CHELTENHAM >> When the latest unofficial District 1-AAAA power rankings came out Monday, the Souderton boys soccer team sat 31^st, put it outside of the 24 teams that make the playoff field.

That left the Indians with only option in the final week of the regular season – wins each of their last three games and see if that would be enough to get them in.

“The message that we relayed to the boys is understand where you’re at, understand what needs to be to be done to give yourself that opportunity,” Souderton coach Matt Benner said. “But it has to be every game and you have to check them off.”

The Indians checked off the first task Monday afternoon in their Suburban One League non-conference matchup with host Cheltenham. The Panthers put up a fight and tied the contest on a Max Lempart header in the first half, but the Indians retook the lead before halftime then added an insurance goal after the break to claim a 3-1 victory.

“We didn’t play our best ball, I don’t think. We tried to come out strong but then after the goal after we scored, we slowed down a little bit and took our foot of the pedal. And when we did that they scored,” Souderton’s Dylan Molyneaux said. “And Coach wasn’t happy about it, we weren’t happy about it. And then coming out of the second half, we just wanted to hammer the net as much as possible, which happened, I’m happy about it.”

Molyneaux had a hand in all three of the goals for the Indians (8-8-0, 3-7-0 SOL Continental). The senior headed in the opening tally off a corner, then found the head of Cameron Hart for the goal-ahead score. Molyneaux then made a strong run before connecting with Reece DiRenzi to make it 3-1.

“He’s fits the mold in what you want out of a senior,” said Benner of Molyneaux, who also hit the crossbar with a throw-in in the opening half. “He works hard every single time he steps out on that field. He’s physical, very pace-y, he gives up his body for his teammates and he’s had a fantastic senior year. I can’t speak highly enough of what Dylan’s done.

The loss was the second straight for Cheltenham (3-12-0, 3-9-0), which despite being out of the district playoff picture, held off Souderton’s constant attacks to stay within striking distance until DiRenzi’s goal.

“That’s been pretty much our M.O. all year. We don’t fold,” Panthers coach Chuck Gesing said. “I’ve been had that we’ve been scoring these last few games because we’ve went through quite a scoring drought. I’d just like to see us get up on somebody early, put one or two away and then make them chase. It’s always tough when you’re chasing.

“And they were good. They were a very technical team, big in the back, strong. We had a hard time getting around them and getting through them. And when we did, we got opportunities that we just didn’t convert that’s all.”

Souderton looks to keep its chances of the postseason alive Tuesday when Big Red hosts Central Bucks West in a SOL Continental game at 3:30 p.m. The Indians end their regular season with another conference contest – at William Tennent 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

“Our last game against West we lost 2-1 in double overtime to a penalty kick call that was called on me,” Molyneaux said. “And I took it straight to heart, I felt bad letting up that penalty call, but it didn’t look like it to me, refs saw it otherwise. I mean, we fought hard against them so we’re looking forward to a hard-fought game tomorrow.”

Cheltenham finishes its season with two SOL American games. The Panthers visit Plymouth Whitemarsh 7 p.m. Tuesday then host Hatboro-Horsham 7 p.m. Thursday.

Molyneaux gave Souderton the 1-0 in the first half when he headed in a Nick Marculo corner kick at the near post.

“Me and Nick, the guy that gave me the assist, we tried to run that play a lot and it hasn’t been on,” Molyneaux said. “For that, he saw the opportunity and I just put it in.”

Cheltenham’s equalizer came on a throw-in. After an initial header in the box, a second header by Lempart put the ball in the back of the Souderton net.

“That’s Max’s M.O., he’s a strong kid. He’s a kid who is not afraid to bang. He’ll stick you on tackles,” Gesing said. “There was a 50/50 ball in there and he got it before they did, that’s all.”

But Souderton grabbed the advantage back when Molyneaux – after his initial throw-in was cleared – sent a cross into a crowd in the box it found Hart’s head for a 2-1 lead.

“I was just trying to serve it, to be honest with you. Just want to see if we could get a header on it and we did,” Molyneaux said.

Cheltenham did create a couple chances to pull back level in the second half. Im Mainassara had rolled a long shot wide left while Colin Boyle’s try for the top left corner went high.

The Indians finally created some breathing room when Molyneaux worked past three Panthers defenders before sliding a cross to a charging DiRenzi at the opposite post. Cheltenham keeper Justin Grady denied DiRenzi’s initial shot, but standing at the goal line DiRenzi knocked the ball in with his second try.

“I beat one guy and then there was a game in between two others so I split them both and the goalie kind of slid across,” Molyneaux said. “And it was either I was going to shoot it but then I saw the run, I quick glanced and I picked my head up and I hit that cross on the ground which Coach wants us to do all the time.”

Andrew Nmah scored three times in the second half to help Penn Wood rally for a 4-2 nonleague victory over Oxford.

With Penn Wood trailing, 2-1, Nmah tied the game on a pass from his brother James five minutes into the second half. He converted a pass from Solomon Kamara 10 minutes later to put the Patriots (13-3) in front and sealed the victory with about 15 minutes to play.

Carlos D’Anjollie scored the first goal for Penn Wood off an assist from James Nmah.

Christian Academy 1, Academy Park 1 >> Senior goalie Andre Jones recorded a career-high nine saves, including one on a penalty kick in the last 10 minutes of regulation, to help the Crusaders (9-4-2) pick up a draw in double overtime. Jalen Sherrill had the goal for TCA.

Bill Zwoduah scored for AP, while goalie Amadou Fofana had seven saves.

Kennett 4, Upper Darby 0 >> Danny Lista had 10 saves in goal for the Royals.

WARRINGTON >> The path to the Suburban One League Continental Conference is there for the North Penn boys soccer team. The Knights just needed to avoid stumbling off it Tuesday afternoon.

And in a tight battle with host Central Bucks South, North Penn did find a way to stay on track to its first conference crown since 2007. With few scoring chances between the two sides, the Knights finally broke through in the second half – Luke McMahon and Nate Baxter both finding the back of the net to send North Penn to a 2-0 victory over the Titans.

“This is the first step,” North Penn coach Paul Duddy said. “Today we have to win it or Thursday night, not that it doesn’t matter, but if we’re going to win this conference, which we haven’t done in some years, it’s like OK we have to take care of it today, we’ll take care of the business.”

North Penn’s Nick Trechek and Central Bucks South’s Giani Goss fight for a head ball during their game on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)

“To their credit, the boys did. Now it’s all in the table for us Thursday night.”

The victory was the fifth straight for the Knights (13-3-0, 9-2-0 conference), who earned a chance to win the SOL Continental when conference leader Central Bucks East was edged 1-0 by William Tennent last Friday.  Trailing East by just a point in the standings, Tuesday’s win over Souderton put NP up two (27 to 25) with a win over Pennridge 7 p.m. Thursday giving the Knights the program’s fist conference title since taking the SOL National in 2007.

“It was nerve-racking but coaches prepared us well throughout the week,” McMahon said. “We had a weekend practice. And we really got ready, we knew that they were going to be a good team. We knew that we had to score first to put the pressure on them to come at us.”

The loss snapped a five-game win streak for Central Bucks South (9-7-1, 6-4-1), which came into the week 25th in the unofficial District 1-AAAA power rankings, one spot out of the 24-team playoff field. The Titans beat Abington 3-1 Monday and after Tuesday’s defeat have one more chance to boost their postseason chances when they visit Central Bucks East 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

A South win or tie against East would also give North Penn the SOL Continental title.

McMahon finally broke the scoreless deadlock in the second half thanks to a nice assist from Carter Houlihan.

“Carter played the ball really well. It was a great play by him, it wasn’t just me,” McMahon said. “It was the team play that also led up to it that allowed me to get the shot off.”

BOYS #SOCCER: Carter Houlihan with a great through ball to Luke McMahon, who scores to put @KnightsLoyalty up 1-0 2H vs. CB South. pic.twitter.com/sypl7Wbeyh

— Mike Cabrey (@mpcabrey) October 18, 2016

After an initial foray by Houlihan into the CB South box was denied, North Penn won possession back in the Titans’ half. The ball got back to Houlihan, who sent a perfect through ball to a charging McMahon in the 18-yard area. McMahon knocked a shot past outcoming keeper Brady Day to make it 1-0.

“I saw Carter get the ball and I saw the space in front of him so I decided to make the diagonal run and get the ball and put it far post,” McMahon said.

North Penn’s Mike Kohler and Central Bucks South’s Colin Green fight for the ball during their game on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)

The relief and excitement the goal provided was apparent with McMahon running over the sideline to celebrate the goal with a jubilant Knights bench.

“It was crazy because we know how long Coach Duddy’s been at this and he’s never won a (Continental) conference title,” McMahon said. “and with this team we thought we could, so we tried our best this season and to see it all pay off.”

South did have good opportunities to pull level after McMahon’s tally. The Titans earned a free kick and played it on the ground at the goal, but no Titan could get a foot on it. North Penn keeper Bobby Dean then came up big on a shot by Jason Reimert, reaching behind himself to make the save.

“They’re a very good team, they always play us tough,” said Duddy of CB South. “It’s almost like a lot of years it seems like we split. We beat them first, they beat us second time type of situation.”

But Baxter provided a second goal for North Penn to collect the regular season sweep, the Knights having edged the Titans 2-1 in their first meeting Sept. 22. McMahon passed a ball back to Mike Kohler, who lofted a ball to Baxter on the left side of the box. After one bounce, Baxter lofted a shot over Day to double the advantage.

“Nate really can hit,” Duddy said. “Cool, calm, collected, look up, see where the keeper is and kind of chipped it.”

BOYS #SOCCER: Mike Kohler finds Nate Baxter, who 1-times a floater into the goal for a 2-0 @KnightsLoyalty lead over CB South 2H. pic.twitter.com/kKPDzHKgbn

— Mike Cabrey (@mpcabrey) October 18, 2016

The first half was a stalemate and while South did get a few shots on goal, they were directed right at Dean.

“They shut us down. Normally we create probably six chances a half,” Duddy said. “Credit to them, credit to them and (South coach) Don Brady for the way they played. They knew what we do and they shut a lot of what we normally do down. Credit to them, that’s all I can say.”

Top Photo: Central Bucks South’s Kevin Berntsen tries to steal the ball from North Penn’s Luke McMahon during their game on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)

FALLS TWP. – Pennsbury entered Tuesday’s home pairing against Council Rock North desperately needing a win against a quality opponent. Sure, the Falcons blanked Central League rival Strath Haven 2-0 over the weekend. But once unbeaten in the Suburban One National League Pennsbury had dropped three straight league pairings including duels with Abington, Neshaminy and Council Rock South.

Now, here they were facing CR North (13-2-2, 10-2:SONL), which had already claimed the National League crown with its recent win over Neshaminy and the Falcons loss in overtime to the Golden Hawks.

Up 2-0, Pennsbury (15-3, 8-3: SONL) got rattled when it felt a handball wasn’t called in the last minute of the first half. It didn’t matter. The goal by Indians midfielder Conor O’Donnell counted. So did an ensuing strike by North senior forward Nikita Ilin in the closing seconds of the first half.

Just like that – a 2-0 lead had evaporated, sending the sides to the half deadlocked at 2-apiece.

To the Falcons’ credit, they held the Indians scoreless in the second half then got the deciding strike with 1:03 remaining in overtime to top the Rock for the second time this season.

“This feels tremendous,” said junior midfielder Obi Onuoha. “The greatest feeling in the world.”

The winning strike came off the foot – or rather the heel – of Pennsbury sophomore Javier Sosa, who took sophomore Matt Tennant’s throw-in and top shelfed the ball over the head of Indians goalkeeper Anthony Caruso off of the crossbar and into the back of the net with the back of his foot.

“The goal of the year,” is the way Pennsbury senior Zach LoBasso put it. LoBasso should know – he leads the team with 13 goals on the season.

Maybe it was the best goal of the season but the Falcons don’t even get to the extra session without Onuoha, who tallied twice in the first half, his first goal coming 3-and-1/2 minutes into the game when he took a turnover he forced to the right of the Rock’s net and blasted the ball to the far left, putting Pennsbury on top 1-0.

With 10 minutes remaining in the half, the Falcons pushed the score to 2-nil, with Onuoha deflecting a free kick from classmate Sam Beidler into the back of the net.

“We thought we were in complete control of the game, even though they scored two goals, we thought they were lucky,” said Onuoha.

“It was a hard-fought game but we thought we were in control the whole time.”

For its part, Council Rock might have to be forgiven. The Indians were coming off a battle against the defending state champion CB East the night before where no one scored for 100 minutes. Now, here they were deadlocked at 2-all until someone tallied in the 89th minute.

“Both teams were very tired,” said Onuoha. “It came down to who wanted it more.”

After allowing those two strikes by North in the last 90 seconds of the first half, Pennsbury did take control. Indeed, the Falcons kept the Indians entirely off the board after that and allowed Ilin – a dangerous striker for the visitors – but a single scoring chance in the second half.

“We came out in the second half and tried to stay in control of the ball – and try to score another one,” said Onuoha.

“Not as many scoring opportunities because we had to play a little more defensive – we didn’t want to get scored on in overtime. But we felt the goal coming the whole time.”

Maybe so, but it was Council Rock coming up with the first real scoring chance in the extra session with junior Jon Pugh putting a big boot on a free kick from the 50 that made its way to the Pennsbury goalmouth, was flicked around in front before Falcon keeper Nate Slotnick finally got a handle on it.

The next eight minutes took place between the 18s and not much happened until LoBasso tried to dribble the ball in from the right of the Rock net until he was ridden off by a defender.

Not before the ball was drilled out of bounds by the Indians, giving Pennsbury the corner throw-in it needed to win.

A sophomore, Sosa has played like an upperclassman all season, and this had to be his greatest moment in a Falcon uniform. Onuoha has known Sosa for years through both boys association with the FC Patriots Soccer Club.

“I’ve been playing club with him for so long I can’t even remember,” said Onuoha. “He’s always been very skillful, very calm with the ball. It’s a pleasure to play with him.”

While the Rock has the league crown sewn up, this win coupled together with Pennsbury’s earlier season triumph over the Indians will certainly boost the Falcons’ stock in the Power Points rankings.

Both squads have one game left with Pennsbury traveling to Truman on Thursday and CR North hosting William Tennent on Saturday. With District 1 seeding slated to be set on Sunday, the D1 4A Tournament is set to begin Tuesday Oct. 25.

With CR North, Pennsbury and Neshaminy all in the top five in area soccer rankings, all three SOL National foes are likely to have first-round byes in the tournament.

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

Pennsbury 3, Council Rock North 2

(Oct. 18 at Pennsbury)

PENNSBURY 2 0 1 – 3

CR NORTH 2 0 0 – 2

FIRST-HALF GOALS: P — Obi Onuoha, unassisted, 4th minute, Obi Onuoha, from Sam Beidler, 31st minute; CRN — Conor O’Donnell from Noah Ehlin, 39th minute, Nikita Ilin 40th minute.

SECOND- HALF GOALS — none.

OVERTIME GOALS: P — Javier Sosa, from Matt Tennant, 89th minute; CRN — none.

BUCKTOWN >> After a somewhat uneven Pioneer Athletic Conference regular season, the Boyertown boys soccer team decided it was time to wash the slate clean.

“We had a rough start,” senior defender Erik Recke said of a campaign that saw the Bears hovering under and around the .500 mark. “Now all we’re saying is that the season starts over in the playoffs, and all it takes is a couple of wins.”

The defending league champion Bears continued their strong down-the-stretch play Tuesday night at Owen J. Roberts, turning back Spring-Ford 2-1 in a Final Four semifinal.

Recke connected for the deciding goal off a restart in the 67th minute as Liberty Division third-place finisher Boyertown (13-6) advanced to Thursday’s championship game against Frontier Division champ Pottsgrove, back at Owen J. Roberts at 7 p.m.

Spring-Ford’s Johnny Guimaraes controls the ball as Boyertown’s Garrett Halterman defends. (Barry Taglieber – For DFM)

“They’ve been playing well all season, but it was just a matter of us finishing our opportunities,” Boyertown coach Scott Didyoung said. “And our defense is getting stronger and stronger as we play, so I’m very proud of them. A lot of it has to do with them gathering confidence.”

Boyertown displayed that by reeling off wins in its final four league games, including a had-to-have 3-1 victory over the Rams last week that avenged an earlier 1-0 loss.

It continued in the third meeting, with Conner Reiss ripping one home off a feed from Alex Kidwell in the game’s fifth minute to put the Bears up 1-0.

“I think we’re just playing smarter and playing harder,” said Recke, a three-year starter and one of seven key figures back from last year’s title squad. “Back in the beginning of the year, we had a couple bumps in the road and were trying to find the right chemistry with people in different positions, but we definitely figured it out.”

After being on its heels in the early going of Tuesday’s semi, Liberty champion Spring-Ford (12-5-2) slowly began to figure out the Bears.

Spring-Ford’s Michael Hyduke, left, battles Boyertown’s Erik Recke. (Barry Taglieber – For DFM)

Junior midfielder Ronnie Minges headed home a cross from Mike Hyduke for the equalizer 23 minutes before intermission, and the Rams appeared to be in business.

“We came out with a game plan to kind of attack them on the flanks and hold the ball more,” first-year Spring-Ford coach Brent Kissel said. “We didn’t get stuck into their style of play as much and we had our moments. We just have to do a better job of finishing our chances in the run of play. They (the Bears) have a good team; their targets are very fast and accurate and they work very hard for them. When we got stuck in their style of play and couldn’t hold the ball, that’s when we got in trouble.”

Spring-Ford found itself in a heap of trouble with 13:26 left in regulation, when a hand-ball violation gave the Bears a direct kick from the right side a few paces outside the box. After teammate Nik Verma ran past the ball, Recke buried it perfectly into the upper 90 to the right of keeper Kyle Allan.

“I knew in my head I was going opposite post,” Recke said. “I felt it (was good) off my foot.”

In a contest that saw plenty of end-to-end forays, the Rams nearly forced OT in the final minute, but Nate Alban’s bullet wound up being deflected over the crossbar by keeper Connor McKeown and the Bears punched their ticket to the league final for the third straight season.

“I think the (past playoff experience) helped them,” Didyoung said. “They believe in themselves, and I couldn’t be happier for them.”

NOTES >> Boyertown finished with a 13-5 advantage in shots, while Spring-Ford had a 5-3 edge in corners. … Allan made five saves, with McKeown being credited with two. … Boyertown is seeking to go back-to-back for the first time since joining the league in 2002. The Bears also won PAC titles in 2009 and 2012. … Spring-Ford, at 13th in the latest District 1-AAAA power ratings, will return to action in districts Tuesday. The Bears are ranked 20th.

HORSHAM >> In a twist of fate, the Upper Dublin boys soccer team’s slow start Tuesday was due to playing too fast.

The Cardinals found themselves on their heels and trailing midway through the first half of a crucial game at Hatboro-Horsham. Then the ball got to the guys it needed to, they slowed things down and UD got back in the game.

Upper Dublin couldn’t hold a late lead but was fine with the 2-2 draw it earned in double overtime, keeping the Cardinals atop the SOL American table.

“We were battling really hard, we started out slow but pulled through,” UD forward Jerry Bardol said. “Everyone played really well.”

As far as last week of the season games go, this one was a gem. Upper Dublin came in as the No. 8 team in the latest District I power rankings while the Hatters were No. 10

The game’s early stages saw the Hatters take initiative, with Danny Bateman’s speed causing issues for the Cardinals in the back. Bateman had a header and a second shot, off a great buildup, saved in the opening minutes.

“The conference is still in our own hands so if we win on Thursday, we’re happy,” Cardinals coach Derek Priest said. “We started slow ironically because we were playing 100 miles an hour and never put our foot on the ball, we were constantly giving it away. Once we put a foot on the ball and tried to play a little bit of soccer, which is not always easy in these types of games, that made us more successful.”

Bateman’s older brother Colin was a force in the middle of the park, winning a heavy majority of his tackles and air balls. With Upper Dublin pinned back at first, it felt like the Hatters were on the cusp of cashing in.

So when sophomore Andrew Hurrell sent a through ball up to Danny Bateman, that chance materialized. Bateman got in alone but had a bad touch slow his progress, allowing Cards defenders to hustle back. Bateman wisely laid off the ball to Joe LaRouche, charging in on a late run and the senior calmly finished in the 16th minute.

“We knew what was at stake, they’re in a little better position than us for the league so the energy level was going to be high,” Hatters coach Kyle McGrath said. “We were unfortunate not to get more pressure in terms of shots on target but we got an early lead which was good.”

UD settled in after that and started getting forward at a better clip. The catalyst was the involvment of the team’s center midfielders, the guys best to be on the ball and slow the game down.

Bardol credited Josh Saitsky, Chris Tocchet and Colin Muth for settling the game. Priest added Tom Hiltwine off the bench as another guy who did exactly what was needed.

“I thought their center midfield did a really good job today against us neutralizing Colin Bateman and Nick Hatzenbeller,” McGrath said.”They’re solid all over the field and we knew that going into the year that they were going to be tough. It’s not the most satisfying to get two draws with them but also rewarding in the sense of if they’re the best team in the league, we showed we can play with them.”

Hiltwine sprayed a ball out to Max Adams on the left flank, which the Cardinals junior whipped back in with a great cross.

There to meet it at the far post was Bardol, who tapped in for a 28th minute equalizer.

“Max had a great cross and I was able to finish it,” Bardol said. “It really helped us out, we regained our focus and momentum in the game.”

UD took the lead in the 48th minute when Anthony Wisdo headed in a ball that had hit off Muth’s head on a long throw in. The Cardinals had several chances to put in another goal, but they were either sent over the goal or stopped by Hatters keeper Stephen Doney.

With a shade under three minutes left, the Hatters were awarded a free kick on the left side deep down the field. Up stepped Danny Harmon, who belted it into the net to tie the contest.

“I was thinking that I would just hit it as hard as I could to the back post,” Harmon said. “It was a matter of getting it on target and maybe we could get something or a rebound.”

Naturally, a couple heads dropped for Upper Dublin but some words for Wisdo, who left the game injured, got the energy restored. A win wasn’t imperative for the Cardinals, so they just didn’t want to make any dumb mistakes.

“We’re trying to score but at the end of the day, we just needed the tie to stay in front,” Bardol said. “It really helps us going forward. We know what playoffs are going to be like, battling hard against these good teams.”

Both keepers, Doney and UD’s Jason Stone, were solid, making six stops each. Stone had a big stop early that didn’t put his team deeper in a hole. Doney made an incredible save in the first overtime, going airborne and holding onto the ball after he was run into by an attacker and one of his own defenders.

Upper Dublin only has to win against Upper Moreland on Thursday to secure the American title while the Hatters would need a win and UD loss.

“We just have to make sure we don’t slip up,” Priest said.

The Hatters, while dejected not to win, can gain some value from the game as they prepare for a postseason appearance.

“We just want to keep the momentum going,” McGrath said. “We haven’t been in a position where we were in the talk for playoffs recently but to see the guys step up and play the way they did in this type of game was encouraging.”

Upper Dublin 2, Hatboro-Horsham 2
UPPER DUBLIN                  1 1 0 0 – 2
HATBORO-HORSHAM    1 1 0 0 – 2
Goals: UD – Jerry Bardol (Max Adams) 28’, Anthony Wisdo (Colin Muth) 48’; HH – Joe LaRouche (Danny Bateman) 16’, Danny Harmon 78’. Shots: UD – 8, HH – 8. Corners: UD – 9, HH – 5. Saves: UD – Jason Stone 6, HH – Stephen Doney 6

BUCKTOWN >> There has always been a missing piece on the Pottsgrove boys soccer team’s resume.

It’s won district championships, even played in a PIAA championship game. Yet the Falcons had never played in their league final.

That changed Tuesday night in an edge-of-your-seat Pioneer Athletic Conference boys soccer semifinal when Pottsgrove had just enough to knock off host Owen J. Roberts, 2-1, to advance to the program’s first PAC final.

“It feels special that we made history. It’s definitely a good feeling,” said senior defender Jared Krieger.

“There’s been years where we weren’t the better team, but there’s been years we should have won this game,” Pottsgrove coach Jay Witkowski said. “This is the year we broke through and did it. There’s 12 seniors out there, a lot of leadership out there.”

Pottsgrove’s Kevin Benitez, center, celebrates with Germann Larmond, left, and Nate Yuchimiuk, who had the assist, on the Falcons’ opening goal Tuesday against Owen J. Roberts. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)

The Frontier Division champion Falcons made second-half goals by Kevin Benitez and Germann Larmond hold up while finishing with 10 men after goalkeeper Liam Abdalla saw a red card with 5:38 to play. Owen J. Roberts pulled a goal back when Taurean Lee got a touch on a low corner kick with 6:18 to play.

Pottsgrove (14-4-1) will meet defending PAC champion Boyertown – a 2-1 winner over Liberty Division champion Spring-Ford in the other semifinal – in the championship game on Thursday night at Owen J. Roberts (7 p.m.).

Plenty of current Pottsgrove players saw their older brothers go through the program and experience the Final Four letdown. The current Falcons felt it themselves last year in a 3-0 semifinal defeat to Boyertown.

“Being exposed to the environment before and seeing my brothers, it got me ready for this. And being in it last year, it made me experience loss. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy but we went in and did what we needed to do,” Krieger said.

“I think it made our team want it more and made us more eager for it,” senior midfielder Will Kaiser said of the past Final Four misses. “All the guys are excited to get to the game on Thursday.”

Pottsgrove’s Nick Makoid carries the ball out of the back as OJR’s Nolan Smith pressures Tuesday. (Austin Hertzog – DFM)

OJR (10-6-3), which was denied a returned trip to the title game, was plagued by scoring woes that have hit it at different times this season.

“It reared its ugly head. You see the chances we get and we just can’t find the net,” OJR coach Eric Wentzel said. “This game was a microcosm of our season. Sometimes this team shows up and sometimes it doesn’t and tonight we didn’t. I’m not going to take anything away from Pottsgrove – they outplayed us, outcoached us, out-everything.”

Abdalla was superb in goal throughout, including two dynamic saves – an incredible tip save over the bar from a Nolan Smith looping header and a charging, point-blank save on Lee – to keep it scoreless. Nevertheless, he’ll miss the final due to his red card after seeing back-to-back yellow cards following an altercation with OJR’s Austin Koury.

He was well protected by Krieger, Nik Curnew, Nick Makoid and Pat O’Brien, while getting support in the midfield from Kaiser and Tyler Rolando.

After a scoreless first half, Pottsgrove finally got the breakthrough when Nate Yuchimiuk broke free down the right side and played a cross to substitute Benitez, who was playing on the left wing despite being deployed as a full back on many occasions, for an easy finish.

“That’s the last person I expected to come up big and score a goal,” Krieger said.

Larmond split the OJR defense to give Pottsgrove what looked like a decisive lead with seven minutes to play before the crazy finish with Lee’s goal and the red card. Yet finally, the Falcons would see a semifinal out.

“It’s something new,” Kaiser said in reference to Benitez lighting up the scoreboard. “People aren’t expecting it but hey, he stepped up and he did it. I’m not complaining.”

The same could be said for the entire Pottsgrove team. ‘Something new’ – a trip to the PAC championship game – will be welcomed by every player past and present of the Pottsgrove boys soccer program.

Pottsgrove’s Pat O’Brien and Owen J. Roberts’ Nolan Smith battle for the ball Tuesday during their PAC semifinal. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)

It’s only fitting that a senior comes through on Senior Night and that’s what Mike McAndrew did for Sun Valley Tuesday.

McAndrew’s blast from 30 yards out six minutes into overtime gave the Vanguards a 1-0 Ches-Mont League victory over Bishop Shanahan.

It was the first goal of McAndrew’s varsity career. Evan Roland had the assist and Brendan Skwirut made five saves to post his third shutout of the season for the Vanguards (2-14-1 overall, 2-9-1 league).

In the Inter-Ac League:

Episcopal Academy 1, Haverford School 0 >> Nick Wallick sent Quinn Dudek away on a breakaway in the first five minutes and that’s all the Churchmen needed to beat the Fords.

The play of goalies Matt Freese (two saves) and A.J. Marcucci (three saves) combined to post the ninth shutout of the season for the Churchmen (12-4-2, 4-1).

Will Baltrus made nine saves in goal for the Fords.

In the Catholic League:

Archbishop Carroll 2, Cardinal O’Hara 1 >> David Fohner and Sean Loftus scored as the seventh-seeded Patriots knocked off the 10th-seeded Lions in the first round of the Catholic League playoffs.

The Patriots advance to the quarterfinals to take on second-seeded Father Judge on Friday night.

St. Joseph’s Prep 2, Bonner & Prendergast 1 >> Christopher Hibbs and Andrew Bracken scored as the Hawklets avenged a 3-2 loss to the Friars in the regular-season finale.

The Prep advances to the quarterfinals Friday night at top-seeded La Salle.

In the Central League:

Radnor 3, Garnet Valley 1 >> Goalie Ben Toomey had three saves and an assist in the final league game of the season.

Ryan Peter, Jack Miller and Miles Maesaka scored for the Raiders. Evan Trizonis tallied the lone goal for the Jaguars.

Strath Haven 2, Springfield 1 >> The Panthers broke up a scoreless duel thanks to goals from Henry Wolgast and Harrison Hotham in the second half. Vincey Palermo turned back two shots for the shutout.

Upper Darby 4, Ridley 1 >> Mohamed Camara, Carlos Chauca and David Lista scored in the second half to help the Royals pull away. Daniel Willie gave UD a 1-0 halftime lead.

Ben Holder scored on a penalty kick for the Green Raiders.

Harriton 4, Penncrest 3 >> Shea Morgan scored twice, and Alex Boudazin added a goal, all set up by Sam Brown, but the Panthers (11-6-1, 6-4-1) fell in overtime.

Jay Witkowski dated himself a bit.

“I’m the Marv Levy of PAC soccer,” the veteran Pottsgrove boys soccer head coach said. “But I’ve got to get the next one.”

Many of his players won’t know Levy, the head coach of the Buffalo Bills teams in the early 1990s that went to four straight Super Bowls and lost them all – no current Falcons players were born yet.

Witkowski is used to being the bridesmaid in the Pioneer Athletic Conference boys soccer playoffs. Prior to Tuesday, his teams had made the semifinals every year, only to lose in that round, never once reaching the title game.

Witkowski and the Falcons are finally at the altar, but a scorching hot reigning champion stands in the way of ‘I now pronounce you PAC champion.’

Thursday night’s Pioneer Athletic Conference boys soccer championship between Pottsgrove and Boyertown – 7 p.m. at Owen J. Roberts High School – features a matchup that won’t confuse which is the favorite and underdog.

Boyertown (9-4 PAC, 13-6 overall) is the reigning PAC champion and on a tear over the past two weeks, winners of five straight including two over PAC Liberty Division champion Spring-Ford (2-1 in Tuesday’s semifinal). The No. 4 seed Bears have gone from possibly being shut out of the postseason to 80 minutes from being the first repeat PAC champion since Owen J. Roberts’ three-peat from 2006-08.

Pottsgrove (11-1-1 PAC, 14-4-1) the Frontier Division champion, was the eternal underdog in the PAC playoffs. Apparently the 12th time was the charm. Since the league adopted a Final Four format in 2005, the Falcons had played in – and lost – the semifinals every time. Tuesday night the Falcons advanced to their first PAC final with a 2-1 takedown of OJR. It’s not entirely unexpected with a senior-laden group that won the District 1-AA title a year ago.

Head-to-head

The Bears and Falcons did not meet during the regular season. The last time they met was in the 2015 PAC semifinals, which Boyertown won 3-0. Current senior midfielders Will Schul and Nik Verma handled the scoring as the Bears turned a scoreless first half into a decisive three-goal victory.

Erik Recke, center left, and Nik Verma lead the celebration in front of the Boyertown fans after Recke scored the game-winning goal of the Bears’ semifinal win over Spring-Ford Tuesday. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)

Boyertown facts

•Longtime head coach Scott Didyoung’s Bears started the year 1-3 in the league, but went 8-1 against league opposition the rest of the way to earn the PAC’s second wild card, the first year for the format that allowed three teams from one division to make the Final Four.

•During five-game win streak, Bears have scored 17 goals to four conceded.

•Senior forward Alex Kidwell (16 goals) leads the line for Boyertown, alongside Sal Marciante and Jimmy Towers. Schul, who has scored in the last two PAC finals, and Verma are joined in the midfield by Sam Marks and Connor Reiss while senior captain Erik Recke, who scored the semifinal game-winner on a free kick, leads the defense alongside Ben Margavich, Owen Kulig, Ben Wise and goalkeeper Connor McKeown.

•The Bears are No. 20 in the most recent District 1-AAAA power rankings

Pottsgrove facts

•Pottsgrove went 10-0 against Frontier competition. The Falcons are 4-1 in their last five outings, outscoring opponents 17-5.

•Germann Larmond and Nate Yuchimiuk are the Falcons’ main goal threats. Tyler Rolando and Will Kaiser form the PAC’s best midfield tandem and are joined by Jacob Spotts. The defensive line consists of Jared Krieger and Nik Curnew at center back with Nick Makoid and Pat O’Brien on either side.

•The Falcons must make due without first-choice goalkeeper Liam Abdalla, who received a red card in the semifinal following an altercation with OJR’s Austin Koury after being superb through the first 75 minutes. Junior Ryan Long, who saw out the semifinal win, will get the start in goal.

Pottsgrove’s Nick Makoid carries the ball out of the back as OJR’s Nolan Smith pressures Tuesday. (Austin Hertzog – DFM)

The matchup

The final features teams with contrasting styles: Boyertown plays high pressure, high tempo; Pottsgrove is built on ball control and quick passing to build the attack. It will be easy to tell which team is in the ascendency based on the pace of play.

Boyertown has more than a few contributors with experience in last year’s final. Pottsgrove’s group cut its teeth by winning District 1-AA and qualifying for the PIAA Class AA Championships, so neither side is without big game experience.

The Pottsgrove D must be ready for a race on balls over the top for Kidwell and company; conversely the Bears’ D must contend with the skill of Larmond and pace of Yuchimiuk.

Prediction

The Falcons made a massive step forward to reach the final, but the Bears aren’t about to let them get greedy. Boyertown has found the level that was expected of them all season in the past two weeks and are finally playing like Goliaths. Their hot streak continues by going back-to-back … Boyertown 2, Pottsgrove 0

Caleb Robinson scored off a feed from Jesse Brittain, but Christian Academy dropped a 2-1 road decision at Plumstead Christian Wednesday.

Andre Jones made nine saves in net for the Crusaders (9-5-2).

In other nonleague action:

Bensalem 2, Strath Haven 1 >> Joe Shiiba scored late to cut the Panthers’ deficit to one goal and Mike Atkins made five saves, but the Panthers struggled away from home.

LANGHORNE – In soccer, a thin line usually exists between victory and defeat. Players often battle through 80 minutes of non-stop action with the ultimate feeling of agony or ecstasy hanging on a single goal. A successful season depends upon how well a team handles the extremes.

Probably no one recognizes this soccer truism as well as the Neshaminy boys team. As outlined by senior Nick Lindsey, the Redskins set rather high goals coming into the 2016 campaign. “Our goal was definitely to make it to the playoffs and to win the league.”

The road to postseason gold got off to a rocky start for Neshaminy as they lost three of their first seven games. Numbered among the losses was a 2-1 heartbreaker to archrival Pennsbury, a game in which the Redskins fell behind by two goals only to battle back and narrow the margin to one on a tally by Dan Grindrod.

After readjusting their offensive strategy to allow for more firepower upfront, coach Tom Foley’s charges then went on a tear, winning nine of their next 10 games. In that stretch, they outscored their opponents by a 34-13 margin.

Nick attributes the turnaround to the team’s mental stamina. “We’re extremely hardworking. We’ll never give up. We’ll play well as a team. We might get behind early, but we always come back and make it a game.”

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY AT MEDIA.BUCKSLOCALNEWS.COM

Two games in the 10-game stretch certainly validate Nick’s team appraisal. On Oct. 10, Neshaminy had a rematch with the league leading Pennsbury Falcons. Tied 1-1 at half the Skins roared out behind by goals by Jack McCourt and Dan Grindrod to take a lead they would never relinquish.

The 3-2 victory was crucial for Neshaminy’s playoff aspirations. In Nick’s estimation, “That game was extremely important. They are obviously our rival and we want to beat them every time. We needed to beat them to get a higher power ranking. The key to the game was teamwork. We kept working as a team and played really hard.”

The victory not only upped Neshaminy’s power rating but it set up a shot at the new league leader, Council Rock North on Oct. 14. The winner of this match was definitely in line for the National Division championship. An early penalty shot by the Indians’ Jon Pugh in the eighth minute proved the only tally of the game.

Though the 1-0 score spelled defeat for the Redskins, it only momentarily dampened their spirits. “We felt upset for the first day but after that we set our minds on the next game and tried to get that win. We lost to North so we didn’t win the league but now our goal is to make districts and make states.”

Neshaminy took an important step toward the playoffs when they beat Harry Truman four days later. “These last two games are really important. Our coach says we have to finish strong and head into playoffs on a high note.”

The Skins dominated the contest and took a 3-0 victory behind goals by Jon Albarran, Dylan McDonald and Dan Grindrod. The win helped Neshaminy maintain a number six District 1 power rating, good enough to assure a first round bye in the upcoming districts. “We want to get as high a seed as we can. If we get a bye we are going to continue to practice hard every day to stay on our game.”

Nick had an extra incentive to go all out against Truman. He wanted to score on Senior Night. “I usually play mid and am responsible for getting the ball up the field and distributing the ball to the strikers. Against Truman I was a striker so I was just trying to score. My coach wanted to see me get a goal for Senior Night. The whole team wanted me to score in my last home game but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Though scoring on Senior Night eluded Nick he should have ample opportunity to find the back of the enemy’s net in the coming weeks. Neshaminy is certainly prepped for a long playoff run.

The Christian Academy’s 10th win may have been its most dramatic.

Caleb Robinson converted a penalty kick in the first overtime period to help the Crusaders defeat Delco Christian 2-1. The marker ensured TCA (10-5-2) would reach double-digit victories and build its resume as District 1 seeding awaits. Grant Sareyka scored in the first half for the Crusaders before Daniel Nichols equalized for Delco Christian.

BUCKTOWN >> There hadn’t been a repeat champion in Pioneer Athletic Conference boys soccer since 2008 and it certainly didn’t look like Boyertown was going to change the trend throughout much of the regular season.

The Bears might have been tardy. Now they’re the ones having the party.

High-flying Boyertown’s late-season surge continued Thursday night in the league final with two goals in the first 10 minutes and a comprehensive overall performance as the Bears took down Pottsgrove, 3-1, to repeat as Pioneer Athletic Conference champions.

“It means the world to be back here and to win it again,” senior midfielder Nik Verma said. “This is my third time (final) in a row and to win it two times in a row is crazy.”

Boyertown’s Nik Verma celebrates with teammates after scoring his second goal in the first half Thursday against Pottsgrove. (Austin Hertzog – Digital FIrst Media)

“As everyone knows, we had a sluggish start (to the season). To be back here in the PAC final and to win it with a two-peat is remarkable,” junior Jimmy Towers said.

Verma’s imprint was all over the Bears’ breathless start as he hit for two goals, the first on a penalty kick less than two minutes in. After Pottsgrove’s Mike Sereny leveled the match six minutes later when Jacob Spotts’ long throw-in fell to him on the far side, Verma came up with a stunning strike on the volley hit into the top right corner on a pass from Will Schul to put Boyertown up 2-1 within 10 minutes.

PAC boys soccer champion Boyertown pic.twitter.com/axMomp75f7

— Austin Hertzog (@AustinHertzog) October 21, 2016

It was a lead the Bears would never relinquish, especially following Towers’ clinical near-side finish with 15 minutes left in the game.

“Coach always says, ‘Let’s match their match and take it a step farther.’ I think that’s what we did and we showed that in the first 20 minutes and the second half we gave it our all and came out on top,” Towers said.

Boyertown coach Scott Didyoung hands the PAC championship plaque to his team after Thursday’s game. (Austin Hertzog – DFM)

Boyertown’s senior-led group taking back-to-back titles is the first to repeat since Owen J. Roberts took three straight from 2006-08.

It appeared improbable after a 1-3 start in league play.

“There were a couple games here and there, 1-nil losses where we got down on ourselves, but we really got to each other and we picked it up,” Verma said. “We snapped out of it. We realized that these sluggish performances weren’t going to get us anywhere.

“We realized it late, but it’s a good thing we did.”

Head coach Scott Didyoung always felt his team could get going in the right direction.

“We were playing well in the matches we lost in the beginning of the season. We just weren’t finishing our chances. To this point, there were only three halves that I wasn’t happy with,” Didyoung said after his fourth PAC title.

“They expected it to be easier. But the valuable lesson they got out of it was that it wasn’t easy and they kept persevering.”

Boyertown (14-6) denied Pottsgrove (14-5-1) the league title in the Falcons’ first appearance in the championship game after 11 previous semifinal appearances that never netted to trip to the final 2.

“I’m not embarrassed at how we played. I’m proud of the kids,” Pottsgrove coach Jay Witkowski said. “They put a good game out there. Every one of them should be proud of how they played. (Boyertown’s) a good team.”

The Bears out-shot Pottsgrove 10-5 and got four-save goalkeeping from Connor McKeown. For Pottsgrove, Ryan Long, who was in the lineup in place of starter Liam Abdalla (red card in semifinal win over OJR), made seven.

The game expected to turn on how Boyertown could assert its high pressure approach on the Falcons, who prefer a more possession-oriented style. The Bears’ flooding start was even more than they anticipated.

“We knew we were going to do that but we didn’t think we were going to do it to that extent,” Verma said.

Pottsgrove wasn’t without its chances – Nate Yuchimiuk got under the defense for two big chances yet couldn’t convert either – but the defense led by McKeown, captain Erik Recke and Owen Kulig wouldn’t concede for the final 70 minutes.

“They hit two perfect shots. We had chances and we didn’t put them in the net. It’s a funny game that way,” Witkowski said.

Once Towers made it 3-1 in a stretch where he and forward Alex Kidwell were gaining traction in the final third, the Bears were on their way.

That was probably the first time all season the Bears could truly see their goal within reach.

“We came together as a team,’ Towers said. “We asked ourselves (during the slow start), ‘What’s our goal this year?’ We want to repeat, win it back-to-back. And that’s what we got.”

Boyertown’s Ben Vermeesch clears the ball as Pottsgrove’s Germann Larmond and Nate Yuchimiuk go for a block. (Austin Hertzog – DFM)

Downingtown – Before Bishop Shanahan’s game against West Chester Rustin Thursday evening, Eagles senior center back and co-captain John George had a motivational message for his teammates.
“I told them that this was our most important game of the season,” said George. “It’s our final game of the regular season, and we want to come into the [PIAA District One] playoffs hot.”
The host Eagles (11-7) jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead, and increased it to 4-0 early in the second half en route to a 4-2 win.
“We came out with a lot of energy,” said Shanahan head coach Jim Kalavik, reflecting on the Eagles’ fast start. “We had to win today, we were playing for a lot. This win could put us in the No. 2 seed [in Class AAA District One playoffs].”
Just 3 1/2 minutes into the game, Shanahan junior Shimon Hilton punched in a goal, with an assist from junior Richard Zink at 36:30; then 10 minutes later Zink dished out another assist, this time on a goal by junior striker Jake Frank at 25:43.
With 2:50 left in the first half, Frank connected again, his 18th goal of the season, to give the hosts a 3-0 lead. Two minutes into the second half, George tallied at 38:04 to make it 4-0.
“We’ve been practicing our finishing, and it paid off tonight when we jumped ahead early,” said George.
Kalavik said, “We kept the ball on the ground tonight. We practice possession, try to stay away from the long ball, the kick-and-run style of play. [Junior attacking center mid] Harrison Coron controlled the middle tonight, Jake Frank had a good game, and [senior captains] John George and Spencer Bicking kept the guys focused.”
Just when it seemed like Shanahan had the game in hand, Rustin began to fire back. With 31:04 to play, senior Chris McMahon scored his 14th goal of the season (he also has eight assists on the campaign), then less than seven minutes later, sophomore Callum Gready scored from in front of the net to make it 4-2 with 24:49 to play. For the next few minutes, Rustin kept making aggressive runs at another score.
“I give credit to our boys in the second half – once we settled down [after halftime], we showed the type of team we are,” said Rustin head coach Ryan Castle. “We’ve been coming out slow in the first half of our away games this season, and tonight it was the same thing,”
George said, “Once the score became 4-2, I think our team woke up a second time. We had been playing a little too defensively, trying to kill the clock instead of possessing the ball in [Rustin’s] zone. So we made adjustments – our whole team began making more quick passes.”
Shanahan did not allow a goal for the remaining 24 minutes of the game, and the Golden Knights’ loss eliminated them from a possible first place finish in the Ches-Mont American Division. Rustin finished with a 6-6-1 league mark, behind Unionville and Kennett, who shared the division title at 7-4-2.
An encouraging note for Rustin Thursday night was the performance of their younger players in the second half, when the Golden Knights had just one senior on the field.
“We had an eye to the future in the second half,” said Castle. “We have eight juniors on this team – it’s been a learning year, and I think our future is [bright]. Two of our freshmen, John Park and Matthew Scoffone, had good games for us tonight, and our junior center back, Ian Sullivan, had a heck of a game.”
NOTES: Prior to the game, Shanahan junior Nicholas Krause, a varsity player for the Eagles, performed the National Anthem on his guitar for the fans, a pre-game performance he gives at other Shanahan boys’ soccer games as well. “He’s a phenomenal guitarist,” said Kalavik.

TOWAMENCIN >> It was no simple task staring down Pennridge Thursday night as the Rams traveled to North Penn to take on a deep, senior-laden Knights team looking to clinch its first Suburban One League conference title in nine years on Senior Night.

“I told my guys (before) tonight, one of two things is going to happen. You’re either going to have one of the biggest upsets in District 1 and take away the title or you’re going to sit on the sidelines and watch them celebrate it,” Pennridge coach Pete Valimont said.

The Knights came out firing on cylinders right from the opening tip. Noah Kwortnik scored the game’s first goal just two minutes in as he got a head on a great ball from Aiden Jerome who sent it in the Pennridge box off a free kick.

Noak Kwortnik scores North Penn’s first goal against Pennridge during their game on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)

“Noah headed it, far corner, perfect placement,” North Penn coach Paul Duddy said. “It (lifted) the whole team up. There was a lot of excitement on the bench.”

North Penn continued to use the momentum it gained from the early goal as the Knights claimed the illusive SOL Continental crown — their first title since taking the SOL National in 2007 — with a 3-0 victory.

“We just said, come out hard and we can’t take them lightly,” said North Penn senior captain Nate Baxter of the Knights’ hot start. “In our conference especially an upset is not much of a surprise.”

North Penn (14-3-0, 10-2-0 conference) came into Thursday night’s matchup needing a win to earn the title after Central Bucks East took a one-point lead in the standings earlier in the day with its 2-0 victory over Central Bucks South. CB East has won the previous three Continental championships with North Penn the runner-up each of those seasons.

Baxter scored the Knights’ second goal of the night as he got the ball around midfield off a crafty touch from Mike Kohler, took it down the left sideline and finished with a nice near-post shot.

“It was a run down the sideline Mikey (Kohler) played it to me, I broke a tackle, cut back, put it on my right foot, slid it in,” the midfielder said. “I did (know I was going to shoot) I felt like I was going to score.”

The Baxter goal came just seven minutes and some change after the Kwortnik goal, as the Rams were never able to recover from the rough opening 10 minutes.

Pennridge (6-10-1, 1-10-1) generated some second-half opportunities as it fired eight shots towards the North Penn net, but a combination good defensive plays by the Knights, some miscues by the Rams and just some misfortune in the case of the Rams kept them off the scoreboard.

The future looks good for Pennridge as it returns eight of 11 next season but for now, its North Penn’s turn, as it is now the new conference champion and looks to make some noise in the District 1 playoffs.

“I think we’ve got a good of a shot as anybody,” Duddy said. “I see in the rankings there are teams that are 17-0 (but) this conference is very good (and) we’re prepared to play anybody.”

Top Photo: North Penn’s Noah Kwortnik moves the ball upfield trailed by Pennridge’s Marco Grenda during their game on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)

SPRINGFIELD >> Late October soccer is often decided by two things.

The first is defending. Teams that were staunch all season and can carry it into the cold weather are already at a huge advantage.

The second is set pieces. With goals from the run of play a scarcity, the ability to turn a dead ball into a goal is sometimes the only separation between two teams.

Friday afternoon, La Salle College High School did both as it topped Saint Joseph’s Prep 2-0 in a Philadelphia Catholic League quarterfinal.

“The past two years of getting bounced in the semifinals, this group of seniors, and there’s seven of them who have been around for three years, they’ve tasted that heartache multiple times,” Explorers coach Tom McCaffrey said. “One of the things we talked about multiple time this year was not letting that happen. It’s something we’ll have to lock in on because this time of year, when the weather starts to change, it’s got to be restarts and very good defending.”

La Salle won the teams’ regular season meeting 3-0, but the Explorers weren’t taking anything out of that matchup. Expectedly, the intensity was high off the opening whistle and the officiating crew let the players battle, with some physical bumps and pushing going on up and down the pitch.

The Explorers were the better team getting forward in the first half, but didn’t get shots on goal, instead earning corner kicks. Forward Zach Hogan got in off a beautiful ball by Mike D’Angelo but his shot was deflected out for the first corner.

Midfield engine Spencer Patton had a good look wide and sub David Steinbach pushed a take wide when a deflection fell to his feet late in the first half.

“Coach said if we lose, we can’t come back from it, it’s win or go home from now on,” senior defender Jimmy Natale said. “We have to come out every game and give it our all.

“We’re a physical team, we’re a bigger team and I think it played to our advantage.”

La Salle’s first four corners kicks didn’t lead to any kind of payoff but the fifth changed that trend. Right back Joseph Brigidi trekked all the way across the field to the left corner where he played in a beautiful ball to the far post.

Natale, who was practically in the net, nodded it home for a goal before crashing off the post with 22:25 left in the first half.

“We knew the goalie liked to come out and was kind of sporadic so we thought to put one right where he was and see if he was going to do something about it,” Natale said. “He might have misplayed it and I was just there.”

Natale, Brigidi, James Hughes and Nicholas Hammel were also really good at their main role, defending in front of Brett Werner. Werner made three saves, none of which were notably dangerous.

“We’ve played together all season, we’re a good group of guys and we know to cover each and when to back off,” Natale said. “We know when one goes to shift, we all have to slide over and mark up.”

“They’ve done every job we’ve asked of them and really embraced it,” McCaffrey said. “Jimmy enjoys being in the the restarts, being in the mix and being the flick guy on the throw-ins. He embraces that job and today, he gets a great ball in and makes a great finish on the back post.”

Friday was not a cold afternoon, instead it was warm and sunny. Coupled with a high work rate team like the Hawks, McCaffrey saw some of his players were fatiguing faster than expected.

But the Explorers have bench guys for just that reason. So when the workhorses like JP Pluck, Mike D’Angelo, Spencer Patton and Zach Hogan got tired, fresh legs were ready.

One of those sets of legs belongs to Chris Metzler, a sophomore who’s made some key plays all season, like the game winning goal against Father Judge.

“Coming off the bench, we’re just looking to keep the energy going,” Metzler said. “It gives everyone an extra burst when some of the team starts to get tired.”

Metzler’s energy would turn a tense 1-0 lead into a two-goal advantage about eight minutes into the second half.

A long ball found the head of Hogan, the tall senior forward, who flicked it on with Metzler in hot pursuit.

“I beat the last defender 1-on-1, I got the touch around and saw the goalie coming out,” Metzler said. “He seemed to be coming out too quickly so I took a touch around instead of trying to force a shot too early. I beat him and had a wide open net.”

Metzler, with a horde of La Salle students staring at him and the ball, ready to explode in celebration, almost looked too wide open. But with composure, the sophomore put it away and gave his team a shot in the arm.

“I had to make sure it was on target and soft, but not soft enough to let a defender get it,” Metzler said.

The Prep started to get the ball up the field with more frequency in the second half, but La Salle defenders and midfielders who had dropped back kept blocking shots and clearing the ball away.

La Salle will face a red-hot Archbishop Wood, a 4-0 winner over Archbishop Ryan, in the semifinals on Wednesday. After losing to Roman Catholic in the same round the last two years, the Explorers aren’t taking the scenario lightly.

“Getting knocked out by Roman, it wasn’t a great way to feel,” Natale said. “I don’t want to end three times in the semis, it wouldn’t be a good way to go out. I want to win a championship.”

October soccer isn’t always glamorous, but it rewards the steadfast and the brave. Attitude and desire make winning plays.

The PCL playoffs might as well be states for the Explorers, as any loss from here on out ends their season. With a group of seniors who feel they’ve fallen short the last few years, La Salle’s vets are playing with a little extra chip.

“Today, I saw it,” McCaffrey said. “They came out today with a different edge in some of them. They recognized that this could have been their last 80 minutes in a La Salle uniform. They are embracing that and that’s what they’re really harping on. They want a Catholic League championship and they want it bad and they recognize if any of them take even a minute off, it’s going to hurt us and cost us this time of year.”

SAINT JOSEPH’S PREP 0 0 – 0
LA SALLE 1 1 – 2
Goals: L – Jimmy Natale (Joseph Brigidi) 18′, Chris Metzler (Zach Hogan) 48′ Shots: SJP – 3, L – 5. Corners: SJP – 1, L – 8. Saves: SJP – 3, L – Brett Werner 3

Quinn Dudek and goalies A.J. Marcucci and Matt Freese came up big as Episcopal Academy battled to a 1-1 draw with Malvern in Inter-Ac League boys soccer action Friday.

Dudek scored on a penalty kick in the second half and Marcucci and Freese made two saves each for the Churchmen (12-4-3, 4-1-1). Billy Coyle had the goal for the Friars.

Penn Charter 2, Haverford School 0 >> Bobby Stratts took over in goal after Will Baltrus was injured late in the game. They gave up one goal each and combined for four saves for the Fords (3-9-4, 0-5-1).

In nonleague action:

Strath Haven 2, Kennett 1 >> Harrison Hotham and Justin Snyder scored in the first half and that’s all the Panthers needed to close out the regular season with a victory.

Will Huestis made 10 saves in goal and posted a clean sheet in the second half.

Over the course of about the last decade, the Suburban One Continental Conference has been owned by CB East as the Patriots have won nine out of the last 11 conference titles.

“(It’s been) too many years, it’s painful,” North Penn coach Paul Duddy said of his team’s drought. “CB East deserves all the credit. They’ve won this conference nine out of 11 years. They are a great team and have been. (They’re) a great program. We were normally second and that’s tough to swallow a little bit.”

For a majority of those seasons , North Penn finished as the runner-up. In Thursday night’s 3-0 win over Pennridge, the Knights lifted their first conference title in nine years, an opportunity made possible by an improbable result with William Tennent knocking off East.

“William Tennent beating CB East last week opened the door for us and we took advantage of that situation,” North Penn coach Paul Duddy said. “I’m proud of them for that and I’m happy for them.”

Much of the success of this season’s North Penn team revolves around close-knit and very talented senior class.

“It’s a really good group of guys and I’m happy for them,” Duddy said. “I’m happy for the coaching staff don’t get me wrong but I’m just happy for them. They’re good guys, they’re friends and they enjoy this whole deal.”

Thursday night’s pregame festivities centered on honoring the senior class. The seniors did not disappoint. Seniors scored all three Knight goals — the first goal just two minutes in came from center back Noah Kwortnik on a beautiful head ball.

Midfielder Nate Baxter continued the scoring as his run and finish gave the Knights a 2-0 lead just minutes after Kwortnik’s tally. Mike Kohler put the final point on the board in the first minute of the second half.

The senior class not only scored but also helped keep Pennridge off the score sheet. Right defender Erik Szilagyi played tight defense and helped move the ball back up the field in transition along with fellow senior defensemen Nick Terchek and Cem Hoffmann.

A senior keeper duo of Bobby Dean and Tyler Rothmann combined for a six save clean sheet.

Duddy hopes that the current run his team is on can continue for a lengthy playoff run. With the current construction of the Knights team, they seem to check a lot of the boxes that suggest they would.

“I know it’s cliché but there is still a lot of soccer left, we hope, with districts and states,” Duddy said.

Top Photo:  North Penn’s Mike Kohler pushes past a tackle by Pennridge’s Aidan Link during their game on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)

Sebastian Jenkins

The senior goalie has recorded 10 shutouts for the Lower Merion boys’ soccer team this fall (as of Monday), and was voted first team All-Central League netminder. Outside of the Lower Merion pitch, he is a goalie with the FC Europa U17 Crunch team, which is ranked No. 14 in the country and No. 1 in Pennsylvania.

Q: As a goalie, does on-field communication with the defense play a big role in your success?

A: Totally. I try to communicate with the team as much I can. Sometimes at the end of the game I lose my voice.

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

A: I am good at PK’s – I saved five out of seven last year. My distribution could be better.

Q: You mentioned that a save you made during the Aces’ 1-0 overtime win Sept. 24 stands out in your memory. Can you describe how the play unfolded, and your role in it?

A: They had a really good striker up top, he beat through the defense and tried to slot it in the left corner. I had to react quickly with my left hand, and I just got to it.

Q: What do you think has been the key(s) to the Aces’ defensive excellence this fall?

A: Senior captain David Smith is one of the best center backs I have ever played with, and he plays alongside Thomas Podrasky,  who is a very solid All-Central League defender. We have two strong outside backs in Som Safavi and Zach Goldstein.

Q: You were a field player until eighth grade. What sparked your original interest in the goalie position?

A: In eighth grade, our goal keeper was injured and I stepped in to fill in for him, and I played well.

Q: On Aug. 24, former LM boys’ soccer coach Bob Davidson brought his group of athletes preparing for the upcoming Special Olympics to Lower Merion to train with members of the current LM boys’ soccer squad. Players from this year’s varsity and JV teams helped train members of the Delaware County Special Olympics team on technique before playing a couple of short matches. What is your most vivid memory of that day?

A: It is the second time that I participated in this event. It is always a great experience. I randomly paired up with a kid and he happened to be a goalie as well, which I found funny that we would gravitate to one another. Hopefully, I gave him useful tips.

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

A: I always do the same thing in every warm up. Coach [Nico] Severini always gives us a speech right before warm-ups.  We head out to the turf where the captains lead our four lines to do footwork and stretches. Me and little Sebi (LM junior goalie Sebastian Connelly) head out to do our own warm-up, where we take turns with passing and shots on us.

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

A: Coach Cronin always works with me in practice and before games.  The Haverford College goalie coach, Paul Stintson, trains me – hoping I would join The Fords – but I will be playing soccer for Franklin and Marshall.

Q: What uniform number do you wear? Why did you pick this number – was there a particular reason?

A: For my club team I am the traditional No. 1, but at Lower Merion the No. 1 goalie jersey was too big, so I picked the smaller No. 0.

Q: What do you think you might like to major in at Franklin and Marshall? Is there a career path that particularly interests you at the present time?

A: I’m looking to study business and possibly join my parents in real estate and building development.

Fun facts – Sebastian Jenkins

Favorite book: The Call of the Wild.

Favorite author: Dr Seuss.

Favorite TV show: Game of Thrones.

Favorite movie: 007.

Favorite athlete: Wayne Rooney.

Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Oooouuu.

Favorite team: Manchester United.

Favorite place to visit: Dominican Republic.

Favorite pre-game meal: “Sandwich that my mom packs me.”

Favorite color: Red.

Person you most admire, and why: “Rashford because of his work ethic.”

Birth date: Feb. 15, 1999 in Philadelphia.

Family members: Stephen (dad), Francesca (mom), Joaquin (11-year-old brother), Sofia (22-year-old sister),  Milo (dog), Fausto (cat).

(To be selected as Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by his coach.)