Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Monday. Neshaminy/CR North photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos. All SOS photo galleries for BOYS' SOCCER can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Patriot Division
Neshaminy 2, Council Rock North 0
Needing a win with only two games remaining for a shot at making the playoffs, Neshaminy did it in a big way Monday, knocking off first place and Patriot Division champion CR North 2-0 at home.
With the win - the team’s sixth straight league victory - Neshaminy is now 8-8-1 on the season (7-8-1 SOL) and vaults from 29th into the No. 24 spot in the PIAA District One Class 4A power rankings with just one game remaining.
“I told the kids at the end of the game, ‘If you had told us when we were 2-8 a couple of weeks ago that we’d be 8-8-1, we might have looked at you funny,’” said coach Tom Foley. “But hats off to them. They’ve done a great job, going seven in a row unbeaten and really taking care of business and really buckling down.
“I think this game is all but going to put us in the playoffs. We’re up to (24th) now, and that was really good for these guys. We told the kids, ‘Today is a must win. If you win, you’re basically in the playoffs. If you lose, you’ve got to beat Bensalem and keep your fingers crossed.’
“We’ve come a long way in two-and-a-half, three weeks. I’m quite proud of the kids."
CR North clinched the Patriot title last week and was looking to improve its playoff point rankings this final week. But the Indians ran into a buzzsaw.
Joe Joe Maxwell opened the scoring in the 17th minute, off an assist from Jack Sexton.
“We had the wind at our back the first half, and I thought we controlled most of the half,” Foley said. “Jack Sexton launched one of his
big throws, and Joe Joe Maxwell managed to get it down with his body, and he shielded it really well, and he was able to turn and get a good shot off and beat their keeper to the short side.
“It was a real good confidence builder, it was well deserved because we kind of carried the play at that point. (Goalkeeper) Evan Fitch made a really nice save on one of their players to keep it 1-0 at the half.”
CR North played with the wind in the second half, but Neshaminy was able to maintain its lead.
“They put a little bit of pressure on in the second half because they had the wind at their backs,” Foley said. “We had a little bit better time dealing with it than they did, but they would exert some pressure. They have that big throw that’s a nightmare to contend with. They had a couple of corners that they were dangerous with, but overall, we limited their looks at the goal.
“Evan had another good save in the second half. They had two really good opportunities most of the game. Evan had three saves today, the other shots went harmlessly wide. Overall, it was a good second half.”
In the 77th minute, Chris Valley scored on a rebound to make it a 2-0 game.
“Joe Joe (Maxwell) got the ball probably 30 yards from our goal because they started pushing people forward,” Foley said. “He just raced down 
the field, rifled a shot coming down the right side, and their goalie made an outstanding save. Chris Valley was there to tuck in the rebound.”
Neshaminy was then able to close out the game and pick up probably its biggest win of the season.
“Overall, I thought our defense played well,” Foley said. “Josh Anderson and Jack Sexton were really strong in the center of the park today.
“Jon Lopez, our defensive midfielder, was all over the place just winning balls in the air and did a great job. Wasseem Jawawdeh was getting stuck in all over the place in the midfield, and he had a good game. Of course, Joe Joe (Maxwell) was our engine. He’s constantly chirping on the field. He’s our leader, and he had another great day, getting a goal and an assist today.
“I don't think teams are going to want to see us coming onto their fields now. We’re playing very well. We’re not making the mistakes that cost us early in the year, and we’re taking care of our chances in the box, which we hadn’t done in the beginning of the year.
Neshaminy’s regular season finale is at Bensalem on Wednesday night. CR North (12-3-2, 10-3-3 SOL) plays at Pennsbury on Wednesday afternoon. The Indians are currently No. 13 in the district power rankings.
CR North 0 0 – 0
Neshaminy 1 1 - 2
SOL Colonial Division
Central Bucks West 2, Pennridge 1 (2 OT)
CB West went on the road and crashed Pennridge’s Senior Night celebration and may have put a crimp in the Rams’ division title hopes as well with a 2-1 upset at Helman Field Monday night.
“Our bench was louder than anything I’ve heard all year,” said Bucks coach Cooper Moyer. “Our bench made it feel like we were playing a home game and that was such a help, especially as the game progressed.
“Our record might say one thing, but we know we can hang with and beat anyone, we are just going to keep working on our craft every day and see if we can’t break into the postseason and see what happens.”
With the win, the Bucks earned a sweep of Pennridge this season, defeating the Rams 3-1 in early September.
“(Pennridge coach) Pete Valimont is a good friend of mine and to beat him once in a year was an absolute battle, to beat a coach like him with such a good team (twice), it felt like an impossible task going in,” Moyer said. “(His) boys would run through a wall for him if he asked, he’s created a really special program up there so hats off to him and his staff.”
CB West (7-8-2, 6-7-2 SOL) – 26th entering Monday’s game - sits unofficially in the 23rd spot in the log-jammed District One power rankings for the 28-team Class 4A tournament. The Bucks will close out their season at War Memorial Field Friday against rival CB South.
“Hats off to Cooper (Moyer) and their staff,” said Pennridge’s Valimont, whose team still has a chance to clinch the SOL Colonial title Wednesday night at CB South. “They’re fighting for their (playoff) lives, and they did a really good job tonight."
Pennridge jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first half, as Luca Angello scored on a rebound.
“Shane (Velez) was able to rip a laser that got through the wall,” Valimont said. “The goalie gave up a rebound, and Luca Angello was in front to finish it."
Moyer said his team never got down after giving up that goal.
“We came into the match knowing a good amount about Pennridge and where they were capable of beating us,” the Bucks’ coach said. “I thought that my team did a really nice job of keeping that potent attack in check. Unfortunately, we gave up a bad foul in the first half to give them a free kick that resulted in a little scrum and they poked it in.
“It was a wet slippery night, so any shot hit low and hard was going to be tough to deal with for any goalkeeper. We went into halftime down 1-0 and had a really positive and productive team talk at halftime to work out some kinks.
“We came out in the second half and really got at them, got them on their heels and started creating chances.”
Jason Lee tied it up for the Bucks.
“Finally we broke through when Jason Lee, who has been getting better and better for us every day, did a really nice job and kept his composure and slotted the ball past (Pennridge keeper CJ Dimmick) to the bottom right corner.”
Regulation ended tied at 1-1, and it took until the second OT, and there CB West came up with the game-winner.
“In the second OT, Jason Lee was wreaking havoc in the box and got a ball, did a nice job to just redirect it to one of our senior captains Ben Sterling and he stepped up and did his job,” Moyer said.
It was one of the highlights of the season so far for West.
“Our back line was incredible,” Moyer said. “Our midfield did the dirty work and barely came off the pitch. Our forwards put their back line under pressure and were running wild, and Griffin Blokker had a great game in goal for us.”
Valimont said his team had chances too.
“A couple of close chances on a couple of restarts at the very end,” he said. “Shane (Velez) went coast to coast and was able to steal a pass from the pass back to the goalie and just put it over. He had a really good effort on it but just missed it a little high.
“Overall, CJ Dimmick was fantastic in net. He had a couple of huge saves. Everything was still wet, the ball was skipping everywhere, so nothing was easy tonight.
“My seniors all got in, and they gave great effort. We got them as many minutes as we possibly could given the situation and everything. My booster club did a great job for the seniors dealing with the weather. A bunch of alumni I’ve coached over the past 15 years came out and were there for my last regular season home game. To see them was awesome. It was a nice night."
Pennridge (13-4, 11-4 SOL) currently sits at No. 8 in the district power rankings.
CB West 0 1 0 1 – 2
Pennridge 1 0 0 0 - 1
Central Bucks South 3, North Penn 2
Nolan Helsel scored the game-winning goal on a rebound with five minutes remaining, as Central Bucks South kept its division title hopes alive with an exciting come-from-behind 3-2 win over North Penn.
“It was a tough battle - two teams (that) tend to get the ball down and connect,” said Titans coach Kyle Pettican. “The weather conditions on the small, muddy grass field certainly didn’t work in anyone’s favor.”
CB South (11-4-1, 10-3-1 SOL) has two league games remaining, home against Pennridge Wednesday and at CB West on Friday. If the Titans win both games, they will win the SOL Colonial title.
Monday’s game was back-and-forth throughout.
Helsel also scored the game’s first goal.
“Sean Rieber played a ball through the defense that put Nolan Helsel 1-on-1 with the keeper, (and) then slotted it past him,” Pettican said.
North Penn tied it on a Ryan Miller goal.
“It was not a great soccer game at this point,” Pettican said. “I told my boys it was never going to be pretty on this field in these conditions.”
The Knights went up 2-1 in the second half on a Nate Kim penalty kick. But back came CB South off a corner kick.
“Andrew Shertnyov was left unmarked, and he headed it into the back of the title (to tie it at) 2-2 with 20 minutes to go,” Pettican said. “The game became very end-to-end; both teams looking for the winner.
“With five minutes left, Sean Rieber took a shot from the edge of the box, where the ball skipped out of the keeper’s hands, and Nolan Helsel was there to tap it home for the win.”
North Penn (7-9-1, 6-8-1 SOL) is No. 27 in the District One power rankings with one game remaining, at home Wednesday against CB East.
North Penn 1 1 – 2
CB South 1 2 - 3
Central Bucks East 2, Souderton 0
The weather forced a stoppage of play in the first half, but that didn’t slow down Central Bucks East, which scored once play resumed and then clinched the win with a second-half goal.
With the win, CB East improved its record to 11-5-1 overall (10-4-1 SOL) and is unofficially ranked No. 12 in the most recently District One Class 4A power rankings, with one regular season game remaining.
“We played about 18 minutes - it was even,” said East coach Josh Isaacsohn. “We had a thunder/lightning break for about a half hour. I think during that time the boys really regrouped. I don’t think we were playing our best soccer at all in the first 18 minutes. They came out after that and came out roaring."
Andrew Walloff opened the scoring with an unassisted goal in the 31st minute.
“I felt that we just kind of took over possession, started playing the feet a lot better,” Isaacsohn said.
Two minutes into the second half, Michael Frye scored off an assist from Jared Needles.
“Quite honestly, I kind of thought the score should have been 4, 5 or 6-0,” Isaacsohn said. “We missed a few open ones. Generally, throughout the rest of the game, I felt like we pretty much had control of it. They were dangerous a few times on counters, but that was about it.”
Defensively, the Patriots were strong throughout.
“A lot of props to our defense and our center defensive middies,” Isaacsohn said. “Wesley Meyers and Andrew Walloff just did a fantastic job, and as usual, Dylan Walker, Luke Christmas and Josh Daniels really held it down in the back."
East plays at North Penn on Wednesday. Souderton (7-10, 6-10 SOL) – which entered the game 28th - dropped back to No. 32 in the power rankings. Only 28 teams make districts. Souderton has one regular season game remaining, a nonleague game against Boyertown on Tuesday.
CB East 1 1 – 2
Souderton 0 0 - 0
SOL Liberty Division
Abington 3, Wissahickon 1
With one game remaining in the regular season, the Galloping Ghosts wrapped up the SOL Liberty Division title with the 3-1 win over Wissahickon on Monday.
The Trojans started fast in this one and led 1-0 at halftime, but the second half was all Abington.
Daniel Oliveria tied it off of an assist from Luke O’Donnell.
Liam Hartman gave his team the lead with an unassisted goal, and then he assisted Brian O’Neill for the third goal and the 3-1 win.
Abington (14-2-1, 13-1-1 SOL) is currently No. 4 in the District One power rankings, with only a Wednesday home game against Quakertown remaining in the regular season. Wissahickon (8-8-1, 7-8 SOL) is now No. 24. It hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh on Wednesday night.
Wissahickon 1 0 – 1
Abington 0 3 - 3
Upper Dublin 2, Plymouth Whitemarsh 2 (2 OT)
Weather delayed the start of this one, as it began an hour late. And then these two rivals extended the night even later, eventually settling for a 2-2 tie.
It was a hard-fought, back-and-forth game, a treat to be a part of,” said Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Rick Kessler. “Both teams were really after it. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys tonight. They played their hearts out.”
Once the game did start, it was back-and-forth throughout.
Tommy Clayton opened the scoring for Upper Dublin, which led 1-0 at halftime.
“Tommy Clayton scored after a great team goal,” said Flying Cardinals coach Noah Johnson.
Early in the second half, Mason Clatterbuck tied it up for PW.
“PW scored off a set piece,” Johnson said. “They had a throw-in. Set pieces are something we’ve been struggling with. We did a little better defending set pieces today, but still just managed to let one slip by us and get into the back of the net.”
PW took its first lead at 2-1, on a penalty kick by Corey Metzger, midway through the second half.
With four minutes remaining in regulation, UD tied it up on a goal by Chris McMeel.
Upper Dublin (13-2-2, 11-2-2 SOL) is now at No. 7 in the district power rankings. It hosts Hatboro-Horsham on Wednesday. PW (8-7-2, 8-6-1 SOL) is 20th in the power rankings, and plays at Wissahickon on Wednesday.
Upper Dublin 1 1 0 0 – 2
PW 0 2 0 0 - 2
Hatboro-Horsham 2, Quakertown 0
After not cashing in for most of the first half, Hatboro-Horsham took a 1-0 lead on a goal by JR Fulginiti late in the half, and the Hatters never looked back on the way to the 2-0 road win over Quakertown.
“We had been pressuring quite a bit in the first half, just unable to connect on that final pass or put the shots on target with the slick conditions,” said H-H coach Kyle McGrath. “Jake Freedman played a nice little through ball to JR. The goalkeeper came out to get to the ball, and JR was able to get to it first and just slotted it home past him right before halftime.”
The Hatters’ second goal came in the 66th minute, and it was also Fulginiti’s second goal of the game.
“We had a corner kick, the ball came in and was bouncing around a little bit,” McGrath said. “JR won the ball back from the defender and just hit a volley to the far post side netting.
“JR’s a really hard worker. He’s been unfortunate - he hit the crossbar three times against PW, so he’s been close to scoring, and tonight he was able to finish two of them. Hopefully, that can continue the rest of the season.”
The other story of the game for the Hatters was in goal, as senior Jeff Matullo picked up the shutout, filling in for injured starter Noah Schlosser.
“This was his first career start, so obviously, it’s his first career shutout,” McGrath said. “We have a ton of confidence in him. He’s a really good goalkeeper, and on a lot of teams, he’d probably be a starter. He made a really good save in the first half when it was 0-0 and held onto it because they had some players rushing the goal.
“He was good throughout the whole night in some tough conditions with the wet surface, so I’m just happy for him and happy for the group."
H-H (12-5, 11-4 SOL) is No. 16 in the district power rankings, with one game remaining, Wednesday at Upper Dublin.Quakertown (1-15, 1-13 SOL) hosts New Hope in a makeup game on Tuesday.
H-H 1 1 – 2
Quakertown 0 0 - 0
SOL Freedom Division
Springfield Twp 2, Lower Moreland 1 (2 OT)
Riley Martin scored the game-winning goal late in the second overtime, assisted by Nick Marino, as SOL Freedom Division champ Springfield avenged a previous loss to rival Lower Moreland on the road Monday night.
“It was a rough one tonight,” said LM coach Bob Barnhart, whose team celebrated Senior Night. “I know that (coach) Dan (Meder) had his guys up the game tonight after our last game at their place earlier in the year.
“It was a good showing from both team’s supporters tonight. There wasn’t a spot on the fence that wasn’t taken up by someone from Lower Moreland or Springfield.”
The teams exchanged goals in the first half.
Nick Hanuschak scored off an assist from Martin for Springfield, and John Kroll scored for Lower Moreland.
“They took an early 1-0 lead on a rocket from outside the box,” Barnhart said. “After that, we pushed a had a bunch of chances to equalize. John Kroll finally was able to get on the end of a long ball and put one past their goalie to take us 1-1 into halftime.”
“Tonight was senior night, so the halftime ceremony can sometimes change the flow and momentum of the game. Our guys did a good job of focusing in at the start of the second half. There were chances both ways, and the play in the midfield was back and forth. We had our chances especially late in the second half on a cross that somehow managed to eluded four players going through the box.
“It was one of those games where you felt like a bad bounce one way or the other has the chance to decide the game. With all the rain, the turf was playing faster than normal, and the ball was skidding and skipping all over the place. It was a tough way to see a Senior Night wrap up, but they netted a goal that didn't seem like that threatening of a chance. Riley Martin was able to slot one past our keeper. You have to give credit where it's due and he has been very good for them all season.”
With the win, Springfield improved to 13-3 overall (12-3 SOL) and is No. 4 in the District One Class 3A power rankings. The Spartans host Cheltenham Wednesday night.
Lower Moreland (9-6-1, 8-6-1 SOL) is No. 7 in Class 3A. It hosts William Tennent on Wednesday.
Springfield 1 1 – 2
LM 1 0 - 1
New Hope-Solebury 1, William Tennent 0
Marco DeMeo scored the game’s only goal late in the second half as New Hope went on the road and knocked off Tennent on Monday afternoon.
“(It was a) well-played game by both sides,” New Hope coach Dave Bachart said. “Our midfield played well. Jacob Stein, Joe Picone and Luca Tersigni moved the ball well and allowed our forwards to get up.”
“The bumpy field affected both teams’ ability to string passes together,” said Tennent coach Angelo Albanese. “New Hope played very well. They were organized defensively, and we had a difficult time creating good chances. They scored late in the second half and closed out the game well.”
New Hope (4-12, 3-11 SOL) has a road game Tuesday night at Quakertown. Tennent (5-11, 5-10 SOL) closes its season Wednesday at Lower Moreland.
New Hope 0 1 – 1
Tennent 0 0 - 0
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