Check out the results for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Wednesday. PW/Upper Moreland photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko. Check back for photos of the PW/Upper Moreland and CR North/Truman games.
By Jarrad Saffren
Twenty Suburban One League boys soccer teams opened conference play Wednesday.
Ten ended the day 1-0 in conference play. Ten ended the day 0-1 in conference play.
It is, according to every coach I spoke with Wednesday night, much better to be 1-0 than 0-1.
“It’s always good to start 1-0 in the league,” they all said. “It’s much better than starting 0-1.”
You are now smarter than you were when you started reading.
Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart explained it best. And I am actually not being sarcastic for once.
“We are still figuring things out,” Stoddart said after Pennsbury’s 3-1 win over Bensalem. “But I like figuring things out while we win better than while we lose.”
Well-said.
Wednesday’s results and recaps are below.
SOL National
Pennsbury 3, Bensalem 1
Pennsbury goalkeeper Nate Slotnick sat behind Anthony Rosso in 2015. But Stoddart was high on the sophomore coming into 2016.
“He’s a true goalkeeper. He will bring an intensity that we didn’t have last year,” Stoddart said. “We are really high on Nate. We’ve been high on him since he entered the program.”
Slotnick showed why Wednesday. The game was at Bensalem’s wide home field.
“It’s like playing in a hockey rink with all the space,” Stoddart said. “Plus they have some real dangerous players.”
Those players bombarded Slotnick in the first half. But Slotnick stopped all seven shots. “They had a very good first 10 minutes. They controlled the game, and had scoring opportunities, but couldn’t get ball across,” Stoddart said. “Nate had a very good game. He made big stop after big stop. He made a nice scramble save in the first half when it was still 0-0.”
Pennsbury took control in the second half, scoring three times between the 59th and 66th minutes.
Freshman Josh Panaro scored the first goal with his head. Freshman Joe Ficarotta threw the ball up for Panaro. Sophomore Javier Sosa blasted home the second goal on a direct kick. John Griffin booted a penalty kick past the keeper four minutes later.
The underclassmen got the glory. But Stoddart deflected it to his upperclassmen.
“They have made it easy for the freshmen and sophomores to come through,” Stoddart said. “They are a good core group of leaders. They get the young guys the ball in spots where they can be successful.”
Pennsbury will not have to go back to Bensalem until 2017. Stoddart was singing hallelujah after the game.
“It’s great to get a league win in such a dangerous place to play,” the Falcons’ coach said. “Every team in our league still has to go there. I’m so glad we don’t.”
Matt Corbett scored Bensalem’s goal.
Pennsbury (2-0, 1-0 SOL) plays Twin Valley Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Bensalem (0-2, 0-1 SOL) buses to Neshaminy Friday for a 3:30 start.
Pennsbury 0-3 3
Bensalem 0-1 1
Council Rock North 5, Harry S. Truman 0
Eric Levine and Noah Ehlin also play for Council Rock North’s basketball team. Both stand taller than 6-feet.
Their height and leaping ability make them ideal center backs in soccer. It also makes them threats to race up and head balls into the net.
That’s exactly what they did Wednesday. The center back/backcourt tandem combined for three goals. Levine had two. Ehlin netted one.
“We have the ability to send big body guys into the box,” Indians coach Joe Stackhouse said. “Basketball translates. They have great skills from it. It requires similar athleticism. Our national team for soccer would be so much better if we didn’t have so many guys in the NBA.”
Tyler Becker and Justin Scharf also scored for the Indians. CR North outshot Harry S. Truman 21-3.
Stackhouse played 23 players. He also started four guys who normally come off the bench.
“You have to play 18 kids to make a deep playoff run,” Stackhouse said. “I don’t think we lose any quality when we play more bodies.”
Three of those four irregular starters are seniors. One was Becker.
Another was defender Alan Browning.
“Alan played really well in the back,” Stackhouse said.
Another was midfielder Seumus Crossett. “Seumus played really well in the midfield,” Stackhouse said.
“Our junior class is stronger than our senior class in terms of talent,” Stackhouse said. “Our seniors are better in terms of leadership and physicality.”
The fourth irregular starter was junior midfielder Jon Pugh.
“He played fairly well,” Stackhouse said.
Stackhouse was confident about Wednesday’s game because of a preseason scrimmage against Penn Charter.
“We tied them 1-1. They played St. Benedict’s today and lost 1-0 on an own goal,” Stackhouse said. “St. Benedict’s is the No. 1 team in the country.”
Stackhouse was also confident because he held practice on Labor Day. “Not many teams did that,” he said. “Getting that extra run helps a lot.”
CR North (1-0-1, 1-0 SOL) goes to Council Rock South Friday for a 3:30 p.m. start. Truman (1-1, 0-1 SOL) plays CR South Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
Abington 4, Council Rock South 3
This was a really tough loss for Council Rock South.
The Golden Hawks took the lead three times. Abington tied the score each time.
CR South took a 1-0 lead less than 30 seconds in.
“Before Abington even touched the ball,” CR South coach Alan Nicholl said. Abington answered later in the half.
South went up 2-1 five minutes into the second half, and 3-2 with 15 minutes left in the game. Abington answered both, tying the game at three with six minutes left.
Then, with seconds remaining, a Hawks defender cleared the ball. An Abington player booted it back to an on-sides teammate. CR South’s defender was late getting back after the clear. Abington’s player lifted the ball over the keeper’s head with two seconds left.
“When you score three goals away from home, it should be enough to win,” Nicholl said. “Abington’s a young team. It takes a lot of character and mental stability to do what they did. They were always chasing us. I really enjoy playing against Randy (Garber). He’s got those kids playing well. They didn’t show an ounce of inexperience today. I have to hand it to them for not giving up.”
Nicholl is classy, talking that way after a loss like this. But there were positives for the Hawks.
“We actually played quite well. I thought we should have been up by three at the 20-minute mark. We jumped all over them,” Nicholl said. “We scored three goals away from home, led three times. It’s difficult to think we lost. We were decisively the better team.”
Nicholl blamed “defensive lapses.”
“Every time we led I thought we were good. We were pushing and doing all the right things. But if you play well for 70 minutes, you can lose one in 10,” Nicholl said. “You have to play mistake free. Otherwise when you play the top teams in your area, you’ll give up goals. If you don’t take care of your house, people break in. That’s exactly what happened tonight.”
South received single goals from Reid Czapor, Kevin Bowers adnd Pat Wilczynski.
Abington (3-0, 1-0 SOL) plays Neshaminy Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. CR South (2-1, 0-1 SOL) hosts CR North Friday at 3:30 p.m.
Abington 1-3 4
Council Rock South 1-2 3
SOL Continental
Central Bucks South 2, Souderton 1
Central Bucks South took a while to get in rhythm.
“Souderton played us hard. They definitely put us under pressure early,” CB South coach Don Brady said. “They had us on our heels for a bit.”
Ethan Bell put the Indians up 1-0 in the 17th minute. Cameron Hart corner-kicked the ball toward a streaking Bell in the box.
Then the Titans took over.
“We got rhythm and possessed the ball,” Brady said.
Shawn Biemuller kicked the ball to Dom Monchek in the 27th minute. Monchek launched it past the keeper. 1-1.
“The rest of half we played really well. We just couldn’t get the goal,” Brady said. “In the second half they came out with a lot of energy.”
CB South did not score for 26 minutes. Then, in the 66th minute, the Titans did. Colin Fagan scored off a pretty pass from Monchek.
“They had a few chances near the end as well,” Brady said. “They came with energy and really wanted a road win.”
Brady credited his midfield and back line with preserving the one-goal lead.
“Jake Helwig and Colin Green played really well in the middle of the field,” Brady said. “Kevin Bernsten, Kyle Bethel, Brian Davis and Eric Pitaki controlled the back.”
The foursome did not just clear the ball.
“We build out of the back. That’s one of our strengths,” Brady said. “We don’t bypass our midfield.”
Brady, of course, was elated to start 1-0 in conference play. But it will not get easier for CB South (2-1, 1-0 SOL). The Continental is rugged like always. The Titans play a tough Pennridge team Friday at 3:30 p.m.
“I expect a tough match Friday against Pennridge,” Brady said. “It’s going to be another tough year for all of us. But this win helps, especially at home.”
Souderton (0-1, 0-1 SOL) hosts Central Bucks East on the same day and time.
Central Bucks South 1-1 2
Souderton 1-0 1
Central Bucks West 3, William Tennent 0
Central Bucks West keeper Dylan Smith shut out 11 opponents as a freshman in 2015. He earned his 12th career shutout in CB West’s 2016 opener.
“He came out and it was pretty much business as usual. It’s a year later, he’s a year better. He’s just a year more mature, more experienced,” CB West coach Stefan Szygiel said. “He’s also a year more physically mature, mentally, tactically and technically too. He put more of an onus on his weight training and eating better and taking care of his body.”
Smith grew an inch and added 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason.
“He doesn’t look like a sophomore,” Szygiel said. “Put it that way.”
Smith made three saves. The low number is a credit to his defensive line. CB West graduated its entire back line after 2015.
“We were fortunate to have guys who were ready to step in,” Szygiel said.
Junior CJ Lang “corralled everybody and kept things organized,” Szygiel said. “It’s good to have that between him and Dylan.”
Six Bucks players got on the score sheet.
“We gave a lot of guys an opportunity to get a shift tonight. We were balanced in the attack,” Szygiel said. “That was positive to see.”
Nick Centenera, Tarin Morris and Jack Galt scored goals for the Bucks. Marcos Urffer, August Meyer and Sean Burke assisted on the goals.
“Marcos Urffer and Tarin Morris did a nice job in the midfield transitioning to the offensive third,” Szygiel said. “Nick Doyle was very important in the middle of the field. He was defending and winning 50-50s and pressuring. And the guy that scored the first goal, Nick Centenera, a sophomore, was getting his first real varsity playing time. He seamlessly stepped into that role. I was surprised he scored. He’s more of a hold-the-line midfielder. But he came up on a set piece, got a loose ball and pounced.”
CB West (1-0, 1-0 SOL) buses to North Penn for a big 7 p.m. primetime start Friday night. William Tennent battles North Penn Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
Central Bucks West 1-2 3
William Tennent 0-0 0
Central Bucks East 1, North Penn 0
Central Bucks East improved to 27-0-1 in its last 28 games.
The defending PIAA Class AAA champions upset their biggest rival with a strong defensive effort.
“Our outside backs—Brandon Leasoff and Joey Bowen—did a really good job,” CB East coach Jeremiah White said. “I was also particularly happy with Sebastian Kryztofowicz on right back.”
Junior Ross Burton netted the Patriots’ only goal.
White—who replaced legend Mike Gorni—is happy with his mostly new team.
“We are getting better,” White said. “They are starting to understand tactical requirements. We’ll just continue on and look for a good performance for 60 minutes.”
White was especially pleased with beating North Penn.
“They are a strong team,” White said. “They have some very strong, very dangerous players.”
CB East (1-0-1, 1-0 SOL) plays Souderton Friday at 3:30 p.m. North Penn (1-1, 0-1 SOL) hosts CB West Friday at 7 p.m.
Central Bucks East 1-0 1
North Penn 0-0 0
SOL American
Upper Dublin 6, Cheltenham 0
Anthony Wisdo scored both goals in Upper Dublin’s season-opening win Friday.
Coach Derek Preist was happy to see others complement Wisdo on Wednesday.
“We are looking to Anthony to score a lot this year. But we don’t want to rely on one person,” Preist said. “It was big that we shared goals.”
Jerry Bardol and Jose Palomeque scored twice. Wisdo got one. Max Adams added another. Adams and Palomeque scored on penalty kicks. Palomeque dribbled through the entire defense on his other, unassisted goal. Bardol assisted on Wisdo’s goal. Wisdo assisted on Bardol’s goal. That seems fair.
Upper Dublin keeper Jason Stone stoned three shots. Two were in the first 20 minutes.
“We were under pressure the first 20 minutes. Cheltenham came out strong but didn’t create too many clear cut chances,” Preist said. “Then we got into the game. Once we rode out the pressure, we took over and it was a bit more easy.”
The Flying Cardinals led 2-nil at halftime.
Upper Dublin (2-0, 1-0 SOL) welcomes Quakertown Friday for a 3:30 p.m. start.
Cheltenham (0-2, 0-1 SOL) battles Springfield on the same day and time.
Upper Dublin 2-4 6
Cheltenham 0-0 0
Hatboro-Horsham 5, Springfield 0
Everything was working in Hatboro-Horsham’s favor Wednesday.
“It really was a combination of things,” Hatters coach Kyle McGrath said. “It was the home opener. We had a decent crowd out. The kids were excited. We came off a tough loss yesterday to CR South. We needed to bounce back. Sometimes it’s difficult to play back to back but guys put the pressure on early, which raised the confidence of the group. The confidence kept building and building after our first goal.”
Josh Hagerty scored that first goal in the 24th minute. Colin Bateman followed with a goal in the 36th minute, giving the Hatters a 2-0 halftime lead. Bateman,
“A very good defensive midfielder, ran up for a restart and finished,” McGrath said.
Ryan Cole, Joe LaRouche and Andrew Hurrell scored in the second half between the 51st and 75th minutes. Hagerty, Hurrell and Cole scored their first varsity goals.
LaRouche, Hatboro-Horsham’s leading goal scorer in 2015, and Bateman, a third-year starter, have done this before.
“It was good to see different guys on the score sheet. New guys came in at the end for experience. And the level didn’t drop much,” McGrath said. “That shows the mainstays there’s some competition there.”
Danny Bateman, Colin’s little brother, who joined the program after leaving the Philadelphia Union Academy, assisted on two goals.
“Danny had a very good start,” McGrath said.
Danny Harmon, Tyler McElrath and Brad Bornstein each had one assist.
Hatters keeper Stephen Doney made three saves.
“Stephen did well. He commanded his box. He wasn’t tested too much,” McGrath said. “He did a good job communicating. That’s what I told him all preseason, ‘Be more vocal and instructive instead of saying things to say them.’ He did a good job of that tonight.”
Hatboro-Horsham won its SOL American debut in easy, convincing fashion.
“It will still be a challenge,” McGrath said. “Springfield played very well in the first half. The third goal was a back breaker for them. We don’t expect every game to go this easily. We have to prepare every day the same way.”
Hatboro-Horsham (2-1, 1-0 SOL) plays Upper Moreland Friday at 3:30 p.m. Springfield (0-2, 0-1 SOL) takes on Cheltenham on the same day and time.
Hatboro-Horsham 2-3 5
Springfield 0-0 0
Wissahickon 3, Quakertown 2
The player formerly listed as Wissahickon’s goalkeeper—Brad Schwartz—broke a 2-2 tie in the 70th minute.
Schwartz only played keeper last year because no one else could. Now—with Jun Yuh manning the net—Schwartz is back to his old spot in the field.
Eddie Fortescue gave Wissahickon a 1-0 lead in the second minute. Quakertown’s Matt Munsert tied the score in the seventh minute. Ryan Leatherman put the Panthers up 2-1 in the 42nd minute.
Fortescue netted his second goal 14 minutes later, tying the game again. Then Schwartz won it for Wissahickon.
Yuh made six saves for the Trojans. Quakertown’s Stephen Hippauf also made six. Wissahickon outshot Quakertown 14-6.
Brayden Druger, Jacob Cohen and Vick Kumar assisted on Wissahickon’s goals. Jake Rudloff had an assist for Quakertown.
Wissahickon (1-0-1, 1-0 SOL) takes on Plymouth Whitemarsh Friday at 3:30 p.m. Quakertown (1-1, 0-1 SOL) battles Upper Dublin on the same day and time.
Wissahickon 1-2 3
Quakertown 1-1 2
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4, Upper Moreland 0
Tom Hoy scored two goals, Gavin Hendrick assisted two others and Plymouth Whitemarsh rolled to its first win of 2016.
Hoy scored in the 23rd minute off an assist from Noah Goldstein. His goal in the 38th minute came on a free kick.
Alex Lefkowitz made it 3-0 in the 41st minute off a pass from Hendrick. Kenny Diamond completed the blowout in the 54th minute. Hendrick notched his second assist.
“Tommy Hoy, Gavin Hendrick, Dillon Johnson and Noah Goldstein played well for PW,” Colonials coach Jeff Heaton said. “Randy Meehl and Shane Leister played well for Upper Moreland.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-1, 1-0 SOL) buses to Wissahickon Friday for a 3:30 start. Upper Moreland (1-1, 0-1 SOL) welcomes Hatboro-Horsham Friday at 3:30 p.m.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2-2 4
Upper Moreland 0-0 0
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