Unionville 3, Downingtown East 2 >> Hunter Firment had a goal and two assists as the Indians survived the high-scoring second half for the Ches-Mont victory. Eric Greer and Michael Hews also scored for Unionville, which received strong games from midfielder Evan Bennis and goalie Matt Nitz (nine saves).
Alex Dove and Mitch Gill scored for the Cougars.
Unionville            0    3 – 3
Downingtown East            0    2 – 2
Downingtown East goals: Firment, Greer, Hewes.
Bishop Shanahan goals: Dove. Gill.
Goalie saves:  Nitz (U) 9; Good (DE) 5.

Avon Grove 3, Oxford 1 >> Stetson Fenster scored twice in a thre-goal second half as the Red Devils (5-4, 6-4-1) won the Ches-Mont contest. Alex Muller also scored for Avon Grove.
Michael Mallon tallied for the Hornets.
Oxford            1    0 – 0
Avon Grove            0    3 – 3
Oxford goal: Mallon.
Avon Grove goals: Fenster 2, Muller.
Goalie saves:  Sumner (O) 5; Zamudio (AG) 5.

West Chester East 3, Great Valley 2  >> Cormac Dooley scored with six minutes left in the second half as the Vikings (5-5-2) posted the Ches-Mont victory.
Great Valley            1    1 – 2
W.C. East            1    2 – 3
Great Valley goals: Thurber, Wilson.
W.C. East goals: Merton, Hahn, Dooley.
Goalie saves:  Dinsmore (GV) 3, Nehring (GV) 4; Murray (WCE) 2.

Coatesville 2, W.C. Rustin 1, 2OT >> Mamadou Kallie scored with under four minutes left in the second overtime to deliver the Ches-Mont victory to the Red Raiders (6-6-1).
Patrick Duffy scored for the Golden Knights.
W.C. Rustin    1    0    0    0 – 0
Coatesville    0    1    0    1 – 2
W.C. Rustin goal: Duffy
Coatesville goals: Saravia, Kallie.
Goalie saves: Bosch (WCR) 4; Oleykowski (C) 3.
Downingtown West 4, Bishop Shanahan 0  >> Chase Hanak, Dylan Loaec, Stash Jaran and Will Boehmer netted goals for the Whippets in the Ches-Mont National victory.

Sean Cannon scored in the first half from just outside the 18 and that was all Haverford needed for a 1-0 nonleague victory over Avon Grove. Nick DeFeo made six saves for the Fords (9-5-0).

In other nonleague action:

Haverford School 1, St. Joseph’s Prep 1 >> Nick Pippis scored on an assist from Will Micheletti in the second half, and Will Baltrus made four saves for the Fords (3-6-4) in a double overtime tie.

UPPER DUBLIN >> The Upper Dublin boys soccer team suffered its first loss of the season Friday afternoon against Wissahickon. It didn’t look like it wanted to suffer another one Monday.

The Cardinals came out flying at Upper Dublin High School. They took the lead in the first minute of the game and went on to beat Plymouth Whitemarsh, 3-0, in a Suburban One League American Conference match.

“It was very big,” Upper Dublin coach Derek Priest said of getting on the board early. “We had our first loss of the season on Friday, so it was big that we got a good reaction from the guys. They came out strong with the early goal. Although these games are never easy, I thought we were as comfortable as you can be in these high school games.”

“The past couple games we came out flat-footed,” UD’s Anthony Wisdo said. “Especially with the loss against Wiss, we were upset because they came out early on us. So it’s always good to get out early and get a quick goal, build some momentum.”

Jerry Bardol netted the first goal. Jose Palomeque found Bardol on the right side of the field and Bardol launched it into the back of the net.

“We started out flat today,” PW coach Jeff Heaton said. “Give Upper Dublin credit. They played well this year and took advantage of a couple errors in the beginning with our guys being a little flat starting out.”

The second goal was setup by a great effort from Wisdo.

The ball was slowly rolling out of bounds to the left of PW’s goal. Wisdo was being shielded by the Colonials biggest defender, Dillon Johnson. Wisdo managed to get around the defender, save the ball and pass to a teammate.

Wisdo found Palomeque, who picked up another assist when he redirected the ball to Colin Muth in the middle of the field. Muth ripped a shot from 20 yards away to give Upper Dublin a 2-0 lead that would stand until halftime.

Quinn Middleton took advantage of a PW mistake on the third and final goal. The Cardinals midfielder stole a pass from PW’s drawn-out goalie to a defender and scored before the goalie could get back into the net.

The Colonials managed just three shots on net in the defeat.

“In the final third we were just disconnecting passes,” Heaton said. “We weren’t getting there and getting the final touch in.”

“Our defense has been great the whole year,” Wisdo said. “Today they really came out against a really good team and we possessed the ball a lot. We haven’t been doing that, so I think that helped a lot. The defense has just been solid all year and they just proved it again.”

The win completes the season sweep for Upper Dublin over Plymouth Whitemarsh. When they played in September, Upper Dublin won 2-1 in double overtime.

Whenever these SOL American rivals get together, it’s sure to be a physical game. Monday was exactly that with a couple yellow cards getting handed out and plenty of chirping between players throughout the game.

“We always love playing PW and Wiss,” Wisdo said. “They’re our two biggest rivals. We knew it was going to be hard because our first game we played them we went down to double overtime, last two minutes of the game and we were lucky to get the goal. We just enjoy playing them because it’s always good competition and they’re always a good team.”

Upper Dublin improves to 9-1-1 in SOL American play and PW falls to 5-6.

Avon Grove 3, Great Valley 2 – Stetson Fenster scored twice for the Red Devils (7-6-1, 6-4) in the Ches-Mont victory Monday. Brent Coward also scored. Luke Wilson and Chris Thurber scored for the Patriots (7-7-1) in the loss.
Avon Grove 1 2 – 3
Great Valley 1 1 – 2
Avon Grove goals: Stetson Fenster 2, Brent Coward.
Great Valley goals: Chris Thurber, Luke Wilson.
Goalie saves: Ali Sar (AG) 6, David Nehring (GV) 6.
Unionville 5, Coatesville 1 – On Senior Night, Unionville senior Brendan Barrett scored a hit traick, while juniors Hunter Firment and Eric Greer each had one goal and one assist. Matt Adams and Kyle Garvey played solid in central defense. Eric Greer, Garrett Hammaker and Hunter Firment dished out assists.
Coatesville 1 0 – 1
Unionville 2 3 – 5
Coatesville goals: John Idrovo.
Unionville goals: Brendan Barrett (3), Hunter Firment, Eric Greer.
Goalie saves: Matt Oleykowski (C) 9, Matt Nitz (U) 4, Garrett Pepper (U) 2.
West Chester East 3, Downingtown East 1 – West Chester East got a good performance from the Jakes, getting goals from Jake Bonnett and Jake Schnerr, as well as Brendan Merten.
Downingtown East goals: . Dove.
West Chester East goals: Jake Bonnett, Jake Schnerr, Brendan Merten.

Andrew Boujoukos and Miles Maesaka scored as Radnor earned a 2-0 win over Marple Newtown Monday night.
Jack Miller and Ben Verbofsky set up the tallies, and Ben Toomey pitched the shutout with three saves.

Also in the Central League:

Strath Haven 2, Harriton 0 >> Will Huestis and Jeremy Baker tallied on either side of halftime, set up by Zach Dinardo and Jon Kadoch, respectively, and Dixon Damico made nine saves in the shutout for the Panthers.

In the Bicentennial League:

Faith Christian 3, Christian Academy 0 >> Andre Jones made eight saves, but the Crusaders (7-4-1, 5-4-1) couldn’t back him with any offense.

CHELTENHAM >> The Cheltenham boys soccer team waited just about all season to put together a performance like it did Monday afternoon.

Entering its home contest with Quakertown, Cheltenham had only two wins on the season having already lost to Quakertown 1-0 earlier in the season. Cheltenham finally had a complete game and complete team effort to earn the 2-0 win.

“As far as executing up top and getting shots its definitely (our best game),” Cheltenham coach Chuck Gesing said.

It wasn’t surprising to see Cheltenham play solid defensively it’s been the cornerstone of the team thus far. As always RJ Magallanas and Wes Paik who helped preserve the shutout led the defensive unit win for Cheltenham.

“Our two center backs are stalwart players,” Gesing said. “They play almost every minute of every game and when teams are just come at you constantly it just wears you down. Now we’re getting into some flow up top it gives them a little break.”

Paik particularly saw a lot of action as he thwarted many of the Quakertown runs that tried to go down the middle of the field. Paik was up to the task, getting clears and keeping the ball out of harm’s way.

Something that stuck out particularly with the Cheltenham offense was not necessarily how effective it was but the effectiveness combined with the confidence displayed by just about ever forward and midfielder that touched the ball for Cheltenham on Monday.

“Now it seems like we got guys who are working together,” Gesing said. “The shots are coming and hopefully this is where we get started.”

The one thing that can’t be said about Cheltenham is that it gets cheap and easy goals. Cheltenham has a knack for having to do things the hard way especially offensively.

“We don’t give up (and) we work,” Gesing said. “If you look at our scores we’ve had some blowouts but we’ve come close against some pretty good teams.”

In the two goals scored in Monday’s game both Drew Moreland’s goal with less than 15 minutes to go in the first half and Jake Rucket’s goal just minutes into the second half were no simple tasks.

Both Moreland’s and Rucket’s goals came off of rebound shots that came after Cheltenham putting on intense pressure in the Quakertown zone.

It’s probably too late for any kind of postseason run for Cheltenham but with five games remaining on its schedule, it could put a couple more wins on its final record to finish up strong.

“The thing is it takes a while for us to figure out where everybody fits,” Gesing said. “Once that happens, every year we seem to go on a little run, it seems our run started a little late this year but hopefully it can continue.”

LOWER GWYNEDD >> Early last week, Wissahickon boys soccer coach Stuart Malcolm told his team he’d be happy winning two of its next three.

Awaiting the Trojans was a gauntlet of Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Upper Dublin and Hatboro-Horsham, the last one at home Monday. So the Trojans did their coach one better and swept the stretch, capped off by a high-intensity 2-1 victory over the Hatters Monday.

The chances were few and far between for Wissahickon, but tenacity in the box paid off with two second half goals.

Wissahickon’s Tom McHale heads the ball towards Hatboro-Horsham’s goal during the teams’ game on Monday, October 10, 2016. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)

“Upper Dublin (a 3-2 win) was a huge game and it gave us a lot of motivation,” senior striker Tom McHale said. “It’s a pretty hard schedule and our coach told us he’d be proud if we won two out of the three.”

Both teams exchanged a lot of runs up and down the field through the first half, but Wissahickon was the only side that recorded a shot in the opening 38 minutes. That was due to the Hatters being all sorts of disjointed in the box.

Whether it was taking a touch too many or not shooting, Hatboro-Horsham saw its work to get forward dissolve into a clearance or giveaway. The team’s best chance early came when Colin Bateman played in little brother Danny, who sent a shot high six minutes in.

“We created a decent amount of opportunities and didn’t do a good enough job finishing those,” Hatters coach Kyle McGrath said. “That’s a team in Wissahickon that’s been playing very well and if you don’t take care of your chances you get punished for it. That’s what happened today.”

At the same time, Wissahickon’s chances weren’t the most threatening. The Trojans had a long free kick, another curler from deep and one more distant shot saved by Hatters keeper Stephen Doney.

Wiss also put a header high off an early corner kick.

Wissahickon’s defense was strong for most of the first half but broke down just before the break. A free kick found its way to Danny Bateman in the box. The sophomore’s first shot was saved deftly by Wiss keeper Brad Schwartz but the rebound fell back to Bateman who put it home with 1:36 left in the half.

“We were in the same spot last Wednesday against P-W and this was another big game so we knew we came back before and we could do it again,” McHale said. “We got confidence off of that.”

Much like the Hatters goal, the first Wiss tally came following a free kick. The service found McHale, who had his first try stuffed by Hatters keeper Stephen Doney. It didn’t get far, finding McHale who hit a terrific volley on the second effort to tie it with 33:43 left.

Eddie Fortescue had another shot for Wiss two minutes later saved by Doney.

Defensively, the Trojans got more focused in the second half. Central defender Jacob Kaffey said the team was cognizant of the Hatters’ center midfielder who wanted to dribble the ball a lot and closed in on them.

“After the one breakdown, we knew we had to step up and make sure we didn’t have another let down,” Kaffey said. “We just tried our hardest to get in front of everything.”

Wissahickon’s Trey Schwartz battles Hatboro-Horsham’’s Nick Hatzenbeller for the ball during their game on Monday, Oct. 10, 2016. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)

The Wiss defensive effort extended all the way up the field with McHale and the other forwards and advanced midfielders tracking back to help defend. Also, the defenders were not afraid to take one for the team with Wiss blocking at least five Hatboro-Horsham shots.

The human wall maneuvers certainly didn’t help the Hatters but they also hindered themselves on offense.

“It seemed like they were trying for the perfect through ball or the perfect last play,” McGrath said. “In high school soccer usually if you put the ball on target good things are going to happen. We didn’t do that and credit to (Wissahickon) because they did.”

The equalizing goal was big for the Trojans and the go-ahead was even bigger.

Again, it was a second effort set up by McHale. The senior got a shot on goal that was stopped by Doney and this time, Jacob Cohen came crashing in to drive the ball back into the net with 6:51 left.

“We always have to try to get two guys in there because we know most of the goals we score aren’t going to be the cleanest shots,” McHale said. “If we have those guys in there, we can always put them back in.”

The Hatters threw everything forward in the last five minutes, including a free kick with two minutes left, but Wissahickon held.

The result over Upper Dublin bumped Wiss from No. 24 to No. 11 in the District I AAAA power rankings. Hatboro-Horsham was No. 10.

Wiss’ jump is the result of the team’s hard work all season, though the players know how fluid things are even in the last legs of the campaign.

“We have a pretty young team and it gives them a lot of motivation to know every game matters,” Kaffey said. “It shows them we have to play every game at our hardest.”

HATBORO-HORSHAM 1 0 – 1
WISSAHICKON 0 2 – 2
GOALS: HH – Danny Bateman 38′; W – Tom McHale 46′, Jacob Cohen (McHale) 74′.
Shots: HH – 3, W- 5, Corners; HH – 2, W – 7. saves: HH – Doney 3, W – Schwartz 1.

Top Photo: Wissahickon’s Trey Schwartz leaps to gain control of a pass in front of Hatboro-Horsham’’s Nick Hatzenbeller during their game on Monday, Oct. 10, 2016. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)

The Conestoga junior right midfielder is currently leading the Pioneers boys’ soccer team (14-0 as of Monday) in scoring with 10 goals, and according to Conestoga head coach David Zimmerman is one of the key reasons the team is ranked so highly in many of the high school soccer polls. Donovan also led the Pioneers last season in goals and assists (as a sophomore), helping Conestoga to an undefeated regular season and an appearance in the PIAA state semi-finals.

Q: You’re leading the team in scoring this season. What do you think have been the biggest keys to your goal scoring this fall?

A: I think the key to my goal scoring this season is the selflessness of my teammates. Nobody is just in it for themselves. We have many attacking players returning from last year’s team and we all have such great chemistry. It seems as if every time I make a run in behind somebody is able to slip me in on net.

Q: Is there one goal that you’ve scored this season that stands out in your memory – if so, can you describe the unfolding of the play, and your role in it?

A: My favorite goal so far this season was the game winner against West Chester Henderson.  With about 2 minutes to go, we earned a free kick around midfield.  Blaise Milanek played me a quick, long restart in behind the defense which I knocked down for our striker, Nick Jennings.  He took a first time shot which the keeper saved right into my path. I thought that the defender should get to it before I did, but I beat him to it to tap the winner into the back of the net.  It is by no means the best goal we have scored this season, but the circumstances as the game winner against another very good team make it the one most likely to stick in my head.

Q: Last fall, during your sophomore season, the Pioneers had an undefeated regular season and made it to the state semi-finals. What was your most vivid memory of last season – can you share it with us?

A: My most vivid memory of last season was my overtime goal against Radnor. Mike McCarthy crossed a ball in which bounced over a defender’s outstretched leg and came up to the perfect height for me to volley towards the far post.  As soon as I saw the ball hit the back of the net I turned and I was instantly met by a mob of my teammates.  There was no better feeling than to beat Radnor, one of our biggest rivals, in overtime after coming back from being down 1-0 in the second half.

Q: Have you always played right mid?

A: When I was younger and on the travel team for TEYSA where we played 8v8, I was a center mid because there were no outside kids on the small field we played on.  The first practice after tryouts the year we switched to 11v11, my club coach put me at right mid.  Ever since that I have never wanted to play anywhere else.  I’ve been playing the position ever since the very first time it was available to me and I think it suits my attributes perfectly.

Q: What do you think is the strongest aspect of your game? What part of your game are you working on the most currently?

A: I think the strongest part of my game is my off-the-ball movement. I try my best to make sure that my runs are perfectly timed and my movement creates space for my teammates to run into as well.  The skill I’m currently working on most is my finishing because despite all of my success so far, I think all of my teammates would agree that is my weakest area. If I finished all of my clear-cut chances I could have up to 30 goals already.  It is definitely an area of mine that needs work.

Q: Tell us a little about your pre-game preparation the day of a game.

A: My pregame preparation is nothing special in my mind.  Every morning I eat several large bowls of cereal or a few waffles because getting energy in is essential for me.  Otherwise there is nothing out of the ordinary about my pregame preparation other than liking to get out on the field before everyone else to start warming up if it is accessible to me.

Q: Who have been your biggest soccer mentors, and what was the most important thing you learned from each one?

A: My biggest soccer mentors have been my coaches throughout my life.  My club coach, Dom Balsamo has been a great inspiration as well as our assistant coach, Kevin Jennings, who is also the father of my lifelong friend and teammate, Nick Jennings.  They have been coaching me since I was 10 and I owe just about everything I know about soccer to them.  Recently, Coach Zimmerman has become a mentor over the last year or so, teaching me a side of my game that I now value very highly, my work ethic and fitness.

Q: You want to play soccer for a college program. What colleges are among your current favorites? What do you think you might like to major in at college? Is there a career path that particularly interests you at the present time?

A: My only favorites as of now are Lehigh and American.  I haven’t decided anything about what I want to major in, but I value my education highly and that is why these Patriot League schools are very attractive for me.

Q: Do you participate in any other sports or extracurricular activities at Conestoga? What sparked your interest in each of these activities?

A: For the past two years, I have played basketball as well as soccer at Conestoga.  Unfortunately soccer has taken over and I won’t be playing again this year, but it was certainly fun while it lasted.  I am also part of the chess team.  Our whole team is part of chess team because it is run by our coach, David Zimmerman.  It is one of the most popular clubs at Conestoga and for good reason, there is always good competition and fun going on.

Fun facts – Chris Donovan

SOUDERTON >> The goal is a clear-cut one for the Souderton boys’ soccer team.
The latest District I power rankings had Big Red slotted as the No. 29 team, with the top 24 teams making the playoff field. Souderton will need to pretty much win out, and likely get some help, if they want to slip into the field and take one of those final spots.
But it’s not impossible and the Indians took their first step Monday night, beating Pennridge 3-2 in double overtime.
“I told the boys before the game started tonight the points and the push for the playoffs is a big deal,” Souderton coach Matt Benner said. “But more than anything else, the culture our seniors have established and continued to push in the right direction as a group of men was the biggest thing for us tonight.”
Monday was also Souderton’s Senior Night and the fourth-year players were the guys who had a major impact on the game. Co-captain Nick Marculo scored the first two goals for Souderton, the second a professional-tier strike from 35 yards out that likely no keeper would have been able to save.
Late in the game, two other seniors combined through chaos to create the game winner. A corner kick into the box turned into pandemonium with the ball bouncing, soaring and flying all over until Dylan Molyneaux managed to find classmate and co-captain Cameron Hart, who knocked it in from point-blank range for the winner.
Souderton has seven seniors this year and their influence on the team has gone a long way to shaping its image.
“In this last year in general, they’ve shown the underclassmen what it means to be a professional,” Benner said. “I know they’re not professional players, but professional in how they conduct themselves, how they’re the first ones to training as a group, how they’re some of the last ones to leave, how they’re the first guys to step up when we need someone to do something for the team. They’re just the team.”
Every day, before leaving the locker room, the seniors gather the entire team and break their huddle with a shout of “Equipo,” which means team in Spanish, Benner added.
The challenge doesn’t get any easier for Souderton. District heavyweight North Penn awaits in a Thursday road game, followed by games with Cheltenham, CB West and William Tennent to close out the season next week. Again, Souderton will probably need to win every game it plays from here on out, and picking up a win over North Penn or CB West would be a massive boost in points.
Monday’s duel under the lights was yet another classic example of life in the SOL Continental. It saw two teams flying around the pitch, physical battles, a couple of great goals and no quit out of either side. Benner said it was the type of game that was going to come down to will and which side wanted it just that little bit more.
“We took some lumps last year and the close results like tonight in past years probably went against us,” Benner said. “It was us conceding the goal in overtime. Learning how to win and believing in each other was a big thing for us this year and we hope to keep it going.”
The measure of this senior class isn’t something that will end when they play their last game. They’ve instilled a work ethic and attitude in the program that Benner said will stand for years to come.
While their legacy will go on, they’re not ready to put an end to their careers. It’s a major challenge to get into the postseason but Benner is only asking one thing of his entire group.
“We just want them to be playing their best ball,” Benner said. “When the season comes to an end and the last playoff rankings come out, if we’re in then we would have achieved a big goal of ours. If we’re not, I just want to know we gave it everything we had and every single player and the staff together gave it everything.”
It seemed only fitting that the Rams were the opponent as just last year, they went on a late-season tear to slip into the district bracket.
That kind of a run seems out of the picture this year, with Pennridge sitting at No. 35 going into Monday’s game. However, the last week and a half of the season still presents chances for coach Pete Valimont and his group to close strong and set a foundation for next season.
Pennridge has six seniors but just three, keeper Josh Jarrett and midfielders Kenny Estep and Adam Rapsinski, started against Souderton. The Rams have 10 juniors and eight sophomores, plus a couple freshman including starter Dilan Natitus, on the varsity roster, so there’s a lot returning next season.
One of those young guys, sophomore Marco Grenda, scored both goals on Monday. His first tally was off a breakaway and saw Grenda put home a composed finish underneath a charging goalkeeper looking to rattle him.
The Continental is unforgiving, but the Rams have played tough all season. They’ve taken some bumps of their own, but playing the North Penns, CB Easts and CB Wests of the world has its way of paying off in the long term.

Springfield 3, Upper Moreland 0 >> Trevor McCaffrey had a pair of goals to lead the Spartans on Monday night.

Springfield is now 5-8-1 on the season and 4-6-1 in the SOL American.
Springfield 3, Upper Moreland 0
Springfield 2 1 — 3
Upper Moreland 0 0 — 0
First Half
S: Jake Welsh (Trevor McCaffrey assist); Trevor McCaffrey (Zach Harley).
Second Half
S: Trevor McCaffrey (Zach Harley).
Upper Merion 8, Pottstown 0 >> The Vikings routed the Trojans in PAC 10 Frontier contest.

SPRINGFIELD >> It was the mad versus the desperate Tuesday afternoon when the La Salle soccer team played host to Archbishop Ryan.

The host Explorers were angry over having just lost to Council Rock North over the weekend, while the Raiders were desperately trying to stay in the Philadelphia Catholic League playoff chase.

In this case, give the nod to the angry ones.

La Salle shook off an early Ryan goal, netted the match’s final three and moved to within a tie of the outright PCL regular season title via a 3-1 victory.

La Salle’s Spencer Patton and Archbishop Ryan’s Peter Comas battle for the ball during their game on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)

“We got off to a slow start, and maybe that was a little hangover from the weekend,” said Explorers head coach Tom McCaffrey. “We lost a huge one to Council Rock on Saturday, and maybe there was a little bit of a hangover.

“But we recovered and got back in the game.”

The Raiders got on the board first, but La Salle answered soon after via a goal by Chris Lenge, assisted by Mike D’Angelo, then blew up in the second half.

“I think the team came back strong after the loss, we wanted to respond positively,” D’Angelo said. “We didn’t really kill ourselves over that loss, but there was a little bit of fatigue. That was a tough, hard-fought game (against CR North).

“We’re still undefeated in the PCL, and that’s what is important.”

Knotted at the half, the Explorers took over in the second half behind the play of Spencer Patton, who cross was headed in by David Steinbach.

Later in the half Patton would assist on D’Angelo’s putaway goal.

Ryan could not threaten again down the stretch.

“(Ryan) came out hard, and they had a man all over me from the start of the game,” Patton said. “The only way we were to combat what they were doing was to match that aggressiveness with aggression and speed.

“We came out a little slow, but we picked it up. Our goal is to win the league, and now we can do that clinch first place on Friday.”

La Salle will be ready for the regular-season clincher Friday, but for now will focus on preparing for what’s coming up in the postseason.

“This team has responded to almost every challenge they’ve faced this year,” McCaffrey said. “We have to keep our focus and get ready for the most challenging part of the season.”

Top Photo: La Salle’s Mike D’Angelo beats Archbishop Ryan’s Christian Shoemaker for a header during their game on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)

Owen J. Roberts 3, Methacton 2 >> Taurean Lee’s two-goal showing keyed the Wildcats’ PAC win over the Warriors as OJR affirmed its place as a Pioneer Athletic Conference Final Four qualifer.

Graham Pugh added an unassisted score for OJR, with Austin Koury and Quin Poley getting credit for assists on Lee’s tallies. Kevin Conrad and Vince Delisi scored the goals for Methacton.

OJR will be the No. 3 seed for next Tuesday’s PAC semifinals, to be held at Owen J. Roberts.

Perkiomen Valley 1, Norristown  0 >> Matt McCabe’s first-half goal proved enough for the Vikings to claim victory over the Eagles in PAC play Tuesday.

McCabe scored in the 31st minute, the assist going to Ryan Dao. Andrew Daubenspeck needed to make only two stops in goal for his seventh shutout of the season, while Norristown’s Johan Morales turned away 15 shots.

Pope John Paul II 1, Upper Perkiomen 0 >> The Golden Panthers marked their Senior Recognition Day activities by scoring the win over the Indians in PAC action.

Colin Flanegin converted a penalty kick in the sixth minute of the second half to secure the victory. John Wagner made the single tally hold up with solid goal play.

Perkiomen School 6, AIM Ac. 2 >> Will Wang hit the nets four times to key the Panthers’ Tri-County League win over AIM Academy.

PK Arthur and Tobias Stalmann rounded out the Perkiomen scoring, with Daniel Jang and Sam Glavin each getting credit for pairs of assists.

ROYERSFORD >> The Boyertown boys soccer team had received a wake-up call.

Tuesday night the Bears doled one out.

Staring at the possibility of missing the postseason altogether and not being able to defend their Pioneer Athletic Conference championship, Boyertown faced a virtual must-win on the road at Spring-Ford against a Rams team that hadn’t suffered a league defeat.

That changed Tuesday when Boyertown put on an inspired performance and got two goals and an assist from Alex Kidwell to send Spring-Ford to its first PAC loss, 3-1 at Coach McNelly Stadium.
Boyertown (5-4 Liberty, 8-4 PAC) likely assured itself a place in the District 1 playoffs with the win – they were ranked No. 25 entering the week for the 24-team field – and kept its hopes alive at making the PAC Final Four, set for next Tuesday at Owen J. Roberts.

Photo Gallery: Boyertown at Spring-Ford

“It would be a really big disappointment if we didn’t do anything this year,” said Kidwell, a senior forward. “We had all the hype going into this year (as defending league champions) and for us to fall apart like that would be really disappointment. Tonight could have been the last game of our season. Our Senior Night is Thursday, which could have been the worst Senior Night ever with nothing to look forward to.”

“It’s such a relief,” senior midfielder Nik Verma said. “We love that we have another opportunity to get to that spot (PAC playoffs) and get into districts.”

Boyertown’s Ben Wise and Spring-Ford’s Ronnie Minges vie for a header Tuesday. (Austin Hertzog – DFM)

Instead the Bears will have plenty to play for when they host Norristown – a game they will be favored in – while hoping the results of Phoenixville (7-3 PAC), which faces Upper Merion Thursday and Frontier first place Pottsgrove Friday, fall in their favor.

The Bears scored first – Jimmy Towers’ excellent solo effort set up an easy score for Kidwell – and then put on a dominant second-half display that saw Kidwell score less than two minutes in on a breakaway from a Will Schul through ball before Kyle Sheahan sealed it with five minutes to play.

“We matched their intensity and we knew that if we went that extra 10-percent every time to every ball that we would win this game,” Verma said. “We knew that if we could get that intensity from every person on the field we would win.”

Chase Parr’s strike from 35 yards out in the 32nd minute gave Spring-Ford a jolt, but the Rams (8-1 Liberty, 11-1 PAC) could not parlay it into much more.

With Verma, Sam Marks and Will Schul in the midfield lending support to the defensive line of Erik Recke, Ben Margavich, Ben Wise and Owen Kulig, the Bears largely kept the Rams, led by midfielder Ronnie Minges and forward Michael Hyduke, at bay.

Spring-Ford, No. 11 in last week’s district rankings, has assured itself of a place in the PAC Final Four as the Liberty Division winner and was pushing for the top seed. Instead it got a reminder that there are no walkovers.

“We came out a little flat tonight,” Parr said. “We knew we needed the win to get the No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs and we didn’t come out with that. I feel like we came in thinking we should have won just by being there even though we knew it was going to be a really tough game. We have to pull together … it’s frustrating.”

Spring-Ford’s Erick Rodriguez looks to control the ball in front of Boyertown’s Will Schul. (Austin Hertzog – DFM)

Highlight reel >> The goal of the night came from the boot of Parr. An aspiring filmmaker who put together an excellent hype video for last week’s Spring-Ford/Perkiomen Valley football showdown and intends on attending film school, the senior midfielder would have loved to be behind the camera for his goal. Performing was just as good though.

“I’ve had about five shots this year, all from 30-35 yards out,” he said. “I’ve put some real close but I finally got the one. Only five shots on the year so the sixth one was the charm.”

Alexander the Great >> A must-win occasion was perfect for the Bears’ Kidwell, the team’s top scorer the past two seasons.

“In big moments I feel like I do my best, against big teams,” Kidwell said.

“He’s been clicking really great lately. He’s on it every time and scoring for us,” Verma said.

Blip on the radar >> Despite taking its first league defeat, Spring-Ford has returned to PAC prominence this season and still has designs on winning its first PAC title since 2013.

“We’re a real tight group overall,” Parr said. “We like each other, we play for each other. It’s finally come together. We had two down years in a row and now we’re back to what Spring-Ford soccer usually is.

“Going in to the year no one expected us to do anything. We knew we could and knew we had the talent but we finally put it together. We have more depth this year and we’re playing well.”

By the numbers >> The teams were level on shots on goal, 6-6. Boyertown keeper Connor McKeown had five saves; Spring-Ford’s Kyle Allan made three. … Boyertown held the advantage in corners, 2-0.

Spring-Ford 1, Owen J. Roberts 0 >> Nate Alban scored four minutes into the second half off a feed from Michael Hyduke to lift the Rams over the Wildcats in PAC play.

Spring-Ford came away with the win even while being outshot by Roberts, 8-2.

Boyertown 7, Norristown 0 >> The Bears got contributions at the offensive end from nine players as they rolled over the Eagles in PAC play.

Alex Kidwell set the tone with two goals and two assists. Boyertown got its other goals from Nik Verma, Nate Reinhard, Kaleb Miller, Ben Margevich and Jimmy Towers (one assist), with other assists credited to Will Schul, Garrett Halteman and Connor Reiss.

Phoenixville 2, Upper Merion 2 >> The Phantoms played the Vikings all even in their PAC contest.

Goals for Phoenixville were scored by Andre Souza, assisted by Phil Meszaros, and Tyler Siefer assisted by Andre Souza. Mitchell Coll contributed six saves to the Phantom outing.

Methacton 1, Perkiomen Valley 0 >> The Warriors scored one minute into the overtime period to secure a season-ending win over the Vikings.

Perkiomen School 5, Delaware Valley Friends 1 >> The Panthers struck twice during the first half, then used a 3-1 advantage during the second to close out their Tri-County League season with a win over Del-Val.

Kentaro Masrin scored twice while Tobias Stalmann and PK Arthur each registered a goal and an assist. Michael Pulcini scored once in the win.

After struggling to close out Academy Park in regulation Thursday, Andrew Nmah and Penn Wood did it about as fast as humanly possible.

Nmah took the opening tap of overtime from his brother, James, and struck a knuckling drive that beat the Academy Park defense for an instantaneous winner in a 3-2 Del Val Victory.

James Nmah also scored off a feed from Abdulia Barrie, and Tales Gaymore found the back of the net for Penn Wood (11-3, 8-0 Del Val), which guaranteed itself at least a share of the league title. Lansana Doumbouya set up Owen Ede for Academy Park’s opener with less than five minutes to play, and a deflected Bill Zwoduah shot also crossed the line for AP (8-9, 4-4).

In the Central League:

Penncrest 2, Marple Newtown 1 >> Shea Morgan scored twice, the winner set up by Sam Brown in overtime as the Lions (11-4-1, 6-3-1) brandished extra-session magic. Evan Bender also collected an assist, and Kieran Wilmot made seven saves.

Eamonn Clinton scored for Marple.

Radnor 2, Lower Merion 1 >> Cal Hanson set up Jackson Birtwistle for the game-winning tally as the Raiders’ claimed a massive road victory. Andrew Boujoukos also scored for Radnor, which got two saves from Ben Toomey.

Garnet Valley 1, Strath Haven 0 >> David Cressman’s shot from outside the box trickled home to give the Jags the victory.

John Scott made two saves for the shutout for GV (11-5, 8-2). Dixon Damico stopped eight shots for Haven.

Conestoga 2, Upper Darby 1 >> Chris Anderson’s goal off a Carlos Chauca assist gave the Pioneers a little scare. Daniel Lista had nine saves.

Haverford 6, Ridley 0 >> Chris Rose scored twice, and Sean Cannon paired a goal with three assists as the Fords rolled.

In the Bicentennial League:

Delco Christian 4, Valley Forge Military Academy 0 >> Dante Felice set up Daniel Nichols’ tally in the first half, and Nichols reciprocated on the first of Felice’s two goals for the Knights. Brody Veleber made nine saves in goal.

West Chester Henderson 9, Oxford 0  >> The Warriors clinched the Ches-Mont National Division title with a 10-0-1 mark, 14-1-1 overall, as they routed the Hornets. Frank DeRosa and Aiden McFadden notched a pair of goals each.
Oxford    0    0 – 0
W.C. Henderson    2    7 – 9
W.C. Henderson goals: DeRosa 2, McFadden 2, King, Walkes, Roberts, Caufield, Collins.
Goalie saves: Sumner (O) 16; Ahladis (WCH) 1.

Phelps 2, Barrack 0 >> Alvin Dahn scored twice as the Lions (8-5-1) recorded the Tri-County victory.
Barrack    0    0 – 0
Phelps    2    0 – 2
Phelps goals: Dahn 2.
Goalie saves: Barrack not available; Coles (P) 2.

Downingtown East 7, Octorara 0 >> Mitch Gill and Samari Massey had two goals each as the Cougars (6-3-2) posted the emphatic Ches-Mont victory.
Downingtown East    0    0 – 0
Bishop Shanahan    0    0 – 0
Downingtown East goals: Gill 2, Massey 2, Maino, Dove, Santangelo.
Goalie saves:  Good (DE) 2, Ashenfelter (DE) 1; Demars (O) 7.

W.C. Rustin 2, Avon Grove 1 >> John Park scored with three minutes left in the second half as the Golden Knights (6-4, 8-7) edged the Red Devils (6-5) in the Ches-Mont match. Chris MacMahon scored earlier in the half to give Rustin the lead.
Hulisses Carmona equalized for Avon Grove.
Avon Grove    0    1 – 1
W.C. Rustin     0    2 – 2
Avon Grove goal: Carmona.
W.C. Rustin goals: McMahon, Park.
Goalie saves:  Sar (AG) 4; Bosch (WCR) 6.

West Chester East 1, Unionville 0, 2Ot  >> Cormac Dooley off a scramble  with five minutes left in the second overtime as the Vikings (8-5-1) eked out the Ches-Mont win.
Unionville    0    0    0    0 – 0
W.C. East    0    0     0    1 – 1
W.C. East goal: Dooley.
Goalie saves:  Nitz (U) 5; Murray (WCE) 6.

Great Valley 2, Coatesville 0 >> Todd Simes and Vineeth Sarikonda scored in the first half as the Patriots blanked the Red Raiders.
Coatesville    0    0 – 0
Great Valley    2    0 – 2
Great Valley goals: Simes, Sarikonda.
Goalie saves: Oleykowski (C) 5; Nehring (GV) 5.

PHOENIXVILLE >> The Pottsgrove boys soccer team wasn’t out to be a spoiler.

It just happened to be one Friday.

With Phoenixville facing a must-win situation to qualify for the final spot in the Pioneer Athletic Conference Final Four against the Frontier Division-leading Falcons, a loose and confident Pottsgrove team hit for four goals in the first 33 minutes en route to a 4-1 victory that denied the Phantoms at Washington Field.

“We weren’t here to knock anyone out; it’s only about making sure we win,” midfielder Tyler Rolando said. “We came in thinking we have playoffs coming up so we wanted to get in form now and make sure we keep it through playoffs. So we wanted to make sure we started off strong now and carry it through.”

Pottsgrove, which went 10-0 in the Frontier and 11-1-1 in the PAC, earned the No. 2 seed for next Tuesday’s PAC Final Four at Owen J. Roberts. It will face No. 3 seed OJR at 7 p.m. on Wildcat North. The other semifinal will feature No. 4 Boyertown (6-4, 9-4) – the beneficiary of Friday’s result which left Phoenixville at 7-2-1, 8-4-1 – and Liberty champion Spring-Ford (9-1, 11-1-1) at 7 p.m. in the stadium.

Photo Gallery: Pottsgrove at Phoenixville

Phoenixville’s Andre Souza, left, races toward the ball as Pottsgrove’s Jared Kreiger defends Friday. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)

With back-to-back games Thursday and Friday against Upper Merion (2-2 draw) and Pottsgrove, it would have been understandable for Phoenixville to be feeling the pressure.

“I think there was a healthy pressure and stress. It’s a big game and they knew it’s a big game,” Phoenixville coach Mike Cesarski said. “I don’t think it was a stretch to say that it was a tight game the first time we played Pottsgrove (2-0 Falcons). For whatever reason we just were not ourselves in the first half.”

Rolando triggered the run in the 10th minute on an excellent header from a Nick Makoid cross. What followed were goals by Nate Yuchimiuk and Germann Larmond, whose carving run in the 33rd minute created a Phoenixville own goal and 4-0 lead to Pottsgrove.

The Falcons treated Friday like the playoffs started early.

“Before the game Wit (coach Jay Witkowski) made us know it was kind of do-or-die even though we were in regardless,” Larmond said. “We just came here and followed through with our plan.”

Phil Meszaros pulled one back for the Phantoms with 1:40 until halftime. They couldn’t muster more in the second half though despite a spirited effort, Pottsgrove uninterested in allowing any question of its place as the Frontier’s finest.

Pottsgrove’s Pat O’Brien, right, and Phoenixville’s Colin Hook battle for the ball along the sideline during Friday’s game. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)

Changing times

Phoenixville fell victim to the PAC’s new playoff format that qualifies the division champions and two wild-card teams for the Final Four. In past years the top two teams from each division would qualify.

“The expectation was to make the Final Four, that was one of our goals,” Cesarski said. “They changed the dynamic of how teams make the Final Four so I think that played into things. Before I started (as head coach) it was a thing that was hit or miss for this program (to make the Final Four). We’ve done it the last couple years, this year it didn’t happen.

“We knew we would need to take one of those Pottsgrove games and we didn’t do it so we have only ourselves to blame.”

Forward-thinking

The Falcons’ front line was in rhythm from the start with Larmond and Yuchimiuk in the flow while getting support from midfielders Rolando, Will Kaiser and Travis Spotts. They held the shots on goal advantage 7-5.

“Me and Nate got going really quick. It normally takes us into the second half,” Larmond said. “Right off the tap we were right at them. Nate scored first and then I was right after.”

It was the first time Phoenixville has allowed four goals in a game this season. The Phantoms’ defensive unit led by goalkeeper Mitchell Coll and defenders Danny Jackson, Clay Kopko, Sean O’Neal and Blake Ericksen has been reliable all season.

“I’ve been really happy defensively. Today was an exception,” Cesarski said. “That’s been the part of our team that I’ve been most consistently happy with … but not today.”

Phoenixville’s Phil Meszaros (14) shoots and scores late in the first half against Pottsgrove Friday. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)

Sticking Together

Pottsgrove and Phoenixville are both expected to qualify for the newly-aligned District 1 Class AAA playoffs.

The Falcons were No. 4 in the power rankings entering the week, the Phantoms No. 7.

It will be old hat for Pottsgrove, which won the District 1-AA title last season. Not so for Phoenixville.

“I’m excited because we haven’t made district playoffs before (in my tenure),” the Phantoms’ third-year coach said. “If we’re going to do anything – I think we’re sitting in a place where we’re OK for districts – you’re going to play a team the level of Pottsgrove or Bishop Shanahan (No. 2) or Interboro (No. 3). They know what to expect the level to be when we get to those district playoff games.”

Semi-nal moment

Before the Falcons turn their focus to districts, they have a chance to finally get over the hump and reach the PAC championship game, a feat that’s evaded them every season, even on the two occasions they went on to win District 1-AA.

“We played Owen J. the first game and I felt like we were the better team,” Larmond said. “I think Tuesday night we’re going to be focused, settled down and really put together one of our best games to try to break through that hurdle and get through to that final game.”

“We know it’s not a walk in the park so we’re going to go right at it from the start. We’re doing well right now so I’m excited for it,” Rolando said.

Wilson 7, Daniel Boone 0 >> The Blazers went out of the Berks Conference playoffs in the first round, blanked by the Bulldogs and an offense that got scoring contributions from eight different players.

Alessio Marchio scored twice to lead Wilson, the Berks Division I’s runner-up during the regular season. Boone, the third-place team from Berks I, got six-save goaltending from Stephen Williams.

Hill School 3, Hun School 0 >> The Blues jumped out to a two-goal lead during the first half and rode it to a MAPL win over the Raiders.

Greg Zimmerman, Ryan Wallace and Nico Besselaar each accounted for The Hill’s scoring while Alex Tullman notched an assist. The Blues posted a 25-1 shot advantage, knocking four shots off the post.

Perkiomen Valley 1, Springfield-Delco 0 >> Mike Weir scored the game’s lone goal in the 24th minute as the Vikings claimed a non-conference win against the Cougars.

Andrew Daubenspeck made Weir’s lone goal stand, finishing with three saves for his eighth shutout of the season while SFD keeper Chris Walters finished with five saves. PV held a 14-3 advantage in shots and a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Penn Wood’s Nmah boys did all the damage in a 3-0 nonleague victory over Penncrest

James Nmah scored two goals and Andrew Nmah tallied once for the Patriots (12-3), who have won five straight decisions.

Goodwill Agaabadan made three saves in net for the shutout. Keiran Wilmot had three saves for Penncrest.

Pennsbury 4, Strath Haven 2 >> Henry Wolgast registered a goal and an assist for the Panthers. Gavin Birch also found the back of the net and goalie Vince Palermo made seven saves.