The first home night boys soccer match in Penn Wood history went well for the Patriots.
James Nmah collected two goals and one assist and his brother Andrew added one goal and one assist to lead Penn Wood to a 7-1 Del Val League victory under the lights Thursday night at Kerr Field in Yeadon.
James Wilson, Abdulia, Habid Tour and Jason Abu also scored for Penn Wood (6-2 overall, 5-0 league). Genesis Zapata scored for Chi.
In the Central League:
Haverford 2, Harriton 1 >> Matt Billbrough converted a penalty kick in the first half and Connor Brown put home a pass from Sean Cannon off a corner for the winner in the second half. Harriton spoiled the shutout bid with about two minutes left.
Strath Haven 1, Penncrest 1 >> Emmett Young found the back of the net for the Panthers off an assist from Josh Mason. Sam Brown tallied the lone goal for the Lions.

Andrew Nmah contributed just in the nick of time, scoring with less than two minutes left in regulation as Penn Wood topped Franklin Towne Charter, 1-0.

Goodwill Agbaadem made six saves in the shutout, aided by the standout defense of Frankie Knuckles for the Patriots (7-2).

In the Inter-Ac League:

Episcopal Academy 3, Malvern Prep 1 >> Sam Wilson scored twice in the second half as the Churchmen struck the first blow in the title chase.

Quinn Dudek set up Spencer Higgins’ goal in the first half, and Matt Freese and AJ Marcucci split goalkeeping duties for EA (6-3, 1-0).

Billy Coyle scored for the Friars.

Haverford School 2, Penn Charter 2 >> The Fords’ Carnel Walker scored twice in the first half, but Andrew Morris tied the game after the break for Penn Charter.

Evan Scott and Griffin Wada provided assists for the Fords (3-4-3, 0-0-1), who got five saves from Will Baltrus.

Boyertown 3, Fleetwood 0 >> Alex Kidwell scored twice as the Bears blanked the Tigers in non-conference action.

Jimmy Towers chipped in a goal while Owen Kulig, Will Schul and Alec Brisbois each added an assist. Connor McKeown and Caleb Miller preserved the shutout with a combined four saves.

Pope John Paul II 1, Berks Catholic 1 >> The Golden Panthers and Saints each registered goals during the second half, but remained at a standstill through two overtime periods en route to a non-conference tie.

Colin Flanegin scored PJP’s lone goal while Aden Slifer scored for Berks Catholic.

Daniel Boone 1, Cumberland Valley 0 >> Greg Blume struck the game’s lone goal at the 8:08 mark in overtime to lift the Blazers past Cumberland Valley in non-league action.

Blume’s goal came off a feed from Ayoub Mouhou to break the scoreless affair. Boone outshot CV 5-4, with keeper Stephen Williams making four saves to preserve the shutout.

It took a little while for Delco Christian to get its offense in gear, but once it did it was enough to carry the Knights to a 2-1 nonleague victory over Lancaster County Christian in nonleague boys soccer action.

Delco Christian spotted the Lions a 1-0 lead before its offense got going. Tylon Thorn tied the game and Clay Corcimiglia, with an assist from Cody Moorhatch, put DC ahead to stay with nine minutes to play in the first half.

Goalie Brody Veleber (12 saves) and the Delco Christian defense took care of the rest.

In other nonleague matches:

Haverford 1, Bonner & Prendergast 0 >> Sean Cannon scored on a direct kick with less than two minutes to play to win it for the Fords (7-5-0).

Archbishop Carroll 3, Marple Newtown 0 >> Vito Vincent was the catalyst as he posted a hat trick for the Patriots. Goalie Jake Langley made six saves to record the shutout.

Plymouth Whitemarsh 1, Radnor 0 >> Alex Goldring tallied the winner in overtime for the Colonials. Ben Toomey made two saves in goal for the Red Raiders.

Wynnewood – Prior to the Friends’ Central boys’ soccer team’s 3-0 win against visiting Westtown School Sept. 29, Phoenix head coach Galen Guindon was very excited about his squad – and for good reason.

“We have a number of individually talented players but it is the way everyone buys into playing for the team that excites me the most,” said Guindon following his team’s rain-soaked win. “So many players have sacrificed for the good of the program without batting an eye. Playing out of position or seniors coming off the bench, there is a real sense of joy in watching their teammates succeed. I wish I could take more credit but they are just a tremendous group of kids.”

In his team’s 3-0 win over the Moose, Guindon’s team-first philosophy, which the upperclassmen have been able to get the younger players to buy into, was on full display, whether it was making the extra pass on offense to create a better scoring opportunity or the defensive back line standing tall making the day easier for the keeper by not allowing many scoring chances for the opposition.

“Any league win is huge but to get it against a consistently competitive program like Westtown lets us know we are moving in the right direction,” said Guindon. “More importantly, I was pleased with the way we played. We were able to impose our style for most of the match.”

To accompany the belief in each other, another key to Friends’ Central’s early-season success has been their ability to adapt to the strategies the coach’s implement throughout the match, whether it be attacking the net or taking a more defensive-minded approach.

Leading the way has been the senior class – Matt Blackman, Asa Bell, Nolan McGrann, Matt Nguyen, Max Valenci, Chris Annas and Jake Zaoutis. They have provided the right leadership for a talented group of underclassmen – Carson Lonner, Ingram Dillingham, Liam Sullivan, Miles Johnson, Lucas McGrann, who have fallen right in step, putting team success ahead of individual triumph.

“The seniors have been unbelievable in helping me to develop as a player over the last two years,” said sophomore midfielder Carson Lonner, who put home a rebound shot with 2:10 remaining in the second half to account for the third goal. “Those guys have taught me to play within myself and have really made me feel comfortable on the field. It feels great to have upperclassmen who want me to succeed as much as I do, and I think their belief in me has been a major factor in my success.”

Nguyen said, “As one of the senior leaders, I feel that it is important for me to deliver and connect passes, as a center midfielder. Although bringing out my abilities on to field is important, being one of the older members of the team means that I have to bring the energy and the school spirit to the team.  I believe that I help bring a passion and devotion to the team, along with the other seniors, by investing ourselves emotionally.

“Before the games, the other seniors and I play music and chant to get everyone up for the game.  Even after the game, whether win or loss, my teammates and I come together to lift each other up.  Even though I do most of the yelling to get everyone up, The Phoenix’s spirit would not be the same without everyone, because we all do our part to make this group cohesive and united.”

Fellow senior Max Valenci added, “The underclassmen have done a great job of committing to our team philosophy, on and off the field. On the field, they help us keep possession and move the ball quickly. Off the field, they’re all great guys that contribute to our team unity. It’s exciting to see them all buying in, and they certainly have contributed to the team’s success. It’s fairly unusual to have so many sophomores making an impact, and they give us much-needed depth.”

One minute after seeing the balance of its two-goal second-half lead erased, Academy Park desperately needed an answer to halt Delco Christian’s momentum late Monday afternoon.
That’s when Bastian Pigeot stepped up, netting the game winner with seven minutes left in regulation to enable AP to edge DC, 3-2, in a taut nonleague boys soccer match.
Owen Ede had a goal and an assist, Samika Kromah scored and Lansana Doumbouya added a helper for Academy Park. Amadou Fofana started in goal for AP (6-6), making a half-dozen saves in the first half, and came on to relieve backup Ismael Americain by stopping two more shots to preserve the late lead.
Americain was chased after surrendering second-half scores by DC’s Daniel Nichols and Daniel Deger. Brody Veleber took the loss despite turning aside 11 shots.
In the Bicentennial League:
Christian Academy 2, Calvary Christian 2 >> Jalen Sherrill converted a feed from Grant Sareyka to put TCA up in the first half, the Crusaders benefited from a Calvary own goal in the second half and Andre Jones registered four saves for the visitors in the draw.

Perkiomen School 3, West-Mont Christian 2 >> Will Wang’s two-goal showing sparked the Panthers’ comeback for a victory over the Wings in Tri-County League action.

Kentaro Masrin rounded out Perkiomen’s scoring. Tobias Stalmann had assists on two goals, and Daniel Jang on a third as the Panthers worked their way back from one goal down.

Reading 3, Daniel Boone 0 >> The Red Knights did all their scoring in the second half en route to running past the Blazers in their Berks Conference outing.

Stephen Williams provided Boone three-save goaltending.

Downingtown East 1, Great Valley 1 >> Luke Wilson scored for the Patriots (4-3-1, 6-5-1) in the Ches-Mont draw.
Downingtown East    1    0    0    0 – 1
Great Valley    1    0    0    0 – 1
Downingtown East goal not available.
Great Valley goal: Wilson.
Goalie saves:  Good (DE) 5; Nehring (GV) 2.

West Chester East 3, West Chester Rustin 0 >> Tim Ecker, Mike Hahn and Andreas Forero scored as the Vikings (4-5-2) earned the Ches-Mont victory.
W.C. Rustin    0    0 – 0
W.C. East    2    1 – 3
W.C. East goals: Ecker, Hahn, Forero.
Goalie saves:  Bosch (WCR) 7; Murray (WCE) 3.

West Chester Henderson 2, Bishop Shanahan 0 >> Tom Caufield and Richie Schlentz scored in the first half as the Warriors (12-1) captured the Ches-Mont National victory.
Bishop Shanahan    0    0 – 0
W.C. Henderson    2    0 – 2
W.C. Henderson goals: Caufield, Schlentz .
Goalie saves: Coron (BS) 15; McSwain (WCH) 3.

Avon Grove 3, Sun Valley 0 >> Ben Kretzing, Stetson Fenster and Brent Coward scored for the Red Devils (4-4, 5-5-1) in the Ches-Mont victory.
Sun Valley    0    0 – 0
Avon Grove    1    2 – 3
Avon Grove goals: Kretzing, Fenster, Coward.
Goalie saves: Skwirut (SV) 11; Zamudio (AG) 2, Sar (AG) 1.

Unionville 6, Octorara 0 >> Eric Greer had two goals and Hunter Firment had a goal and three assists as the Indians collected the Ches-Mont American victory.
Unionville     3    3 – 6
Octorara    0    0 – 0
Unionville goals: Greer 2, Firment, Barrett, Pinkston, Short.
Goalie saves:  Pepper (U) 1, Nitz (U); Demars (O) 5.

SHARON HILL >> The white “6” plastered on the back of Diego Lopez’s black Interboro jersey doesn’t tell as much about the player as you’d imagine.

For Lopez, the number isn’t the position signifier it once was in the game of soccer. Instead, it’s an homage to his soccer idol, Andres Iniesta, the squat, magic-footed midfielder of Barcelona and Spain fame.

Lopez’s game doesn’t much resemble Iniesta’s, which he freely concedes.

Interboro’s Diego Lopez breezes up the pitch, ball in tow, Tuesday night during the Bucs’ 3-2 victory over host Academy Park. (Digital First Media/Anne Neborak)

“Yeah,” Lopez was saying Tuesday night, “but I’m trying.”

The many facets of Lopez’s game were on display Tuesday, helping the Bucs accumulate, then hold on for dear life to, a 3-2 win over Academy Park.

Lopez’s first-half goals bookended a Guillermo Ramirez tally, putting the Bucs (8-4, 4-1 Del Val) up 3-0 after 37 minutes.

But AP charged back, courtesy of a pair of Kho Tuang goals on either side of the break to cut the deficit to 3-2 in the 43rd minute.

Part of the Bucs’ strategy to hold on to that lead involved Lopez channeling his inner Iniesta, dropping deeper in midfield to help keep possession and stifle a Knights side that controlled play for long stretches of the game. Instead of the hectic ping-pong played with possession at times in the first half, Lopez injected a welcome dose of calm.

“He brings a lot of confidence,” defender Dom Scrivano said of Lopez. “He knows what he’s doing, too, and he knows where to put it and when to put it there. He’s really good with the ball, and he’s really confident.”

Lopez also brings plenty of goals, 13 on the season and 61 in his three years at Interboro, a school record he eclipsed earlier this season as just a junior.

His first was a quintessential Lopez finish — of the ilk often produced by someone wearing a big No. 9 on his back.

With AP (6-7, 2-3) enjoying the better of play, Lopez latched onto a long ball from the back and kept up with the bounding ball through a couple of defenders that he shrugged off. Lopez got the shot wrong as AP goalie Amadou Fofana rushed off his line, but he made enough contact to send the ball knuckling into the open cage.

“I know if they make a mistake, I can score the first one,” Lopez said.

Ramirez’s goal was simple and straightforward, the midfielder rising unmarked to power home a header off Joey Pitts’ corner-kick delivery. Ramirez then laid off a pass to Lopez for the poacher’s second tally, a scrum in the box where Fofana bobbled a throw-in that led to a chaotic scramble.

Academy Park’s Clifford Wrobeh, foreground, dribbles away from Interboro’s Josh Little during a match between the teams Tuesday night. (Digital First Media/Anne Neborak)

At that point, AP could’ve packed it in, but it didn’t. And the spark was Tuang.

Interboro’s offside trap was working near perfectly in the first half. The Knights were flagged offside 11 times in the opening 40 minutes and 17 on the game, the Bucs’ high line nullifying the mis-timed speed of forwards like Tahjay Swaby and Owen Ede, who spent a frustrating evening in dialogue with the referees.

“I picked up on their outside runs,” said the center back Scrivano. “They have very fast players on the outside, and I recognized that, so I told my outside backs, look up for me and I’ll keep the line for us. I know the referee was calling it, so every time I would see one of them off, I would tell everybody to push up as the ball was coming in so they would be trapped.”

Tuang, though, managed to find the right runs, the shifty forward sitting in the pocket of space between the center backs and timing his diagonal bursts forward more adeptly.

“Before I came into the game, my coach told me to stay in the middle,” Tuang said. “That spot is always open. If they can chip the ball over, I can get it.”

Lansana Doumbouya did the chipping just before half, with Tuang lashing a shot home. Tuang, who was unlucky not to draw a penalty kick on the stroke of halftime when goalie Brandon Welden crashed into him in the box, tallied his second early in the second half, this time finding the pace to catch up with a long ball from defender James Samura.

Both teams had their chances to sway the final outcome. Welden, who finished with seven saves and denied Tuang with a sensational double stop just before the second goal, was beaten by Clarence Koboi’s low drive from outside the box in the 55th, but it skittered agonizingly wide of the post. Pitts had a chance to end the game in the final minute, but Fofana (nine saves) dove to his left to push it around the post with his fingertips.

In the Inter-Ac League:

Episcopal Academy 2, Penn Charter 0 >> Peter Le Roux picked a fine time for his first varsity goal, set up by Nick Wallick, and Quinn Dudek added a penalty kick for the Churchmen. Matt Freese made five shots in goal as EA (8-3, 2-0) continued its fast league start with its fifth shutout of the season.

Springside Chestnut Hill 2, Haverford School 0 >> Will Baltrus made two saves, but the Fords (3-5-3, 0-1-1) couldn’t find a breakthrough despite a 14-6 edge in shots.

In the Central League:

Radnor 4, Springfield 1 >> Ryan Peter scored and set up Ben Verbofsky’s goal, Jack Miller converted a penalty kick and Andrew Boujoukos also scored for the Raiders. Jake Proctor grabbed a consolation tally for the Cougars.

In nonleague action:

Strath Haven 3, Penn Wood 1 >> Peter Foggo, Jon Kadoch and Henry Wolgast scored first-half goals, two set up by Harrison Hotham, as the Panthers rolled.

Christian Academy 5, Tri-State Christian 0 >> Jesse Brittain tallied a hat trick to go with an assist, and Grant Sareyka paired his goal with two helpers for the Crusaders (7-2-1).

The Radnor High School boys’ soccer team defeated Springfield, 4-1, Tuesday. For the Red Raiders, goals were scored by Ryan Peter (Jackson Birtwhistle assist), Jack Miller (penalty kick), Ben Verbofsky (Ryan Peter assist) and Andrew Bojoukus.

In other Main Line high school boys’ soccer action:

Barrack Hebrew Academy defeated AIM Academy, 4-2, Sept. 29. Zach Lipstein scored three goals, and teammate Bailey Moshal tallied two assists. Barrack goalie Hayden Ufberg had six saves.
Episcopal Academy improved its record to 10-3-2 (2-0 InterAc) with a 2-0 win against Penn Charter Tuesday. Peter Le Roux scored his first varsity goal, assisted by Nick Wallick; and Quinn Dudek scored, with penalty won by Ramon Gallegos. Matt Freese have five saves, for EA’s seventh shutout of the year.
The Churchmen defeated Malvern Prep, 3-1, Sept. 30. Sam Wilson scored two unassisted goals, Spencer Higgins also scored for EA (assisted by Quinn Dudek) and Episcopal goalies Matt Freese and AJ Marcucci combined for four saves.
Haverford High School defeated Bonner/Prendergast, 1-0, Oct. 1. The winning goal was scored by Sean Cannon on a direct kick with just under two minutes left for the Fords (7-5, 3-4).
Two days earlier, the Fords defeated Harriton, 2-1. The Fords’ Matt Billbrough scored on a penalty kick, while teammate Connor Brown also scored, assisted by Sean Cannon.
Haverford School lost to Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 2-0, Tuesday. Ford goalie Will Baltrus made two saves in goal for Haverford (3-5-3, 0-1-1).
The Fords tied host Penn Charter, 2-2, Sept. 30. For Haverford, Carnel Walker scored twice, with assists from Evan Scott and Griffin Wada. Ford goalie Will Baltrus recorded five saves.
Malvern Prep lost to Episcopal Academy, 3-1, Sept. 30. Malvern goalie Jake Hodlofski had six saves, and Billy Coyle cored the Friars’ goal. Cullen Pina and Nate Albrego also had good games for Malvern.

WARMINSTER – Facing state-ranked Father Judge Tuesday night (Oct. 4) at James Ramp Memorial Rec Center, visiting Archbishop Wood knew it had to come to the table with its A-game.

The Vikings did just that, going toe-to-toe for 40 minutes against the Crusaders. In the closing seconds of the first half however, Judge senior striker Sean McCormick took a feed from classmate Billy Checkovage and banged a go-ahead goal off the right side goalpost into the back of the net.

“That really gave us a boost,” said Judge senior Mike Powers. “It definitely gave us confidence going into the second half.”

For Wood, it was an unfortunate turn of events. However, Vikings senior captain Mike Smith didn’t see the last-minute goal as a game-changer.

“We had just as many chances as they did in the first half; they got (a goal) and we didn’t,” said Smith. “We knew going into the second half, we just had to put some of our chances away.”

Six minutes after the intermission, Wood did put a ball into the back of the net but not before the whistle so, essentially, the strike didn’t count.

Three minutes later, the Crusaders struck again and Judge went on to a 3-0 victory. For the Crusaders, the win pushed the Northeast Philly team to 6-1-1 in the Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) and keeps them hot on the trail of unbeaten LaSalle, which sits atop the PCL with a 6-0-1 mark.

“We’re coming together nicely,” added Powers, whose team suffered its only league loss of the season when it lost 2-1 Sept. 27 on the Explorers’ home pitch. “McCormick is playing good, we’re getting some chemistry and we’re playing together well.”

Meanwhile, the Vikings, who last captured a Catholic League crown in 2014, fall to 6-6 overall, 5-3 in the PCL.

After seeing Judge control the ball throughout the firts20 minutes of the contest, Wood turned the tide and seemed to be on the threshold of a first-goal strike. Awarded a free kick at the 30, Smith and defender Sean Clark combined to put significant pressure on the Crusader goal.

With 2:30 remaining in the first half, Clark’s shot from 12 yards out was the Vikings’ best chance to score in the first half. Alas, the ball went wide and the opportunity passed without a goal for the visitors.

After the break, starting AW goalkeeper Joe Cimino posted a miraculous save when he dove to his left and batted a shot by McCormick from harm’s way. Six minutes into the second half, a shot by Wood senior Jake Maier was batted away by Crusaders starting keeper T.J. Corcoran.

In the ensuing minutes, however, Judge took control.

With junior Marcello Ibarra going in on an uncontested breakaway, Cimino had little chance stopping the Crusader midfielder, who tallied an unassisted goal to put his team on top 2-0 in the 49th minute of play.

While Smith’s free kick from the 25 squirted through to Chris Baker, the Judge defenders clamped down and turned Baker’s ball back in the 51st minute.

Two minutes later on a set piece, the Crusaders were on the scoreboard again. This time, Judge senior Davis Habilaj connected on a header with a right side corner kick from classmate Nico Martinez.

Coming off of shutout wins over Conwell-Egan and Cardinal O’Hara, the loss certainly serves as a setback for Vikings. With 16 seniors, Wood is looking to make some noise in the postseason. Last year, the Vikes took an early exit in the PCL Tournament, falling 1-0 to LaSalle.

“We lost a lot of seniors after my sophomore year so last year was kind of a rebuilding year,” said Smith. “This year, I think we’re better than we were last year so this should be our year – before everyone graduates.”

Stepping up defensively this year for the Wood team are backfielders Sean Harney, John Nubbenmeyer, Sean Clark and John Miller. For 39 minutes in this one, the unit did a nice job keeping the Crusaders off the scoreboard.

That trend did not continue however in the final 41 minutes of the contest.

“They got some momentum going in the second half and they were able to get more shots,” said Smith.

“Unfortunately, they scored more than we did.”

With Archbishop Ryan looming Friday on the Raiders’ home field, Smith says, the Vikings will look to put the loss to Judge behind them.

“We played well against them so I don’t think it was as bad as the score (indicated),” said Smith.

“All we can do at this point is just learn from the mistakes and come ready to play on Friday.”

Meanwhile, Judge is looking to avenge last year’s loss to Roman Catholic in the PCL title game. The Crusaders battled the Cahillites in the championship to a scoreless tie before falling 4-2 in penalty kicks.

“We’re just looking forward to the playoffs, coming out and playing hard,” said Powers. “We have to make up for last year.”

Judge, which pushed its way to 8-3-1 overall with the win over Wood, is back in action Friday night, Oct. 7 at Bonner-Predergast then hosts Central High School Saturday, Oct. 8.

NOTES: Defending PCL champion Roman Catholic lost to Northeast High School in last year’s District 12 Championship so the PCL went unrepresented in the 2015 PIAA Tournament.

Contact Steve Sherman at ssherman@21st-Centurymedia.com or @BucksLocalSport on Twitter

Father Judge 3, Archbishop Wood 0

(Oct. 4 at James Ramp Memorial Rec Ctr.)

FIRST-HALF GOALS: FJ — Sean McCormick, from Billy Checkovage, 40th minute; AW — none.

SECOND-HALF GOALS: FJ — Marcello Ibarra, unassisted, 49th minute, Davis Habikaj, from Nico Martinez, 53rd minute; AW — none.

CHELTENHAM >> It’s been a bit of tough road for Springfield-Montco thus far this season entering Wednesday’s Suburban One League American Conference game with Cheltenham with a 3-7-1 record.

The Spartans put together a complete game performance and got the result to show for it as they knocked off the Panthers with a 4-1 win.

“We’ve been on the other side of it plenty of times so it was nice to be on this side, the winning side,” Springfield coach Dan Meder said. “The boys stuck to the game plan, we’ve made adjustments, and the boys have settled in and looked really good.”

The game came down to cashing in on opportunities. Springfield’s two first-half goals came as a result of nice individual efforts by Trevor McCaffery and Jake Welsh who made nice runs and finished their shots.

“The first (goal) that was just a misplay by our center back, that happens every once in awhile,” Cheltenham coach Chuck Gesing said. “The second (goal) I was a little disappointed we didn’t contain him or at least get him to the side but the kid made a great play, I cant fault their team for making great plays.”

Cheltenham had its fair share of opportunities as well, however Springfield keeper Ben Zimmerman stood on his head making several A-1 saves. A couple balls that hit posts, crossbar and near misses also helped Zimmerman.

“We definitely capitalized on our opportunities, which we haven’t done,” Meder said. “Ben, our goalie, really kept us in it. Especially early, we could have been losing early in this game. It makes a big difference and gets the team fired up.”

Even the Cheltenham goal didn’t come easy. After an original shot in the box was saved by Zimmerman, the Panthers’ Max Brown ripped a shot off the cross bar, the ball came out to Harry Stackhouse, who finally put one home for the Panthers early in the second half.

Unfortunately for the Panthers it just wasn’t their day. However, with their offensive output, 16 shots, they continue to trend in the right direction but have to find a way to consistently put together complete game performances.

“The bad is that we got to score when we get 16 shots,” Gesing said. “The good is that we’re getting those shots… I take away (it was a) great effort we got to execute better.”

For Springfield, it might not be too late to make a run at the District 1 playoffs and if it can string some performances like Wednesday’s together the Spartans can make a stronger case.

BUCKTOWN >> Finishing games has sometimes been a struggle for Owen J. Roberts this season. Wednesday night at Henry J. Bernat Field, the Wildcats never let Boyertown get started.

The Wildcats continued to have their PAC-10 Liberty Division rival’s number, winning by the same 1-0 score as in early September.

Boyertown and OJR each had only two conference losses last year. They battled in the PAC-10 final, Boyertown winning. This time around, both are packing experience and are poised to make a run again while staying on first-place Spring-Ford’s heels. Right now OJR is a tad closer to the Rams with a 5-1-1 league mark (8-3-3 overall). The Bears fell to 4-4, 7-4-3.

“This was a breakthrough game for us,” OJR senior defender Jason Long said. “We’ve struggled, and closing out games has been a problem.”

“We played hard, everybody contributed, and we played 80 hard minutes,” OJR senior defender Austin Koury added.

Most of the early action took place in the middle third, with neither team able to muster any legitimate scoring chances over the first 27 minutes. Then the pace picked up around the Boyertown net.

Bears goalkeeper Connor McKeown got a right hand on a close-by shot to make an impressive save by the left post. Then in the 30th minute, OJR got a penalty kick and junior Graham Pugh delivered, putting it past McKeown on the left side for a 1-0 lead.

The score stuck for the final 50 minutes largely because the Wildcats contained the Bears’ dangerous playmakers, severely limiting their operating space. OJR allowed only 3 shots on goal the entire night.

“We know they’re very athletic, especially at the top, so we limited the times they could turn and attack,” Koury said. “We also limited their re-starts and corner kicks.”

“We played physical and didn’t let them turn,” Long said.

OJR’s midfield and defense basically shut down Boyertown in the first half. The Bears had scant possession time deep and attempted no shots until a direct kick, which sailed high, in the 35th minute.

Changing ends didn’t change Boyertown’s offensive fortunes. Early in the second half Boyertown let an opportunity slip. OJR mishandled a clear and the ball ricocheted near the box, to no avail. Then in the 46th minute, the Bears had a 3-on-1 go awry before they could get within striking distance.

OJR saw its transition opportunity foiled by Boyertown’s back end after Pugh lifted a nice long ball. In the 53rd minute came Boyertown’s best chance to net the equalizer. Alex Kidwell ran down a ball and, on a challenging angle right of the post, tried to squeeze a shot toward the left post, but OJR goalkeeper Cory Wright McKeown hustled up to hit the ground and stop it.

OJR defenders Doug Sbei and Matt Pron each made excellent plays in the 67-70-minute range to thwart Boyertown threats late and consume the clock. Each swiped the ball in the back end and went on long runs deep in the Boyertown zone.

“This was big,” Koury said. “We feel underestimated some. We think we’re a lot better than our record shows. We’ve lost some close games.”

This one didn’t feel all that close, even at 1-0, as OJR’s defense took control and the Wildcats got better control of their destiny.

“I think we’re going to be a force in the playoffs,” Koury said.

Pottsgrove 5, Upper Perkiomen 0 >> Germann Larmond scored twice and added an assist in the Falcons’ PAC Frontier Division shutout win over the Tribe.

Ethan Pace, Tyler Rolando and Jacob Spotts each scored once while Liam Abdalla and Ryan Long each made a save to preserve the shutout in goal.

Spring-Ford 2, Perkiomen Valley 0 >> Goals by Sal Ibarra and Michael Hyduke proved sufficient to lift the Rams over the Vikings in PAC play.

Kyle Allan needed to make just one save in goal to secure the shutout for Spring-Ford. Andrew Daubenspeck had a four-save day in goal for PV.

Hill School 4, Princeton Day School 0 >> Ryan Wallace scored the Hill’s first two goals in a convincing non-league win. Bo Dlamini and Euan Forrest scored insurance goals in the second half while Toni Adewole, Jake Fetterman and Alex Tullman were credited with assists. Matt Wasserman made one save for his second straight shutout.

The Christian Academy surrendered a goal with one minute to play in regulation to lose a 3-2 heartbreaker to Plumstead Christian in the Bicentennial League.
Jesse Brittain scored twice for TCA (7-3-1, 5-3-1).

ABINGTON – Fifty-five players – 27 for visiting Pennsbury and 28 for the home team Abington – gathered Wednesday night (Oct. 5) at Schwarzman Stadium and a soccer game of sorts broke out on the gridiron painted on the field for the football Galloping Ghosts.

“I don’t know why they keep wanting to put high school soccer games on undersized football fields,” lamented Falcon head coach Tom Stoddart. “It was like playing in a hockey rink.

“And the grass was long so you can’t play the ball to feet. That’s going to make you put the ball in the air and that’s going to turn into a lot of scrambles.

“To their credit, they outworked us on all those 50-50 balls in the first half. I thought we did better in the second half, made it more competitive.”

Two-and-half hours, seven goals and three yellow cards later, Abington (9-3, 5-3: SONL) had pasted a 4-3 loss on Pennsbury, its first of the season. Ghost fans – still reeling from a handball called in the box on one of their players that led to a Falcon goal in the 53rd minute – topped their evening off with chants of “overrated,” referring to previously unbeaten Pennsbury.

On the field, there was some shouting between the coaches on both sides. When the dust settled, an Abington player – injured during the Falcons’ last, desperate attempt at gaining an equalizing goal – lay prone in front of the Ghosts net.

“Pennsbury never gives up – they have very good players and they have an excellent coach that organizes them extremely well,” said Abington head coach Randy Garber.

“But our kids are just as tough – they’re not going to let down either.

“I thought it was a good game. Things just got a little bit out of control because of the emotions and because of how much the game meant to Pennsbury and how much it meant to us.”

Ghosts sophomore midfielder Sean Touey registered the first hat trick of his career, his second goal coming in the waning moments of the first half, helping Abington out to a 3-1 lead at the intermission. Touey netted his third goal in the game in the 70th minute, giving the Ghosts what looked to be a commanding lead.

Turns out, Abington needed every single one of those strikes from Touey. That’s because, with 1:31 to go in the second half, Pennsbury junior Obi Onuoha made this a one-goal battle for the fourth time in the contest when he took a feed from freshman Joe Ficarotta and booted it into the far left hand corner of the Ghosts’ net.

“I knew that we were never out of the game; anything can happen on this field,” said Lobasso. “We’ve been an attacking team all season and we scored goals today when we needed them.”

For the next 91 seconds, the Falcons (12-1, 7-1) launched an all-out, no-holds barred assault on the home team’s net, even pushing goalkeeper Nate Slotnick up to a forward position in their attempt at deadlocking the score before time expired.

Abington finally popped the ball past all of Pennsbury’s forwards – even the extra one – and would have had a fifth goal, had not time expired.

“They are a very good team – they were undefeated, they’re number one in the district – but I think we have as good a side as anyone in the league,” said Garber.

“It was a hard-fought game on both sides but it’s hard for any team to go undefeated in this league.”

Sean Touey
Abington sophomore registered a hat trick for the Ghosts.

Ninety seconds into the contest, Lobasso latched onto a poor clearing attempt by Abington then launched a shot that – if not for a diving stab by Abington GK Nick Brownholtz – would have handed the visitors a quick 1-0 lead.

Two minutes later, Lobasso made good on another turnover by the Ghosts, grabbing the takeaway then blasting it off the fingertips of Brownholtz.

After that, however, it was Pennsbury committing the turnovers. In the 23rd minute, four Ghosts converged on the Falcon goal after a failed clearing attempt on the other side of the field. The result was a shot by senior Micah Portis that ricocheted off the post to Touey, who had nothing but the entire left side of the net with which to shoot.

Three minutes later, freshman Donald Gibbs – the player hurt at the end of the game – took another Pennsbury turnover, drew Slotnick to the left of the goal then shot right for a 2-1 Abington lead, one the Ghosts would not relinquish.

With time winding down in the first half, the Falcons might have stood a chance at mitigating the damage done before the intermission – if they could just get to the break with a one-goal deficit.

Touey had other ideas, however. The sophomore took another turnover and scored, putting his team on top 3-1 with just 51 seconds remaining in the first half.

While Abington had the first scoring chance after the break, nearly putting the ball into the back of the net on a header two minutes in, it was Pennsbury who came up with the goal.

Again, it was Lobasso, this time on a penalty kick. And it was packed with plenty of drama.

The hometown fans were initially annoyed when the Falcons were awarded a free kick from the 25, the ruling coming on a takedown of Lobasso by Ghost junior fullback Andrew West. That feeling would turn to anger a few moments later.

That’s when the free kick by Pennsbury sophomore Javier Sosa caromed off the hand of an Abington defender. The Falcon players saw it and immediately yelled out, “handball.” Not all of the three officials monitoring the game did, however, and play was initially allowed to continue.

Finally, a whistle blew and the umpires gathered for a discussion. The call agreed upon was indeed a handball, awarding Pennsbury a PK. Lobasso took the shot from the 11 and made no mistake when he drew the Falcons within a goal at 3-2.

From then on, Pennsbury put plenty of pressure on the Ghosts’ net but got caught with too many men up when Abington launched a forward pass over the top. Of course, it was Touey on the other end of the pass and the sophomore had only the keeper to beat for his hat trick.

Slotnick committed to the ball and at first appeared to have it. But the ball popped loose and again, Touey was left staring at a wide open net.

“He frustrates you defensively and as a coach but at some point, you have to admit he’s just that talented,” said Stoddart, of the Ghosts’ leading scorer.

“You do what you have to do to shut him down but he’s going to get looks.

“You just hope at the end of the day, you can deny some of those looks and come up with some big saves.

“Today, it just didn’t happen; the other day, we were able to do it.”

The coach was speaking of his team’s 2-1 triumph in overtime over Abington just four days earlier on the Falcons’ home field. As fate would have it, the two sides would see one another their next time out on the pitch.

“We knew that in (four) days, we were going to play them at our place, which is a completely different atmosphere,” said Garber.

For the Ghosts, the win keeps them hot on the trail of Pennsbury, in third place at 6-3 in the Suburban One National League. For the Falcons, it locks them in a dead heat with Council Rock North, tied for first at 7-1.

NOTES: Touey has 13 goals on the season. He scored twice in four previous games for the Ghosts. Yellow cards were issued to Lobasso and Sosa, for Pennsbury, along with Abington sophomore Jack Failing, for the hosts. The Falcon JV team topped the Ghosts 2-0 on goals by sophomore Prinav Chivukula (10th minute) and junior Alex Johnson, who scored with six ticks left on the clock. Abington took Saturday’s JV game, 1-0.

Contact Steve Sherman at ssherman@21st-Centurymedia.com or @BucksLocalSport on Twitter

Abington 4, Pennsbury 3

(Oct. 5 at Schwarzman Stadium)

FIRST-HALF GOALS: P — Zach Lobasso, unassisted, 4th minute; A — Sean Touey, from Micah Portis, 23rd minute, Donald Gibbs, 26th minute, Touey, unassisted, 40th minute.

SECOND-HALF GOALS: P — Lobasso, PK, 53rd minute, Obi Onuoha, from Joe Ficarotta, 79th minute; A — Touey, unassisted, 70th minute.

CONCORD >> Andrew Weir stood on the turf at Moe DeFrank Stadium Thursday afternoon, flabbergasted at what the scoreboard was telling him.

The board showed Weir’s Garnet Valley side on the wrong end of a 5-0 decision to Conestoga, a result that sold short how competitive the Jags were in a game against nationally-ranked opposition. For as even as they played in so many aspects, the Jaguars still found themselves run through by the unbeaten Pioneers.

“I don’t think the score really reflected the game,” Weir said. “I think we played pretty even with them. They capitalized on their chances when we didn’t.”

Call it the Conestoga effect. It takes too much effort to just tread water against a team so deep and so talented, only to see the Pioneers (13-0 , 8-0 Central League) effortlessly and ruthlessly finish half-chances and strangle the life out of a team’s resolve.

That should come as no surprise for a team that has ascended to No. 2 in USA Today’s (albeit specious) national rankings, one that has conceded a scant seven goals all season.

It’s said that in soccer, a sport where the individual’s impact is so easily outweighed by the collective, the weakest link rather than the strongest determines a team’s ability. For the Pioneers, that weak link, as compared to most teams in the Central League, is somewhere deep in the recesses of the JV team. And the waves of pressure generated by coach David Zimmerman’s 19-man rotation of regulars, usually subbed in doses of four or five, that deluge opponents illustrate that.

They got the early opener Thursday, Chris Donovan cashing in when Mason Miller pounced on a backline error in the third minute. But Garnet Valley (9-4, 6-2) stabilized the game, even pushed the issue and created quality chances.

Then in came the second platoon, which included Nino Mauro out wide and Teddy Pastva up top, and within a matter of minutes, the lead was doubled via the latter, decidedly against the run of play.

“Me and the two other middies, we just try to go in and pressure them until they’re worn out,” Pastva said, referring to Mauro and Matt Rossi. “That’s our job, just to go in, pressure them and wear them out, then get the next wave of guys to come in.”

The final tally gives Conestoga a slight edge in shots on target, 10-8, though Garnet Valley owned a more marked edge in total shots, thanks to a half dozen looks from distance bashed just over the bar or wide of the cage.

Jacob Schwien had arguably the best chance, 14 minutes into the second half in a 2-0 game, but his drive curled just over. Michael Buchy thudded a sneaky corner kick off the near post, the physical Matt Moore tested the Conestoga defense with several dangerous chances blazed wide, and Weir agonizingly watched a pair of efforts from outside the box fail to sneak under the crossbar. They forced five saves from goalie Luke Smith, including a sun-glare-aided bobble of a bombed free kick by David Cressman that nearly slithered through his gloves and in.

They weren’t merely potshots of a desperate side but sustained pressure that would’ve resulted in goals against a lesser side — as it has in the Jags’ first 12 games of the season before Thursday, their first shutout of the year.

“They came out hard, with Matt Moore,” Conestoga fullback Gabe Harms said. “They came out with a lot of pressure.”

“I think they play good soccer, and that forces the other team to play good soccer, too, or you’re not going to be able to do anything,” Weir said. “Hopefully we can learn from what just happened today and try to go forward.”

Pastva scored twice, his 59th-minute tally effectively breaking the Jaguars’ back, taking on two defenders and clipping a shot off goalie Tyler Tracy that caught the inside of the post and trickled in, Mauro getting the assist.

Logan Schwartz added a goal 10 minutes later, turning a pair of defenders inside and out, then Rossi volleyed a shot into the side-netting as the horn sounded at the end of the game.

Conestoga presents an important measuring stick for Garnet Valley, in an impressive season that has slumped to a three-game skid. With just one league loss coming in, having fallen to fellow title contender Lower Merion, Thursday presented a chance for the Jags to eke back into the title picture.

Instead, it’s a lesson of what needs to be fixed going forward.

“We were looking to get any result against this team,” Weir said. “We knew this team was going to be good, but we wanted to come out and play them straight up. … It’s frustrating.”

Also in the Central League:

Penncrest 3, Radnor 2 >> Alex Boudazin scored the game-winner in double overtime off Christian Evans’ second assist of the game for the Lions.

Jared Lucidi scored twice for the Lions (9-3-1, 5-2-1), while Pat Hughes made 13 saves.

Jack Miller scored Radnor’s opener and set up Cal Congleton for the second goal.

Haverford 5, Strath Haven 1 >> Cameron Morse recorded a hat trick as the Fords blitzed the Panthers.

Upper Darby 3, Harriton 1 >> Oshane Higgins scored twice and Mohamed Camara finished off the victory with two minutes to play. Danny Lista made eight saves in net for the Royals.

In the Bicentennial League:

Delco Christian 3, Calvary Christian 0 >> Dante Felice tallied a first-half hat trick, the final installment assisted by Cody Moorhatch, and Brody Veleber made 10 saves for the Knights.

In the Ches-Mont League:

Sun Valley 0, W.C. Henderson 0 >> Brendan Skwirut made 19 saves behind the defense of Jake McDonald, Jake Benz, Adam Revak and Ian Roland for the Vanguards (1-10-1, 1-6-1).

In the Del Val League:

Penn Wood 9, Glen Mills 0 >> Andrew Nmah and James Mnah scored twice each and Abdulia Barrie accounted for a goal and an assist as the Patriots (7-3, 6-0) rolled.

In the Inter-Ac League:

Germantown Academy 3, Haverford School 2 >> A goal by Evan Scott, an own goal and three Will Baltrus saves kept the Fords (3-6-2, 0-2-1) close, but they ultimately fell.

DOYLESTOWN >> When the first set of District 1 boys soccer power rankings dropped at the start of the week, the Central Bucks West players felt like their No. 15 spot was about right.

But they weren’t satisfied with staying at that spot. Moving up would require a statement win of sorts, a sign both to the Bucks themselves and anyone on the outside that they’re better than their No. 15 seeding.

CB West got that win Wednesday night, topping North Penn 1-0 in a tense, high-tempo match pitting two excellent teams against each other.

“This is huge,” West senior right back Dominick Bianchini said. “It gives us so much confidence. Beating somebody we’d never been able to beat gives us relief and pushes us to beat the other teams like (CB) South and East coming up.”

The result was huge for West for several reasons. Wednesday’s victory marked the Bucks’ first triumph over the Knights in at least five seasons. Some of those losses were routs, others agonizingly close, but North Penn was always the team leaving with the win.

Continuing with that, now the Bucks don’t have to worry about the spectre of some unbeatable North Penn juggernaut should their paths cross again in the postseason. Wednesday’s match felt like a postseason game and it should prove invaluable for the numerous younger guys the Bucks have been relying on this season.

Bianchini provided the moment of magic on Wednesday, a brilliant free kick from about 35 yards out in the first half that somehow held up.

“When I hit it, I thought ‘this is going in’, it was magical, I hit this perfect knuckleball and it was going to the top right corner,” Bianchini said. “I just hit it and just hoped it went in. When I hit it, it was perfect.”

If that didn’t affirm it was West’s night, then North Penn’s inability to put away on of its dozen chances was. The Knights were excellent in the second half, pinging the ball around with poise but could not get a ball past sophomore West keeper Dylan Smith.

Smith made eight saves, including a huge stop on Nick Terchek at the first half buzzer and his most important, a tip save after Andres Maldonado hit the crossbar seven minutes into the second half.

“We haven’t beaten them since our coaches have been here, they came in with a really good record, they’re a huge team, a powerhouse and they contested last year for states,” Smith said. “That’s a huge win for us. It was a lot of hard work throughout the field. We hadn’t had as many special moments as we would have liked but Dom came up huge for us.”

West coach Stefen Szygiel has restricted his squad after graduating a number of impact seniors from last year. Bianchini was moved to defense after playing at forward in previous seasons, while sophomores and juniors permeate the starting lineup.

Smith said a trait of his team all season has been its ability to press hard all game. Wednesday, that was vital in putting pressure on North Penn’s outside backs and wide midfielders, taking away some angles of attack. Bianchini said that was something the Bucks felt was needed after the teams’ first meeting this season.

“They’re all great, a lot of them are the younger guys so I’m pretty close with them,” Smith said. “They’re willing to put their body on the line for the team as they showed a couple times throughout the game so there’s no reason I shouldn’t be doing the same. That’s a really good relationship to have with guys like that, guys you want to play for.”

The Suburban One League Continental Conference is so good that no result can be called an upset and Wednesday’s match was one very good team beating another very good team.

CB West’s goal is to keep moving up the district power rankings ladder. They’ll do so with a much-needed win to their credit.

“I think it’s a good feeling and shows them what it’s going to be like,” Bianchini said. “Now they don’t have that stigma of working and never beating North Penn. Now that we finally did it, I think it’s going to give us a confidence boost.”