To view photos of the CB East/Lower Merion game, visit the photo gallery at the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
#1-3 Central Bucks East 2, #1-1 Lower Merion 0FRANCONIA TWP – There was something almost magical in the air when Central Bucks East took on district champion Lower Merion on Saturday night.
It started with the large contingent of fans from both sides that created an atmosphere unmatched at most high school sporting events and culminated with East upsetting the district’s top-seeded squad.
“It’s awesome – I can’t describe it,” East senior Michael Gleason said. “They’re a really good team.
“They play a lot like us – they’re very defensive-minded, so it was just good for us to do our thing.”
If either team needed inspiration, they got it from their wildly enthusiastic fans. Lower Merion brought six fans buses, and its student section filled an entire section of bleachers. East didn’t have quite those numbers, but its fans made up for that with their volume.
“They’re unbelievable,” Gleason said of the fans. “Every game they’re always here. They’re so dedicated. They gave up a Saturday night to watch us. It’s fantastic.
“It’s great there’s so much excitement surrounding the sport. I don’t think I have ever seen anything like it for a high school event. It’s awesome.”
When the final horn sounded, the field was a sea of red as the Patriot fans mobbed their victorious team. The Patriots were in the state semifinals.
“Lower Merion is a great team and unbelievably well coached, but to say we didn’t absolutely put our stamp on it and deserve to win this game is false,” coach Mike Gorni said. “We were the better team tonight.
“There are eight teams left in the tournament, and we didn’t say much and we absolutely wanted to win it and have as much right to win it as anyone else, and we were the better team tonight. No question.”
The Patriots got a jumpstart when they were the beneficiary of an ‘own goal’ that was headed into the net by a Lower Merion defender after a Kenny Haug throw-in.
“We’ve played games where we’ve been on the other end of that,” Gorni said. “It kind of shakes out, and it actually was a good thing for us tonight.
“We got the early goal, but more importantly than that, we had the better part of possession.”
“That early goal was big for us,” Gleason added. “I don’t know who it went off of, but that was a bonus goal for us. Once we got the second one – that was huge.”
The second one came on a Lee Sandquist header in the 55th minute. With the Patriots’ defense and goalie Shane Donovan (seven saves) impenetrable, an East win was all but assured.
“In the second half, they put a lot of pressure on us,” Gorni said. “Shane Donovan was brilliant in goal tonight and really organized everything, but Kris Davis, Mike Gleason, Steve Fedele and Kenny Haug – those four defenders along with our midfielders just did a great job.
“We held an unbelievably good team off the board and dealt with a lot of tough issues they throw at you. The biggest thing with this team is there isn’t a superstar. They play their hearts and souls out for each other.”
Injuries prevented the Patriots from having their defense intact the better part of the season.
“We had injuries to the other three backs, so it’s good to have us all together now,” Gleason said. “We haven’t changed anything all year. We prided ourselves on our defense.”
The Patriots will face District Three runner-up Central Dauphin – a 4-0 winner over District One runner-up Conestoga – in a semifinal match on Tuesday.
#3-4 Hempfield 3, #1-4 Pennsbury 0
The Black Knights scored a pair of goals in the first 3:33 of Saturday’s game and never looked back on their way to the win. The Falcons closed out their season with a 17-8 record.
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