Check out the recaps for SOL boys/girls soccer teams in action Saturday.
Boys
SOL Patriot Division
PENNSBURY 3, BENSALEM 2
Saturday was Bensalem’s Cancer Awareness game to benefit the mother of a player who is battling cancer, and in a contest that saw both teams playing for a cause, it was the visiting Falcons eking out the win.
“It was a good game,” Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart said. “It didn’t need to be quite as good as it was.
“We had to overcome a lot today. It was a great atmosphere – Bensalem was doing their cancer night for one of their player’s mothers. They always do such a classy job with that kind of stuff, but it’s obviously an emotional atmosphere.
“Their stadium is one of my favorite places. I was telling the boys – when I was growing up, I didn’t go to professional sports in person, but my uncle was the head football coach at Bensalem, so I was able to run the sidelines and throw footballs into the crowd, so I’ve always loved being there, and I love that they continue to revamp the stadium but keep it as it was. Being in that bowl is really loud, it’s really hostile, and just overall, I was very proud of my team how they stayed stoic and were able to get out of there with a good result.”
The Falcons took a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute on a Josh Rodriguez goal with an assist from Bryan Sanchez.
The Owls answered with a goal of their own shortly thereafter when Tejas Sasan scored on a free kick from Andrew Leibig to knot the score 1-1.
“It was a really nice ball in the box – it was actually a header,” Bensalem coach Kevin Bock said.
In the 25th minute, the Falcons regained the lead on a goal by Ian Cunningham.
“The play was created by Chris Vergantino with an assist by Rocco Ciaccia, who sealed the back post, and was knocked in by Ian Cunningham,” Stoddart said. “A shoutout to Ian – he’s been just the consummate team player. Even though sometimes he’s not getting the most playing time, we knew that he had a big goal in him, and he just kept going and going and going, and he got a huge goal for us today.”
The Falcons took that 2-1 lead into halftime, but the Owls refused to go away, knotting the score with 21 minutes remaining in regulation on a free kick by Collin Meo.
“They scored again off a restart – it was a really nice shot,” Stoddart said.
Six minutes later, the Falcons took the lead on an own goal.
“Josh Rodriguez forced an own goal on just an aggressive play and a great pass across the box, which would have led to sitter because Rocco (Ciaccia) was in the right place,” Stoddart said. “Their defender made a desperate try to reach out and knock the ball away and ended up knocking it in the back of the net.”
For the Owls, Saturday’s loss was their fifth one-goal loss of the season.
“They’re all tough ones this year,” the Owls’ coach said. “We can’t catch a break, we can’t get over the hump – it’s been a challenge.”
Compliments from opposing coaches about the team’s strong play are no longer a consolation.
“Just give me a win – I’ll take a win,” Bock said. “We are not a two-win team, we are better than a two-win team. I hate to look at our record – it doesn’t reflect what we are.”
Making Saturday’s loss even more difficult to swallow was the fact that the game-winner came on an own goal.
“It’s been a challenge because the boys have been working so hard, they’ve been putting in the effort,” Bock said. “But there’s just no reward. I feel bad because they’ve been putting in the work and doing everything they should be doing.
“Even yesterday in the Neshaminy game (a 2-1 loss), we get a red card. Playing yesterday a man down and being able to come back, get a goal and get the momentum but just not finish. Today it was back and forth, and it’s a fluky own goal, and that’s what we lose by. It’s tough.”
Friday’s red card meant the Owls were without their starting goalie for Saturday’s game, so sophomore Matt Rowan, the JV goalie, played in net.
“He did an outstanding job – three goals but one of them an own goal,” Bock said. “He made several outstanding saves. He was really vocal back there and played a great game. He did a really good job.”
Pennsbury (7-7-1, 7-6-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South Monday (7pm) and Wednesday will host Council Rock North. Bensalem (2-12-1, 2-11-1) will travel to Harry S Truman Monday (7pm) and will host Neshaminy on Wednesday.
PENNSBURY 2 1 – 3
BENSALEM 1 1 – 2
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
HATBORO-HORSHAM 3, CHELTENHAM 0
The Hatters didn’t have a whole lot of time to enjoy Friday’s overtime win over PW. At 10 a.m. on Saturday, they were back on the field at Cheltenham, playing a contest that was rescheduled from Sept. 30.
“There was a lot of emotions in yesterday’s win in overtime against a tough PW team,” HH coach Kyle McGrath said. “It’s always difficult to play at Cheltenham, especially in the morning. The grass was slick, it was soft, footing was a challenge, but our guys responded well. It was important that we didn’t have a letdown.”
In the ninth minute, Firdavs Mamadaliyev scored to give the Hatters an early 1-0 lead.
“Jake Freedman made a good run to the corner, got on the ball, played a ball across the box on the ground, and Firdavs had a nice one-time finish into the goal,” HH coach Kyle McGrath said. “We were emphasizing starting off quickly, especially after the game yesterday, so it was good to score in the first 10 minutes.”
Center back Matt Wingen found the back of the net with a goal that put the Hatters on top 2-0 in the 36th minute.
“One our other center backs, Jacob Kim, took a free kick from around midfield, played a ball into the box, and Matt was able to get a touch on it, and it went in off the post,” said McGrath, whose team took that 2-0 lead into halftime.
The Hatters scored their final goal in the 46th minute.
“We had a corner kick, and Anthony Pumilia scored an Olimpico, he scored directly off the corner kick,” McGrath said. “He played a ball into the box, the goalkeeper came out and got a hand on it, but it went directly into the goal.”
That 3-0 score stood the rest of the way.
“We got a shutout -(goalkeeper) Noah Schlosser had to make two really big saves in the second half to keep it 3-0,” McGrath said. “We got a lot of guys into the game, which was key. We got contributions from a lot of guys, and a lot of guys got playing time.
“Just overall, with a quick turnaround like that, we kind of linked it to playing in a club soccer tournament where you have a game and then a quick turnaround. Overall, I’m just pleased with all the guys for their commitment this morning and getting things done the right way.”
Hatboro-Horsham (11-5, 10-4 SOL) will travel to Quakertown Monday and then close out the regular season at Upper Dublin on Wednesday. Cheltenham (1-14, 1-13) will host Upper Moreland on Monday (7pm), and on Wednesday, the Panthers will travel to Springfield Township.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 2 1 – 3
CHELTENHAM 0 0 – 0
Girls
SOL Patriot
NESHAMINY 2, PENNSBURY 0
Saturday night brought the rivals together under the lights of Macclesfield Park in Yardley, with the Falcons celebrating their 10 seniors and the Redskins securing another win in what’s been a special season thus far.
“It was a nice night for a game and the more opportunities we get to play on turf the better. I was very happy with the way that we played tonight,” Neshaminy coach Josh van Reed said. “Our passing was quick and accurate, and we moved the ball around and transitioned forward very quickly. The possession allowed us to create chance after chance, but we just couldn’t seem to get that final ball to go in tonight.”
Pennsbury was able to give all 10 of its seniors the start under the lights and they put in a full effort.
“You don’t always get the opportunity to see 10 seniors make significant contributions but they were locked in tonight and battling for one another all the way to the final whistle,” Falcons coach Kaitlyn Battiste said. “Malena Russo had an outstanding game in goal, keeping Neshaminy off the board for the first 32 minutes and turned away several more dangerous opportunities in the second half.”
The Falcons’ senior goalkeeper proved a formidable foe to a Neshaminy offense that’s been very effective in front of goal this fall.
“Pennsbury keeper Malena Russo had some nice saves today and kept her team in the game with some impressive play,” van Reed noted.
Despite the efforts of Russo and Pennsbury’s defense, Neshaminy was able to crack through late in the second half. It took a quality build-up and a couple of unselfish decisions on the fly by two players who have dominated in the attack that let a teammate with the best chance to finish take it.
“Kylie Maxwell was played a ball through and she used her speed to get to the end line then played a negative ball back across the goal where Mercedez Paino was running to near post and decided to dummy the ball and allow Carly Fox to finish the ball left footed into the corner,” van Reed said. “It was a very good-looking goal, and I was glad Carly put one in. She had some good looks at the goal tonight and was doing a lot of the work in the midfield.”
Even with the goal in their favor, Neshaminy continued to find it tough going in the offensive third, which van Reed credited to a determined Pennsbury defense.
Battiste also lauded the efforts of her seniors on the back line and midfield for their commitment to the difficult work needed to defend against a team like Neshaminy.
“Rena Paoni, Rylee Kaufmann, and Emma Erickson were tenacious in their defending and didn’t lose any 1-v-1 battles and covered for their teammates for the full 80 minutes,” Battiste said. “Bella Martell, Jill Haley, and Jade Gallagher gave us great possession in the midfield and dug in to do the dirty work on defense: blocking shots, challenging balls in the air, and covering all parts of the turf.”
At the halftime break, Neshaminy’s coaches emphasized keeping the tempo high and continuing to create chances. The Redskins did just that, but again, it took some time before they were able to break down Pennsbury’s defense.
Midway through the second half, an excellent individual effort led to an insurance goal.
“Kylie Maxwell broke through with a ball from midfield after collecting the ball on the left side and she was off. It’s difficult to stop when running at defenders with so much pace,” van Reed said. “This time she decided to take a shot from the top of the 18 and hit a rocket that the keeper got a hand on but not enough to stop the ball from going in.”
On top of the excellent passing and combinations from the attacking players, van Reed again credited the play of the defense and holding midfielder Abby Collins, who has excelled in her role patrolling in front of the back line and breaking up plays.
As expected in a rivalry game, neither side wanted to walk away with the loss and Pennsbury continued to push for a goal that could spark a rally.
“In the last 10 minutes it got interesting only being up 2-0, our keeper came out to get a ball and clipped one of the Pennsbury players, resulting in a yellow card and a PK. So Hannah (Labadie) had to come off and our back up keeper tonight Ava Affanassiev had to come in cold to defend a PK,” van Reed said. “She did a great job being patient and making the save. Everyone was excited for her and that’s a tough thing to have to do.”
While the Falcons weren’t able to put one away, their coaches knew the players and especially the seniors had given their all.
“Jess Conlow, Abby Shumski, and Jen Cataldo-Smith continued to disrupt Neshaminy’s defenders with relentless grit and never stopped attacking until the final whistle blew,” Battiste said. “Even when they haven’t been on the positive side of the scoreboard, these seniors have always believed in themselves and their team and have never quit. While it may feel like their high school soccer careers are coming to an end, their continuous effort shows there are still miles of potential ahead of them.”
Neshaminy (15-0-1, 13-0-1 SOL) will close out the regular season by hosting Council Rock North on Monday and Bensalem on Wednesday. Pennsbury (5-9-2, 5-9-0) will host Council Rock South on Monday and will travel to Council Rock North on Wednesday.
NESHAMINY 1 1 – 2
PENNSBURY 0 0 – 0
Goals: N – Carly Fox, Kylie Maxwell
Non-league
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 7, CALVARY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 1
Less than 24 hours after a disappointing 2-1 loss to Hatboro-Horsham, the Colonials hosted Calvary Christian in a non-league contest, and they wasted little time before seizing control of the contest.
“We suffered a heartbreaking loss yesterday, and we lost two starters in that game to injury,” PW coach TJ Delucia said. “But our team really came out today, wanting and ready to play.
“(This) was a great team win that allows us to play meaningful soccer during this final week of the regular season.”
Freshman Keira Whelan opened the scoring with a goal just four minutes into the contest, finishing a great ball from Ella Clark. She added a second goal 13 minutes later, using a Brook Schoenleber assist.
Senior Angelina Balcer had a first half hat trick. Her goals were assisted by Quinn Daley (twice) and Maddie McGuckien.
McGuckien also scored her first varsity goal, joining freshman Olivia Budin who also knocked in her first.
“McGuckien’s goal was a volley off of an Ella Clark throw-in,” Delucia said. “Olivia Budin had a terrific shot after being played through by Emma Vuotto.”
Caitlyn Dinh and Chloe Markus combined for a strong game in net.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-6-1, 6-6-1 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Monday and will host Wissahickon on Wednesday. The Colonials will close out the regular season at Quakertown on Thursday. They are 26th in the latest District One 4A power rankings in what will be a 28-team field.
CALVARY CHRISTIAN 0 1 -1
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 7 0 – 7
Goals: PW – Angelina Balcer 3, Keira Whelan 2, Maddie McGuckien, Olivia Budin.
Calvary Christian 0-1 1
Plymouth Whitemarsh 7-0 7
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