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By Alex Frazier
Ryan Apt has worked hard and taken a lot of grief over the years.
But it’s all paying off in his final season for Central Bucks East.
In Saturday’s District One Class AAA quarterfinal match against William Tennent, Apt scored a pair of goals to lead the Patriots to a 2-0 victory.
“That was ridiculously terrific for Apt,” said East coach Mike Gorni. “It couldn’t be a better story for the kid because the kid has been doing everything for the last couple of years unsung.
“He took a lot of critique from this coach personally, and he learned and played through everything. The two goals he got today were just beautiful. They were magnificent goals at any level.”
The win assures East a spot in the PIAA State Tournament for the third year in a row.
“We’re so proud of ourselves right now,” said Apt. “That was a great win. We needed that. This was the biggest game of the whole season. This was the most important game of our lives. To get back three years in a row is amazing.”
After a stunning upset of No. 1 seed Pennsbury, Tennent was hoping to use that momentum to carry it to the state playoffs, but it wasn’t to happen.“It’s sad that we lost here,” said Tennent coach Dave Jones. “I feel bad for the seniors, but it’s the farthest a Tennent team has gone in a long, long time.”
Tennent chose to play with the brisk wind advantage in the first half.
As Jones said, “If we had any problems early on, the wind would help us out.”
But the Panthers weren’t able to take advantage as many of their clears sailed too far and were picked up by the East defense or flew wide or over the goal.
“The second half we were able to get the ball down on the floor more, make better passes and take possession more,” said Jones. “Unfortunately we just didn’t get anything to the goal.”
Tennent had several shots but only two were on the frame, and they were routine saves for Shane Donovan.
“East is very good at defending,” said Jones. “They drop back with numbers and are smart back there. Once you get a goal down, it’s tough to go against them.”
To anyone that follows C.B East, it’s no surprise that both goals came off re-starts.
“The whole practice yesterday was based on re-starts,” said Apt. “We talked strategy and worked on re-starts. It must have paid off.”
With a long thrower like Matt MacPherson, East is always dangerous from 35 yards and in.
The senior back had six deep throws in the first half, but the Patriots couldn’t convert.
The Panthers were well aware of MacPherson’s prowess and the ability of East to score on re-starts.
“We worked on re-starts in practice,” said sweeper Jim Raccitti. “We definitely practiced that, but when it came to game time we just couldn’t defend it. We got a couple out, but they got lucky and scored on one.”
That one came in at 25:45 in the second half when, with a strong wind at his back, MacPherson launched his second throw from the right sideline. The ball went to Fran Miller, who had gone up for a head ball, and it rebounded to Apt.
“It bounced right to my foot,” said Apt. “I couldn’t have asked for better placement. I just put my head down and blasted it in. It gave us momentum for the rest of the game.
“We played extremely hard on their backs and put pressure on them. That was our plan. Put pressure on them get re-starts and hopefully finish them.”
Apt’s second goal came with 7:12 left in the game with another re-start. Ben Auteri struck a direct kick from near midfield on the left side of the field. The ball sailed to Apt on the right, and he sent it into the right side of the goal.
“When we got the second one, it pretty much put them away,” said Apt.
“We had to have three to one in re-starts 35 yards and in,” said Gorni. “That wears on a team when they have to defend it so much.”
Jones knew it could be a problem.
“It’s our Achilles’ heel, the ball getting in the box,” he said. “We don’t have somebody that’s going to run through it and clear it,”
Apt not only generated all the offense the Patriots would need, but was also a force at the other end of the field.
“He’s a nice big kid to get to the ball,” said Jones. “He did a nice job in the back too. We were trying to play some stuff long and he just ate everything up.”
Of its 16 wins so far this season, East’s defense has racked up 113 shutouts, thanks to a strong unit in MacPherson, Auteri, Dan Christiansen, Eric Vare and Donovan, the only junior, in goal.
“It’s a senior back four, so we’re all real close,” said Auteri. “We know what each other is going to do.”
The end of the season is always sad, particularly for seniors.
“I’m proud of what we did as a team,” said Raccitti, who was playing in his final soccer game since he will likely pursue track in college. “We came a lot farther than people thought we would, but you can’t win them all.”
No. 8 C.B. East will play Unionville – a 2-0 winner over Strath Haven in another quarterfinal - on Wednesday at a site and time to be determined.
Central Bucks East (16-5) 2, William Tennent (10-6-2) 0
Goals: Ryan Apt (CBE) 2
Assists: Fran Miller (CBE), Ben Auteri (CBE)
Shots: Central Bucks East 6, William Tennent 8
Saves: Shane Donovan (CBE) 3, Calvin Young (WT) 3
Corners: Central Bucks East 3, William Tennent 2
Fouls: Central Bucks East 10, William Tennent 11
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