Check out Wednesday’s SOL soccer results. To view photos of the Souderton/Quakertown game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
BOYS
CONTINENTAL CONFERENCE
Souderton 2, Quakertown 1
The Indians jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the Panthers (3-11 SOL, 5-13 overall) in their final league game on Wednesday night after first-half goals from Tyler MacDougal and Nick Stulb (Ryan Moleneaux assist). The Panthers rallied late in the second half and got on the board but couldn’t manage to get another past standout keeper Tyler Afflerbach. Coach Tom Quintois noted that Afflerbach is one of the keys to the Indians’ success in the conference.
“He’s like having an extra field player,” the Indians’ coach said. “He’s got good speed and decision making.”
The Indians are hoping this win coupled with some key non-league victories (8-4-1 SOL, 12-4-1 overall) will be enough to get them a good seed in the playoffs.
North Penn 5, Pennridge 1
The Rams (3-11 SOL, 3-14-1 overall) got on the board early after Kris Gross converted a Dylan Henry pass into a goal, but the Knights came on strong, scoring five unanswered goals. Alex Evans led the scoring with a hat trick, Matt Robinson converted a penalty kick and Nick Gambone tallied the final score.
The Knights, who are currently in second place (10-3-1), will host Holy Ghost Prep on Friday to close out their regular season.
Rams Coach Pete Valimont ends his season with the Rams anticipating some excitement in February when he and his wife anticipate the arrival of triplet boys.
Central Bucks West 3, Hatboro 0
The Bucks shut out the Hatters (2-12 SOL, 4-13 overall) in Wednesday’s league finale. The Bucks scored back-to-back goals in the first half as Joel Klapper scored on a penalty kick in the 18th minute and Thierry Bergere found the net in the 19th (Klapper assist). The Bucks continued to control the game, and Kyle Schechter closed out the scoring with six minutes remaining off a Bergere assist.
The Bucks (6-8 SOL, 8-9 overall) will play Council Rock South, the third place National Conference squad, on Friday and know a victory is important to help their chances in the playoff race.
“If we beat them we have a good chance,” said Coach Steve Detweiler. “There’s no guarantee, but we locked up fifth place and have two big non-league wins over Lower Merion and (William) Tennent.”
Detweiler realizes the Continental Conference is very strong and last year sent six teams to the playoffs, so anything is possible as the season closes out.
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Upper Dublin 6, Upper Merion 0
The Flying Cardinals received goals from five different players in their big win over the Vikings. Jared D’Andrea (Mike Connelly assist) put Upper Dublin on the scoreboard with a goal in the 13th minute. Alex Browndorf (Dan Demchick) added a goal in the 22nd minute, and six minutes later, Tyler Whitehead (Connelly assist) scored to send the Flying Cardinals into halftime with a 3-0 lead.
Justin Greene closed out the scoring with back-to-back goals in a seven-minute span in the second half, the first with a Brian Schaefer assist and the second with an assist from John Roos.
Scott Wexler and Christian Huckfeldt split time in goal in the shutout while Upper Merion’s Brendan Magdamo turned away 17 shots.
The Flying Cardinals close out the regular season with an 11-1-2 mark in league play (13-1-2 overall) while the Vikings closed out the year with a 1-12-1 record in the league (2-13-1 overall).
Springfield 2, Plymouth Whitemarsh 1
The Spartans (6-6-1 SOL, 8-7-2 overall) may have made it more difficult for the Colonials (7-5-2 SOL, 7-8-2) to earn a playoff berth with their big win on Wednesday.
Both Spartan goals were scored by Peter Trueman while Darren Ball and Matt Feiler added the assists. Joeb Hunter scored the lone goal for the Colonials. The Colonials finish up league play in fourth place.
Cheltenham 1, Norristown 0
The Panthers upped their record to 8-6 and closed out the year in third place in the conference standings after beating the Eagles in their final league game. Kyree Willis-Lear scored the game-winner in the 63rd minute while keeper John Winneg celebrated his birthday by picking up five saves in the shutout. The Eagles finish the season winless in the league at 0-10-3.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
William Tennent 3, Truman 1
The Panthers (6-7-1) closed out their league season with a win over the Tigers (1-13). Johnnie Cilantre, Phil Kistner and Jimmy Haslett each contributed a goal in the victory.
Neshaminy 1, Pennsbury 0
The Redskins clinched the National League title tonight after battling past the second-place Falcons (10-4 SOL, 11-5 overall). The game-winner was scored in the 65th minute after James McCourtney fired one on the keeper, and it was deflected and landed in front of Reynaldo Bonilla, who powered it into the corner of the net.
“It was a team effort tonight - all the kids played exceptionally hard,” said ‘Skins coach Tom Foley. “Our defense played very well.”
The Redskins did get nervous in the last ten minutes of the game as the Falcons had a few opportunities to score off corner kicks.
“Chris Watson in goal made two brilliant saves in last five minutes,” Foley said. “It was tense the last eight or nine minutes. They pressed and pressed.”
It was, according to Foley, Watson’s best showing of the season, although he’s been consistently strong.
“I thought in the end, it was well deserved,” Foley said of Wednesday’s win. “We were up for the challenge on a big game.”
The Redskins finished their regular season 11-1-2 SOL, 11-3-2 overall and share the glory of a championship with their female counterparts as the girls team claimed top honors in their conference as well. The last time both the boys and girls were simultaneous champions was the 2005-2006 school year.
Council Rock South 6, Council Rock North 0
The Golden Hawks sailed past the Indians (1-13 SOL) on Wednesday, shutting them out 6-0. Julian Antal and Dalton Ford each scored a pair in the victory, while Dan Kockett and Jake Shefsky rounded out the scoring for the Golden Hawks.
Coach Alan Nicholl commended the play of junior defender Kyle Moran, who had a breakthrough game and may be an integral part of the line-up as the Hawks prepare to enter postseason play.
South has one non-league game remaining with Central Bucks West on Friday. The Golden Hawks closed their SOL season in second place in the conference standings with a 10-3-1 record (12-4-1 overall).
GIRLS
CONTINENTAL CONFERENCE
Central Bucks East 2, Central Bucks South 1
The Patriots maintained their stronghold on second place in the conference standings after beating the Titans (7-4-3 SOL, 7-6-3 overall) in their final regular season bout. The Patriots didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard as Shaun Kane (Abby Emmert assist) and Nicole Pannella (Kane assist) tallied back-to-back goals in the sixth and seventh minutes of the game. The Titans would rally late to get on the board as Lauren Wills found the net, but East proved too powerful.
Patriots coach Paul Eishold commended the play of Jess Haug on defense, Abby Emmert on attack and Paige Marcinkowski in the net.
South will face William Tennent on Thursday while the Patriots closed their regular season 10-3-1 in the league, one point behind league champion Pennridge.
Hatboro Horsham 2, Central Bucks West 1 (OT)
The Hatters eked out another league win in overtime. The Bucks were the first to connect early in the second half when Kelsey Horst found the net. Midway through the second half, Ramsey McMenamin scored to tie the game, using a Tory Adlam assist off a free kick. Only one minute of overtime was needed before Sydney McNutt received the ball in the midfield and played it though to standout Marykate Bateman, who slid by her defender and placed the ball into the low corner of the net for the game winner. The Hatters finish league play with a 9-3-2 record (11-4-2 overall) while the Bucks fell to 7-6-1 in the league (8-6-2 overall).
Pennridge 2, North Penn 0
The Continental Conference champion Rams blanked the Maidens on Wednesday to close out their regular season. Jackie Stevens found the net off a cross from Natalia Pinkney, and Pinkney added an unassisted goal. The Rams boast a league record of 10-2-2 (12-2-2 overall) while the Maidens are 2-9-3 in the league.
Quakertown 4, Souderton 1
Shannon Gibat had a huge game for the Panthers, contributing three goals and one assist.
The Indians actually got on the scoreboard first with an own goal in the eighth minute. Ten minutes later, Linzi Wolfe (Gibat assist) answered with the equalizer. Gibat gave the Panthers a lead they would not lose when she scored two minutes later, using assists from Shelly Cowan and Jami Soriano. An unassisted goal by Gibat sent the Panthers into halftime with a 3-1 lead. Gibat (Mikaila Skaroff assist) scored the only goal of the second half.
The Panthers held a 16-6 advantage in shots. Panther goalie Erinne Finlayson was credited with one save while Souderton’s Jaclyn Parry had five.
The Panthers closed out their league season with a 3-10-1 record (6-10-1 overall) while the Indians were 1-12-1 (2-14-1 overall).
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Cheltenham 3, Norristown 0
The Panthers closed out their season with a shutout win over the Eagles to up their record to 6-7. Panther goals were scored by Nia Coleman, Oceana Hopkins and Tiana Han. The Eagles went winless in the league this season with an 0-14 record.
Wissahickon 4, Upper Moreland 0
The American Conference champion Trojans (13-1 SOL, 14-3 overall) cruised by the Golden Bears (7-7, 7-10 overall) on Wednesday in the final league contest for both squads. Rukie Arango-Kautz scored a pair for the Trojans in the first half (Ellen-Claire Benbow and Sarah Horowitz assists). Early in the second half, Cailin Grey fed a hard cross from deep on the left side to Erica Nachman, who converted it for the goal. The final goal was scored by Grey.
Under second-year coach Shannon Franke, the Trojans have had a complete change of fortunes, going from a squad that wasn’t considered for the playoffs last year to conference champions with just one loss.
Franke says she made some adjustments this season.
“We switched some players around, like Cailin (Grey) who was playing sweeper and moved to her striker,” the Trojans’ coach said. “She’s hungry for the goal.”
That decision ended up paying off as Grey has led the team in scoring this season.
Franke also made some changes after an early loss to Quakertown, which exposed some weaknesses on defense. She moved Anna Chiodo-Ortiz to the back to capitalize on her speed, and she has been instrumental ever since.
Franke gave credit to senior Benbow as well.
“She has been on fire the last half of season and has been very consistent in the center mid position,” the second-year coach said.
Midfielder Alyssa Ryan along with center backs Laura Frankenfield and Sami Silar have also been big contributors for the Trojans.
“I’m really proud of this team coming from a .500 season (last year),” Franke said. “They worked really hard in the offseason.”
Franke credited her team’s success to the fact that her players have been nothing but dedicated since the 2011 season wrapped up, and they have soaked up every opportunity Franke has given them to practice and get in better shape.
The Trojans hope to carry over the lessons they’ve learned from top teams they’ve faced - including Continental Conference champion Pennridge - into the playoffs. The Trojans witnessed the Rams’ outstanding ball handling skills firsthand in an early non-league loss. Although Franke loses six senior starters to graduation this year, her team is ready to start the postseason and up for the challenge that it will undoubtedly bring.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Abington 4, Bensalem 3
Molly Wyman scored a pair of goals for the Ghosts on Wednesday, bringing her season total to 13. Also scoring for the Ghosts was Julia Guarini and Amanda Cutaiar, who launched the game-winning free kick into the far corner. Kayla Nolan was an offensive spark, contributing three assists. The Ghosts are 5-9 in league play while the Owls are 2-11.
Council Rock South 2, Council Rock North 1
The Golden Hawks (9-4-1, 9-6-1 overall) vaulted into third place in the conference standings after defeating the rival Indians. Junior Taylor Dillon was the first to connect early in the first half, followed by freshman Emily Wilkinson who increased the lead to 2-0 by the half. The Indians finally got on the scoreboard midway through the second-half but couldn’t catch up to the Hawks.
“We held them off pretty well. They were pushing a lot harder but our defense has been solid,” says Hawks’ coach Kimmy Francis. “There was no way we were giving this one up.”
Francis said the Senior Night victory truly was a team effort.
“All of our seniors definitely gave us what they had,” she said. “Every single player on the team put in the effort that was needed and stepped up the game.”
Francis commended the play of Amanda Nicholas, her starting center back.
“She’s huge - she settles down the back line and organizes things for us,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said.
After a tough loss in double overtime to conference champions Neshaminy, the Hawks made sure they remembered the feeling of letting one slip away and were determined to down the Indians.
“The first time we played North, we didn’t show them who we were,” Francis said. “Today we were setting things straight.”
Neshaminy 4, Pennsbury 1
The National Conference champion Redskins completed their league season with a perfect 14-0 record after taking down the second place Falcons.
Amy Mandia started the night off by scoring the first goal for the ‘Skins in the sixth minute (Fran Donato assist) and sending her team to the half with a one goal lead. Gabby Farrell, assisted by her sister Erin Farrell, scored another unanswered goal as the second half began. Pennsbury’s Lexi Brown got her team on the scoreboard shortly thereafter to make it a one-goal game. However, Neshaminy rallied to finish off the Falcons when Megan Schafer and Gabby Farrell connected on back-to-back goals to close out the scoring.
Schafer and the Farrell sisters have had a huge impact on the Redskins’ success. Schafer leads the team in goals with 25 for the season and also has 16 assists. Freshman Gabby Farrell has been instrumental on attack as well, scoring 12 goals and assisting on 7, while Erin, a senior, picked up five goals and 10 assists for the season. The Redskins, although undefeated with 11 shutouts in the league, take the season one day at a time.
“We prepare at practice and they know they have to take each game as it comes,” coach Rachel Clemens said. “We prepare for next game and no further.”
Clemens and her team have one non-league game remaining against Radnor on Thursday before they can concentrate on the post-season.
“When we get into playoffs, we know the focus and intensity has to stay,” said Clemens, who is in her third year at the helm. “We are confident in each other and as team, and we are working as a unit.”
The Redskins share their success with the boys’ team, which also clinched the league championship on Wednesday. The last time the two teams won championships the same season was six years ago.
William Tennent 4, Truman 0
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