After practice tomorrow, I think we’ll be focused and ready to play against CB South on Wednesday.”
Next up: CR South (4-4-2) plays at Lower Moreland on Wednesday. Upper Dublin (7-2-1) is at CB South on Wednesday.
Upper Dublin 0 1 – 1
CR South 0 2 -2
Harry S. Truman 3, Quakertown 2
Joseph Montoya put away the game-winner with 10 minutes remaining, as Harry S. Truman collected win No. 1 of the season against visiting Quakertown in crossover play on Monday.
The Tigers scored the first two goals in the first half – one each from Juan Ramirez and Elvin Santos – only to see Quakertown rally to tie it up at 2.
Billy Reinoso and Otani Ekpe scored Quakertown’s goals.
Scoring summary
First Half –
Juan Ramirez (HST)
Elvin Santos (HST)
Billy Reinoso (Q)
Second Half –
Otani Ekpe (Q)
Joseph Montoya (HST)
Truman coach Mike McCool on the win: “Our team has struggled in the past with stamina, so we played a more defensive formation in the second half to try and give our guys more time to breathe, but Quakertown tied the game 2-2 early in the half by putting high pressure on us. We switched back to our offensive formation and Joseph Montoya was able to receive a through-ball with 10 minutes left and score to make it 3-2.”
Next up: Truman (1-9) looks to make it two straight at New Hope on Wednesday. Quakertown (2-7-1) has a local rivalry game Wednesday at Souderton.
Quakertown 1 1 – 2
Truman 2 1 – 3
Neshaminy 3, Plymouth Whitemarsh 0
After a scoreless first half, Neshaminy settled in with two goals early in the second half and cruised from there to the shutout win over PW in crossover action on Monday.
Christos Vasilarikos scored in the 45th minute, and Matt Diamond made it 2-0 one minute later. Dylan Rehhil scored Neshaminy’s third goal in the 58th minute.
At halftime, Neshaminy honored its 1984 and 1994 state championship squads, which are celebrating their 30th and 40th anniversaries respectively.
Scoring Summary
Second Half –
Christos Vasilarikos (N) from Mark Andreyeu 45th minute
Matt Diamond (N) Brody Collins 46th minute
Dylan Rehhil (N) 58th minute
Neshaminy coach Tom Foley on the game:
“We had a lot of the play in the first half, but it was a heavy touch or a pass was too hard, and we were a step slow. The second half, we just told them to relax a little bit and work on the touch. Someone needed to spark us, and we started getting on them a little bit more. One of our guys got kicked, and I think that woke us up a little bit. From there, we took the play to them pretty well.
“Overall, we were satisfied. Wednesday is a big game for us, playing Cheltenham. We need to win that game to grab some points in the power rating system. Even though we won tonight, we kind of are going backwards instead of forward, so it’s a big game for us. We’ll be ready to play.”
—The scoring: “Mark Andreyeu played a diagonal ball into the box. We were going to get a penalty kick out of it anyway, so it was a free play advantage. Christos came in and knocked the bouncing ball into the net. It was well deserved. It was a nice ball from Mark and a good finish from Christos. The play of the night was really nice. Brody Collins got the ball on the left side, kind of spun somebody, got free and knocked a low hard ball on the ground. Matt Diamond came in from the right side and just tucked it in the far panel. That was a really, really nice goal.
Offensively, we moved the ball well. We had a lot of success getting wide and getting balls across the goal mouth, and it finally paid off for us. Dylan’s goal – one of our guys hit the crossbar, and Dylan came in and finished it off after it hit the crossbar. Good all around hustle.”
—Props: “Brody Collins continues to play really well. He’s a freshman, and he controls the midfield for us. You put people in motion, and sometimes people don’t see the same things he sees, and passes go where they should, and they don’t read it. He has a real high soccer IQ, and we’re happy to have him for another three years after this year. Mark Andreyeu continues to be really stellar in the back. He reads the game really well, tackles hard and very rarely gets beat. Everyone played, and Mark’s the only guy I don’t take off because I have such confidence in him to run the show.
—Honoring the state champs: “At halftime, we honored our 1984 and 1994 state championship teams. A nice group from each team was there. State Senator Frank Farry, a Neshaminy grad, said a couple words from the press box. It was a nice little ceremony. It was the 40th and 30th anniversary respectively of each state championship. Coach (Hal) Heffelfinger – the legendary coach who was the coach here from 1968-94 – made an appearance as well, so that was really nice for all the guys to see him also. I played for him, and we won the state championship in ’82.”
Next up: Neshaminy (6-2-2) plays at Cheltenham on Wednesday. PW (0-10) has a road game Wednesday at Pennridge.
PW 0 0 – 0
Neshaminy 0 3 – 3
Springfield Twp 1, Central Bucks East 1
Harry Bates and Ethan Cruz traded first-half goals as Springfield and CB East, defending champs in the Freedom and Colonial Divisions respectively, battled to a 1-1 tie on Monday afternoon.
Scoring Summary
First Half –
Harry Bates (S) from Ben Hubley
Ethan Cruz (CBE) from Aidan Pasternak
CB East coach Josh Isaacsohn on the game: “They scored first on a little bit of a defensive lapse on our part. We got caught standing watching a little bit, and they put it through nicely – one and two touches and put it in. We were a little bothered by that, I could tell.
“To our guys’ credit, about five or six minutes later, we had Finley Rennie assist to Aidan Pasternak who assisted Ethan Cruz for the goal. A couple quick touches, and Ethan put it away. Quite honestly, I felt the field kind tipped in our favor for the second half of the game, and we couldn’t put it away.
“Going back in the game, we missed two shots early – not empty-netters but two that should have been put away that could have changed the course of the game. All in all, they were a very good side with some strong players. Coach Dan (Meder) does a good, but when it’s all said and done, I really thought we had a little more of the game and should have come away with a W.”
—Preps: “Dan Frye is always the quarterback of the midfield, and he did a really good job. Koen Reid in the midfield had a strong game, and our goalkeeper, Liam Harding, had a couple really, really nice saves that kept us in it.”
Next up: CB East (5-4-1) hosts Abington in another tough non-league game on Wednesday night. Springfield (7-1-2) hosts CR North on Wednesday.
North Penn 7, Upper Moreland 0
With three early goals, North Penn took control and dominated for most of the game on the way to the shutout win over Upper Moreland on Monday.
Ryan Smith and Carson Schell had big games with two goals each. Ryan Miller, Fionn Regan and Adam MacNair also scored for the Knights.
“We have not played our best soccer yet, but it was great to score a few early and rest some legs because this is a busy week,” NP coach Chris DePeppe said.
Next up: North Penn (6-5) hosts Wissahickon on Wednesday. Upper Moreland (4-6) hosts Bensdalem Wednesday.
North Penn 4 3 – 7
UM 0 0 – 0
Souderton 3, New Hope-Solebury 1
Tannor Wiszneski scored two goals, as Souderton overcame an early deficit and picked up all the scoring it needed in the first half and the way to the solid 3-1 win over visiting New Hope on Monday.
After Aramis Shire scored for NH-S, Souderton answered with three straight – the two by Wisznewski and one from Cam Taylor.
“(We) responded very quickly and positively scoring two goals in 5 minutes,” Souderton coach Frank DeMas said.
Scoring Summary
First Half –
Aramis Shire (NHS)
Tannor Wiszneski (S) from Cam Taylor
Cam Taylor (S) from Tannor Wiszneski
Tannor Wisneski (S) from Drew Kern
Souderton coach Frank DeMas on the win: “We played really well the entire game. The boys in the back were lights out all game and Tannor showed up big when we needed him. Really proud of the positive attitudes and support our boys showed each other when they went down.”
–The scoring: The first Souderton goal came from Tannor Wiszneski assisted by Cam Taylor
Second goal was the same duo, but this time Tannor assisted Cam on a nice header goal.
Third Souderton goal came late in the first half when Drew Kern played Tannor Wiszneski in on goal and finished off his second goal of the game.
Next up: Souderton (9-1) hosts Quakertown on Wednesday. New Hope (8-3) hosts Truman on Wednesday.
New Hope 1 0 – 1
Souderton 3 0 – 3
Central Bucks West 3, Willliam Tennent 0
Michael Rafalowski scored two goals and CB West started fast and put this one away early on the way to an impressive win over visiting Tennent on Wednesday.
Jamison Durie also scored for the Bucks.
Scoring Summary
First Half –
Michael Rafalowski (CBW)
Jamison Durie (CBW)
Michael Rafalowski (CBW)
CB West coach John Adair on the win:
“It was great to be the team to jump out to the early lead as we seem to have been playing from behind a lot recently. All in all, it was a really solid performance from back to front that allowed us to give a lot of guys some rest and a lot of guys minutes that they all deserved. As a coach, it’s great to see the players get the result that their last few performances have deserved. Hopefully, we’ve turned a corner and can continue improving as we hit a really important stretch of games.”
Next up: CB West (2-5-3) hosts Hatboro-Horsham Wednesday. Tennent (1-8-2) hosts Pennsbury on Wednesday.
William Tennent 0 0 – 0
CB West 3 0 – 3
Pennridge 2, Cheltenham 0
The Rams are on the rise. After dropping their first six games, they have been 2-2-1 in their last five.
In Monday’s contest, Bradley Rendler scored in the first half and Parker Annan finished one off in the second half, as Pennridge had a solid effort and knocked off a good Cheltenham team at Helman Field on Monday night.
Goalie Gavin Dimmick came up big in goal in the clean sheet.
Scoring Summary
First Half –
Bradley Rendler (P) from Lucas Gilbowski, 15th minute
Second Half –
Parker Annan (P), 60th minute
Pennridge coach Aaron Rapsinski on the win: “It was a tough, scrappy game against a really solid team. We knew they had a really good group this year and that it would be a tough test. It’s been tough with this being the third week in a row that we will have three games, but the boys just keep giving it all and leaving it on the field for us, no matter the result.”
–The goals: “We went up 1-0 15 minutes into the first half. We did a good job of contesting on a throw-in, and Lucas Glibowski flicked a ball to the back post that Bradley Rendler ran into the back of the net.
“Twenty minutes into the second half, we were able to capitalize off a free kick. We had a ball go into the box, and it bounced around a few times, until it finally landed at Parker Annan’s feet and he buried it.”
–Props: “The guys in the back for us were fantastic. Roman Arcade, Jackson DeMeester, Austin Keller all had great games. They had their hands full with a dynamic front line for Cheltenham. Gavin Dimmick made a few really good saves. Our midfield trio of Sal D’Aquino, Andrew Levush, and Lucas Glibowski probably had their best game. And Logan Lamaina and Parker worked their butts off up top and created a lot of chances.
Cheltenham coach Bill Tonkin on the game: “We played well, but their goalie came up with some really fantastic saves that kept us off the scoreboard. Just wasn’t our night.”
Next up: Pennridge (3-6-2) hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh on Wednesday. Cheltenham (5-3-1) looks to bounce back against Neshaminy Wednesday.
Cheltenham 0 0 – 0
Pennridge 1 1 – 2
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