Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Thursday. CB South/CB West photos provided courtesy of Jenn McDonald. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ BOYS’ SOCCER GALLERIES.
SOL Liberty Division
Wissahickon 1, Abington 1
Sam Arruda scored an early goal to give Abington a 1-0 lead, but a second half goal by Nolan Reilly tied it up, and Wissahickon was stellar on the defensive end to earn the 1-1 tie against unbeaten division leading Abington in a Liberty Division thriller on Thursday afternoon.
Abington won the first game between the two teams by a 4-0 final score.
Scoring:
First Half –
Samuel Arruda (A), 11th minute
Second Half –
Nolan Reilly (W) from Brendan Vorchheimer, 46th minute
Wissahickon coach Stuart Malcolm:
“We put on a solid defensive performance today with a ton of credit going to Malachi Hodges, Brayden Dehner and Luca Sinopoli. Our goalkeeper Austin Yeh pulled off some tremendous saves, including a miraculous double save with only a few minutes to go.
“We created a few chances ourselves and were pleased to score off a set piece to tie the game. The players did a great job to earn an important result against a strong Abington squad.”
Abington coach Isaac Pitkow:
“Awesome game of soccer today between the Abington Ghosts and the Trojans of Wissahickon. It was an afterschool kickoff at Wissahickon. The game ended in a tie with one goal for Abington and one goal for Wissahickon.
“Our goal was scored starting with a long throw into the box from senior Carter Shannon, senior winner Brennan Ewer back-heeled the ball to Sean Westmoreland, who had his shot deflected. The ball landed at Samuel Arruda‘s feet. Sam finished brilliantly into the bottom right corner to put us ahead.
“The goal from Wissahickon came off a long throw-in that one of their players flicked on their head to the far post to an open player, who finished one time to the bottom right corner. It was a great goal.
“Overall, on the day, we have to credit Wissahickon for their performance against us. They defended us probably better than any team has this year and never allowed us to get into our rhythm and play our game. Special credit to their goalkeeper who made a couple phenomenal saves. With multiple chances being saved by the goalkeeper and hitting the crossbar twice, we are disappointed to tie, but do you want to give credit to Wissahickon for their performance against us.”
Next up: Wissahickon (7-2-1, 4-1-1 SOL) crosses over to play at Cheltenham in a non-league game Monday afternoon. Abington (6-0-2, 5-0-1 SOL) has a showdown at Freedom Division- leading Springfield on Monday.
“(We) have a big week ahead against Springfield on Monday and Council Rock North on Wednesday,” Pitkow said. “We will be looking to get back on track against a very good Springfield team on Monday.”
Abington 1 0 – 1
Wissahickon 0 1 – 1
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2, Hatboro-Horsham 1
The first game of the second half of the division schedule had a different result from the first go around between these two teams, as Plymouth Whitemarsh earned a little payback with the 2-1 win over Hatboro-Horsham.
Kevin DiMarco and Finn Lafferty both scored goals for the Colonials, who fell to the Hatters 1-0 in the early-season meeting.
Finn Marsden cut that lead in half for the Hatters, who celebrated Community Night.
Scoring:
First half
Kevin DiMarco (PW) from Spencer Long, 14th minute
Finn Lafferty (PW) from Kevin DiMarco, 15th minute
Finn Marsden (HH), 24th minute
PW coach Toni Washington:
“Great win and split for us in the conference. Shoutout to my starters for playing a hard 70-plus minutes especially in the second half. I decided to pack it in with 15 minutes left after not being able to find another goal to get a more comfortable lead.
“Shoutout to Hatboro for not giving up and making it interesting at the end, putting pressure on our defense. Very proud of my team for earning a win, especially after Tuesday’s result. Hoping to keep this energy going into crossover games next week.”
H-H coach Kyle McGrath:
“The Hatters welcomed several Horsham Soccer Club teams for community night tonight at Hatters Stadium. Unfortunately, we did not start the game at the level we expect and conceded two set-piece goals in the first 15 minutes.
“Finn Marsden was able to cut the lead in half in the 24th minute with a great solo run and finish. Despite controlling play most of the second half and creating a bunch of chances, we just couldn’t capitalize.
“Frustrating night offensively, but we need to bounce back with a busy week next week.
Next up: PW (3-2-3, 2-2-2 SOL) plays at William Tennent in a non-league crossover game on Monday afternoon. H-H (5-4-1, 3-3 SOL) is next at New Hope-Solebury on Monday.
PW 2
H-H 1
Upper Dublin 7, Quakertown 1
Jacob Peng scored four goals, as Upper Dublin had a big second half and blew past Quakertown by a 7-1 final score on Thursday.
Quakertown led this one early, but two goals by Peng later in the half sent the Cards into halftime with a 2-1 lead. Peng opened the second half with back-to-back goals to give the Cards control of the match for good.
Sean Lloyd scored midway through the half, and the Cards closed it out with goals by Carter Lesshaft and Charlie Watto in the final 10 minutes. For Watto, it was his first varsity goal.
The win snaps a five-game losing streak for the Flying Cardinals.
Scoring:
Upper Dublin – Jacob Peng 4, Sean Lloyd 1, Carter Lesshaft 1, Charlie Watto
Next up: Upper Dublin (3-6, 2-4 SOL) is back in action Monday afternoon at Lower Moreland. Quakertown (1-5-1, 0-5-1 SOL) has a home game Saturday morning against Saucon Valley.
Quakertown 1 0 – 1
Upper Dublin 2 5 – 7
SOL Freedom Division
Springfield Twp 2, William Tennent 0
Brendan Noonan and Eden Ha scored two minutes apart late in the second half, as first-place Springfield held off second-place Tennent 2-0 in a key Freedom Division showdown on Thursday afternoon.
Scoring:
Second Half –
Brendan Noonan (S), 72nd minute
Eden Ha (S) from Joe Latawiec, 74th minute
Springfield coach Riley Woron:
“A well fought battle between two good teams. Both teams had a lot of dangerous chances throughout the game. Goalies and defenders put their bodies on the line on both sides. Took a while but eventually the ball bounced someone’s way and we were fortunate it went ours with a few minutes left on the clock.
“(Tennent coaches) Nick, Dave, and Angelo had their guys playing intense from the first whistle. While this was a game between the top two Freedom Division teams, this also felt like a district playoff game. We expect to be playing in some tough, gritty games during the season, and it was good to see us get through the other side with a win. These are the games that prep us for the postseason. Looking forward to seeing how far William Tennent can go in the 4A playoffs.”
Next up: Springfield (8-0, 6-0 SOL) has a big one Monday at home against unbeaten Abington. Tennent (5-3, 4-2 SOL) hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh in its crossover game Monday afternoon.
William Tennent 0 0 – 0
Springfield Twp 0 2 – 2
Upper Moreland 2, Cheltenham 0
Upper Moreland needed this one and came through with the big 2-0 win over Cheltenham in a Freedom Division game on Thursday to snap a six-game losing streak.
Colin Hood and Nazar Beseda scored goals for the Golden Bears.
Scoring:
Colin Hood (UM) from Gavin Scollan
Nazar Beseda (UM) from Danii Yakusevich
UM coach Dave Darnesto:
“I’m extremely proud of the boys and the way they continue to battle for each other. Regardless of the outcome of previous games, they’ve stayed together, trusted our game plan, and kept working to get better.
“Senior Colin Hood opened the scoring with a header off a corner from junior Gavin Scollan, and freshman Nazar Beseda assisted sophomore Daniil Yakusevich for the second goal in our 2-0 victory.
“It was a great team effort and a well-deserved result for a group that continues to fight for one another.”
Next up: UM (2-6, 2-5 SOL) looks for its second straight Monday night as it hosts Quakertown. Cheltenham (0-9, 0-6 SOL) hosts Wissahickon on Monday afternoon.
UM 2
Cheltenham 0
New Hope-Solebury 1, Lower Moreland 1
(Game information will be added when it is received)
SOL Patriot Division
Pennsbury 0, Neshaminy 0
Only one goal separated these two rivals the first time they played earlier this month. Thursday, the margin was even less, and neither team could find the net, and they settled for a scoreless tie as the teams entered the second half of the Patriot Division schedule.
Neshaminy coach Tom Foley:
“I thought overall we generated a lot of chances. We got behind their defense often, but we just can’t seem to get anything on target. Pennsbury is a great counter team, and I thought we stopped them a lot, but where we got in trouble was when we lost our marks sometimes, and they would have a free rein in the midfield. And once we tightened that up, we kind of limited their chances, especially in the first half.
–The ending: “The only little controversy in the game – and I’ll give the Pennsbury kid a lot of credit for getting the intentional yellow card. We earned a corner kick with about eight seconds left in regulation, and when we got it set up, the kid stood in front of the ball. With about four seconds left, the referee blew the whistle and let it run down to 0.7 seconds and gave him a yellow card.
“The smartest kid on the field right there got a yellow card, and he saved his team because we took a corner, and there just wasn’t enough. (We) headed the ball in for a goal, but there’s like .7 seconds left, so it wasn’t enough time to get up in the air and score it, so kudos to him. He did a smart thing.
“By rights, they probably should have put a couple seconds back on the clock, because I don’t know if the referee saw, but he blew the whistle around four seconds, and they probably should have stopped around three just to give the scorekeeper a chance to turn it off, but that’s the way things are going for us. We’re not catching a single break.”
–Props: “I thought Nick Indellicato played exceptionally well at the left back today, and Jake Fallon was really, really good as a distributor for us as one of our center backs. So, kudos to those guys. They did a great job today.”
Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart:
“We certainly didn’t play our best, but our recovery transitions on D after turnovers was much improved from Tuesday. …James Purdum with the shutout in net. We had too many turnovers and gave away too many free kicks in the first half. Much better job of protecting the ball and moving forward in second half.”
Next up: Neshaminy (3-2-4, 2-2-2 SOL) plays at CB East on Monday afternoon. Pennsbury (6-1-1, 4-1-1 SOL) plays at Father Judge in a non-league game on Monday.
Neshaminy 0 0 – 0
Pennsbury 0 0 – 0
Bensalem 5, Harry S Truman 0
An own goal in the opening minute started Bensalem off quickly, and then in the second half it blew the game open, as it remained red-hot with a shutout win over Truman.
Dylan Barnhart had two goals and one assist for the Owls.
Scoring:
First Half –
Bensalem, own goal, 1st minute
Jordan Posten (B) from Declan Corbett, 13th minute
Second Half –
Chase Esposito (B) from Dylan Barnhart, 42nd minute
Dylan Barnhart (B) from Jordan Posten, 53rd minute
Dylan Barnhart (B) from Declan Corbett, 58th minute
Bensalem coach Kevin Bock:
“Game started off with us getting an early goal on a long throw into the box that got knocked around and ended up in the back of the net off one of their defenders. We got a second goal during the half when Jordan Posten scored on a pass from Declan Corbett.
“Overall, the first half seemed a bit sluggish. We came out in the second half with better focus and played more decisively. We got an early goal when Chase Esposito finished a pass across the box from Dylan Barnhart and then Dylan scored two of his own on passes from Jordan and Declan.”
–Props: “It was a good team win. The back line of Chris Fielding, Cole Everett, Danny Kalita, and Ben Reinert played well and, along with some strong play from Brian Bock, helped Joey Francis lock up his third shutout of the season.”
Next up: Bensalem (5-2-1, 3-2-1 SOL) has a non-league game scheduled Monday night at CB West. Truman (2-6, 0-6 SOL) plays at Pennridge Monday afternoon.
Bensalem 2 3 – 5
Truman 0 0 – 0
SOL Colonial Division
Souderton 1, Central Bucks East 0
Souderton made a Colonial Division statement that it plans on being a factor in the second half of the league schedule, as the Indians knocked off a CB East squad on Thursday night that had not lost in league play.
Brayden Muller scored the game’s only goal with 12 minutes remaining.
Scoring:
Second Half –
Brayden Muller (S) from Freddie Villatoro, 68th minute
Souderton coach Frank Demas:
“In a scoreless game, the breakthrough came with 12 minutes left in the game when Zyad (Bouidi) played an incredible ball to Freddy who chipped the goalkeeper for Muller to put in the open net.
“We played a good all-around game. Our defense was very strong again. Our defenders have been so consistent all year and we have relied on them hard at times. Trevor (Alderfer) made a great save late in the game and really controlled his box.
“Shoutout to Owen Aldefer who was a man on a mission tonight. He won every ball near him and did great helping us keep possession.
“(CB East coach) Josh (Isaacsohn) just consistently puts out really strong teams for East. They play well, battle so hard and show a lot class in their games. So, this was a really good result for Souderton.”
Next up: Souderton (5-2-1, 3-2-1 SOL) has a non-league game at Methacton on Saturday morning. CB East (3-2-3, 3-1-2 SOL) hosts Neshaminy Monday afternoon.
CB East 0 0 – 0
Souderton 0 1 – 1
Central Bucks South 2, Central Bucks West 1
The Titans hosted several young players from Warrington Soccer Club, PA Rush and the Ukrainian Nationals on Community Night. The halftime showed featured the young players in a scrimmage, and in the main event, the Titans edged out the Bucks in the second meeting of the sister schools on goals from Tyler Jaskelewicz and Jackson Tait.
By the Numbers:
First Half
Tyler Jaskelewicz (CBS) from Collin Howley
Michael Rafalowski (CBW)
Second half
Jackson Tait (CBS) from Ethan Smith
Central Bucks South coach Ed Brnardic:
“I was very pleased with how we started the game. We connected passes, created a variety of chances, and eventually found the opening goal. Ethan Smith played a well-placed left-footed diagonal ball to Collin Howley on the wing. Collin created space with a move and delivered a left-footed cross to TJ, who stuck the ball, turned, and scored. Minutes later, we nearly doubled the lead when TJ hit the post on a header.
“Unfortunately, another freak injury forced us to adjust our lineup and formation
on the fly. We tried to see out the half, but with three minutes remaining, we made a mistake and the ever-dangerous Michael Rafalowski punished us. A minute later, we caught a break when Beck Walton’s shot traveled across the face of goal and deflected off the far post.
“We used halftime to reset, settle our nerves, and refocus. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Ethan Smith lofted a left-footed ball to Jackson Tait. Jackson brought it down with his chest, cut from right to left, and placed his left foot strike into the bottom corner to restore the lead.
“From there, we did what was necessary to close out the game. It wasn’t always pretty, but the boys showed resilience and worked hard through the final minutes, with several players emptying their tanks.”
—Props:
“ETHAN SMITH: I couldn’t ask for better character from a player than what Ethan demonstrates on the daily. He worked hard all summer to become comfortable playing with both feet and to make the jump to varsity. Although he didn’t see the field in our first several games, he remained patient. Once we began working him into the lineup, he steadily grew into an important role. Over the past few games, he has become so valuable that we couldn’t take him off the field tonight. He works hard, plays intelligently, and is the ultimate team player. I was thrilled to see him have such a big night, recording a hockey assist on the opener and assisting on the winning goal.”
CB West coach John Adair:
“I’m really proud of our guys tonight. After a pretty difficult first match-up against South, I thought we were the better team for about 60 minutes tonight. More importantly, I’m proud of our boys for acting with class and not allowing the emotion of the game to impact how they treat each other and others.”
Next up: CB South (5-1-4, 5-1 SOL) hosts Patriot Division-leading Council Rock North in a crossover game on Monday night. CB West (2-5-2, 1-3-2 SOL) hosts Bensalem on Monday night.
Central Bucks South 1 1 2
Central Bucks West 1 0 1
North Penn 4, Pennridge 0
North Penn put together a strong offensive performance against Pennridge, finding the back of the net four times in an impressive showing.
Rylan Weed led the scoring attack with two goals, providing a major spark for North Penn throughout the match. Brody Green also got on the scoresheet, converting a penalty kick in the 11th minute to give North Penn an early boost.
Kyle Barros added another goal to round out the scoring for North Penn, helping the team maintain its offensive momentum and secure a strong performance against Pennridge.
With contributions from multiple players, North Penn showed excellent attacking play and finished the match with four total goals.
Scoring:
Rylan Week (NP) – 2 goals (8th minute & 60th minute)
Brody Green (NP) – 1 goal – PK (71st minute)
Kyle Barros (NP) – 1 goal (75th minute)
Pennridge coach Alan O’Mara:
“It was a tough loss on the road for our boys to bring an end to three games in three days. When we needed more energy in the second half down 1-0, we ultimately fell flat and reverted back to old habits. I don’t think the scoreline did us justice, but North Penn took their chances, punished us and fully deserved the win.
“As a group, we have already learned a lot this year – myself included – and there have been some tough days as we work to rebuild this program. We will take this defeat on the chin and embrace it as another opportunity for us to show our resilience. There is still a lot of soccer to be played, and in general, this group have been competing really hard and showing signs of improvements. There is no magic wand or quick fix for us. We just have to keep doing the work and stick together. We will keep competing hard and do what we can to leave the jersey in a better place.“
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