Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Wednesday. Hatboro-Horsham/PW photos provided courtesy of Michael Rice. Check back for a gallery. (CB West/CB South photos courtesy of Marge Bullock: http://margebullock.com). CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports' BOYS' SOCCER GALLERIES.
SOL Patriot Division
Pennsbury 2, Neshaminy 1
It’s barely September, and this was already one of the marquee matches of the season in the Patriot Division, as rivals Pennsbury and Neshaminy squared off in the league opener for both teams.
Jackson Hilt’s goal in the 86th minute proved the game winner, as the Falcons rallied in the second half for the 2-1 victory.
Scoring:
First Half -
Dean Goodwin (N) from Brody Collins, 5th minute
Second Half -
Olesiy Hontar (P) from Sami Awadalla, 45th minute
Jackson Hilt (P), 86th minute
Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart:
--The game: “We got out-played and were fortunate to only be down one in the first half. Found a rhythm and played much better in the second half for a deserving win to start the season.
--Props--“James Purdum, in goal, recovered from an early misplay. The whole team stayed together and showed great composure.”
Neshaminy coach Tom Foley:
--The game: "We lost 2-1, but truthfully, we probably deserved a little bit better fate. We certainly out-chanced them by quite a bit. We just couldn’t score. That’s going to be a problem for us. We have to figure out how to put the ball in the net.
"We got on the board first in the first half. Dean Goodwin got a corner goal off a Brody Collins’ serve, and we were winning 1-0 at the half.
Five minutes into the second half, they cleared a ball to their front runner, and they kind of won a battle. So, it was a good goal.
"We were threatening, threatening, threatening, and they scored (the game-winner) late in the second half, but we threatened a lot. I told the boys, I wish I could scream and yell and say, 'You didn’t do this, you didn’t do that.' But they did. They just didn’t hit the frame or test the goalie.
"We had one good chance. Georgie Enukitze got in. It looked like it got by the keeper, didn’t have a lot of steam. The keeper, to his credit, didn’t give up on it and just dove and just got his hand on it and ticked it off the line. So that could have put us up 2-1. But overall, I was happy with the effort. We’ve just got to figure out a way to score goals."
--Props: "I thought David Lopez continues to play really hard and create some chances. And Georgie Enukitze, who is a ninth grader, came in the second half and did a really nice job up front on the left side. But overall, we played well. We’ll just have to figure out how to put the ball in the net. Hopefully, we have a better result against Garnet Valley on Friday."
Next up: Pennsbury (1-0 SOL) has a non-league home game against Holy Ghost Prep on Thursday. Neshaminy (0-2-1, 0-1 SOL) plays at Garnet Valley on Friday.
Neshaminy 1 0 – 1
Pennsbury 0 2 - 2
Bensalem 7, Harry S. Truman 1
A three-goal, three-minute spurt late in the first half enabled Bensalem to stretch a 1-0 lead to 4-0 by halftime, and then the Owls finished off Harry S. Truman with three more in the second half in the league opener for both teams.
Chase Esposito had three goals for Bensalem.
Scoring:
First Half -
Jordan Posten (B) from Mamadou Diallo, 15th minute
Dylan Barnhart (B) from Danny Kalita, 30th minute
Chase Esposito (B) from Brandon Bock, 32nd minute
Dylan Barnhart (B), 33rd minute
Second Half -
Own goal (B), 47th minute
Truman, 53rd minute
Chase Esposito (B) from Art Drizd, 60th minute
Chase Esposito (B) from Chris Fielding, 70th minute
Bensalem coach Kevin Bock:
“Another strong outing for the boys in our first home game of the season. Game started off a bit disjointed with the field conditions playing a part.
“Our boys eventually started to settle in when Mamadou Diallo was able to find some space in transition and slot a ball to Jordan Posten on the wing, who placed it neatly into the near post.
“We then scored three goals in roughly four minutes to take control. Dylan Barnhart scored a breakaway goal on a nice long ball from Danny Kalita, Chase Esposito scored on a nice entry ball into the box from Brandon Bock, and then Dylan scored a second on a pure hustle play.
“For the second straight game we were able to get an early goal in the second half. Truman was able to get one back on a nice little combination play which sent their forward on a breakaway where he had a nice finish. Chase Esposito ended up getting two more goals for his second straight hat trick to put the game away.
“Kudos to Truman for playing hard throughout. Definitely had us on our heels for a while and never let up.”
Truman coach Rob Brown:
--The game: “It was a challenging afternoon for the Tigers on the road. Playing on Bensalem’s unusually thick grass surface hampered our pace and rhythm early on, forcing us off our typical style of play.
“The match turned on a crucial sequence in the first half. Down 1-0 after an early defensive miscue, we earned what initially appeared to be a penalty kick inside the box following an elbow to the back. However, after an unusual consultation between the officials, the decision was reversed and the ball was moved outside the box for a direct free kick. Unsettled by the call and placement, we missed the set piece. Bensalem almost immediately countered to make it 2-0, and a subsequent pass to our keeper was blocked by their players outstretched arm and into the net gave them their third goal before halftime. In a matter of minutes, a potential 1-1 equalizer turned into a 3-0 deficit, leaving our squad momentarily deflated.
“While the turn of events was frustrating, this match offers a major learning experience for our team. Credit goes to Bensalem - the Owls played with relentless energy from the opening whistle and earned the victory. They exposed areas in our midfield and defensive organization that we must refine.
“Despite the difficult result, I was proud to see our players fight until the final whistle and put a goal on the board. Changing a program's culture takes time, resilience, and hard work. I love coaching this group of student-athletes. Their passion for the game is undeniable, and I am confident this setback will motivate us as we return to practice and prepare for the next match. Truman is often overlooked and we hope to change that.:
Next up: Bensalem (2-0, 1-0 SOL) hosts Central in a non-league game on Thursday. Truman (1-1, 0-1 SOL) is off until a Sept. 8 game at Council Rock North.
Bensalem 4 3 - 7
Truman 0 1 - 1
SOL Colonial Division
Central Bucks East 0, Souderton 0
Not a lot separated CB East and Souderton, at least to start the season, as the SOL Colonial Division rivals settled to a scoreless tie in the league opener for both teams on Wednesday.
Souderton coach Frank Demas:
“Trevor Aldefer came up with a few really important saves for us today, as well as owning his box well.
“We have a lot of guys playing in their first SOL game today. So, it took us a little bit to get our feet under us. East was a good and strong team, which we knew they would be. Josh (Isaacsohn) always puts out a strong product at East.
“Our guys did eventually settle down and played a good second half. We created more chances, defended better, and kept the ball a lot more in that second half. We know with so many new guys, we are very much of the mentality that to succeed this year, we will need full team efforts and every player working as hard as possible. We need players who want to leave it all out on the field for the team, which we thankfully saw from a bunch of guys today.”
CB East coach Josh Isaacsohn:
“It was two young squads that are finding their feet - organized at times, not so organized at other times, and just fought it through to a tie. I think it was two teams that are figuring themselves out, and neither team really got a lot of opportunities and goals. But all in all, just a little bit of a defensive battle to a 0-0 tie. It was not a ton of offense."
--Shoutout: "I just want to always give a shout out because I have ultimate respect for coach Frank (Demas) and how he handles his players and everything that he does.”
Next up: CB East (0-1-2, 0-0-1 SOL) hosts Abington in a non-league game on Saturday. Souderton (1-0-1, 0-0-1 SOL) is off until Tuesday when it plays at CB South.
CB East 0 0 - 0
Souderton 0 0 - 0
Central Bucks South 2, Central Bucks West 0
The Titans made the short trip up to War Memorial Stadium and scored once in each half to earn their first victory of the season.
By the Numbers:
First Half
Jackson Tait (CBS) Unassisted
Second half
Jackson Tait (CBS) from Evan Nguyen
CB SOUTH COACH ED BRNARDIC: “It's nice to get the first win of the season after three
draws, and we always enjoy playing at War Memorial Stadium. The staff is super hospitable, they always organize a great event, and because they are our sister-school, some of these kids are like brothers to each other. I've appreciated watching their guys grow up through the years - guys like senior captain Michael Rafalowski who plays hard, plays smart, and does such a great job for them. But everyone loves to compete against their brother, so despite an exhausting start to the season for us, our guys came out with a lot of energy tonight.
“Our first goal came from a beautiful long ball from our goalkeeper Maks Deliavskyi that Ryan Burke was able to knock over towards Jackson Tait. Jackson took the bouncing ball from the defender and finished cooly with his left foot past the on-coming keeper. A big save by Maks near the end of the first half kept the score at 1-0, and early in the second half a cross from Evan Nguyen found Jackson Tait who turned and scored his second of the match.”
--PROPS: “Collin Howley: Collin continues to grow in confidence and again tonight he was able to impact the game. He didn't appear on the scoresheet, but he was dangerous all night. Collin is old school - he stays quiet during the match and puts his hard hat on and he goes to work. Because
of this, he is quickly earning respect across the league.
“Jackson Tait: Jackson scored near the end of the first half, but it was early in the second half when he really turned it on by spraying beautiful passes to his teammates and then running to get the ball back in scoring positions, eventually notching his second of the match. After going up 2-0 we needed him to drop back on defense to protect the lea,d and he demonstrated he could close out the game for us.
“Maksym Deliavskyi: Our biggest surprise of the season has been the phenomenal play of our goalkeeper. A lot of credit goes to our great alumni keeper Pat VanLuvanee who has been working with Maks during the summer. Maks grew up as a striker, so he is very comfortable with the ball at his feet, and he can generate so much power on his kicks. But Maks is also a multisport athlete (volleyball) and he is great with his hands too. With the score 1-0 tonight, a corner kick clearance came out to the top of the box and their #13 (Zurab Lobzhanidze) hit one of the cleanest side volleys I've seen. Beautiful technique. This looked like a sure goal until Maks went superman, diving across to make the save. Maks has been a big reason for our early season success.”
UP NEXT: CB South host Souderton on Tuesday at 7pm. CB West has a scheduled nonleague game against Council Rock South on Thursday.
Central Bucks West 0 0 0
Central Bucks South 1 1 2
SOL Liberty Division
Hatboro-Horsham 1, Plymouth Whitemarsh 0
Finn Marsden buried a penalty kick in the sixth minute of the game, and that proved the difference as Hatboro-Horsham opened its league season with a hard-fought win over 
Plymouth Whitemarsh on Wednesday.
Scoring:
First Half -
Finn Marsden (HH), 6th minute
H-H coach Kyle McGrath:
“The Hatters went on the road and picked up their first league win of the season, capitalizing on a Finn Marsden penalty kick in the 6th minute. Lucas Rodriguez drew the foul which led to the penalty kick and ultimately the game winning goal.”
--Props: “The Hatters defense was anchored by Owen Fagan in goal, making 5 saves while securing his second shutout of the season. The back four of Leighton Saxer, Nick Bellizzie, Connor Colletto and Ryan Brosso held off PW during a furious last 3 mins of the game.
“Finn Marsden and Noel Nation played the full 80 minutes in the center midfield.
“Credit to (PW) coach Toni Washington and her team for making things very difficult on us today. We certainly didn’t play our best and that’s a credit to them, but we were able to get the 1-0 victory.”
Next up: Hatboro-Horsham (2-1, 1-0 SOL) hosts Wissahickon on Tuesday. PW (0-1 SOL) looks to bounce back with a non-league game against Cheltenham on Friday.
Hatboro-Horsham 1 0 – 1
PW 0 0 - 0
Abington 4, Wissahickon 0
Sam Arruda scored all four goals, including three in the first half as Abington started strong and finished off Wissahickon at home in the Liberty Division opener for each team.
Scoring:
First Half -
Sam Arruda (A) from Jazafith Vasquez
Sam Arruda (A) from Zachary Yurchyshyn
Sam Arruda (A) from Jazafith Vasquez
Second Half -
Sam Arruda (A) from Ciaran Regan
Abington coach Isaac Pitkow:
“Great performance today from the Abington boys soccer team as a whole. It was a typical game that you see played on our home field at Schwartzman Stadium, and it was a game that was decided by goals scored in the air and set pieces.
“The MVP of the game was by far senior Samuel Arruda. Sam scored all four goals, a hat trick in the first half, his fourth goal coming shortly into the second half. The first goal was off a short throw in, assisted by a cross from senior forward Jazafith Vasquez, who crossed it into the box that Sam headed home.
“The second goal was from a long throw in from Carter Shannon, senior center back, with a long throw in for us. That is a huge weapon. The throw was redirected by senior midfielder, Zachary Yurchyshyn, who flicked the ball on with his head to Sam who headed home for his second goal. The third goal was from a corner kick from senior for Jazafith Vasquez, who played a perfect ball into the box that Sam headed home, and the fourth goal was a shot from sophomore left back Ciaran Regan that Sam redirected into the goal.”
-–Props: “Before the game I challenged Sam Arruda to score a goal in this game, having started slow against La Salle in our first game (delayed due to stadium lighting issues). Sam is a player who thrives when given a challenge and showed that today given his performance. We are so proud of him.
“Other notable performances in the game go to senior captain Sean Westmoreland, who played a solid game in the midfield and dropped back to center back to give crucial minutes in defense when we made a tactical switch to put senior captain Kyle Kretschman forward. Kretschman had no goals or assists on the day, but all four goals from Sam came after Kretschman was pushed forward.
“Other notable good performances from our team came from senior midfielder Owen Gesing, who had a great game with winning 50-50 balls and particularly his passing distribution of balls over the top into forwards.
“Lastly, senior forward Brennan Ewer played an outstanding game on the right wing and did not register any assist or goals but was the center of many of our attacks going forward.”
Wissahickon coach Stuart Malcolm:
“The team put in a solid effort today against a strong Abington squad. Each player worked extremely hard this afternoon, and many good lessons were learned to help with the rest of the season.”
Next up: Abington (1-0-1, 1-0 SOL) plays at Archbishop Ryan on Friday. Wissahickon (1-2, 0-1 SOL) looks to bounce back at Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Wissahickon 0 0 – 0
Abington 3 1 - 4
Upper Dublin 4, Quakertown 0
Jacob Peng scored a pair of goals eight minutes apart in the first half as Upper Dublin was off and running, defeating Quakertown 4-0 in a Liberty Division game on Wednesday afternoon.
Scoring:
First Half -
Jacob Peng (UD)
Jacob Peng (UD)
Second Half -
Tyler McLaughlin (UD)
John Smith (UD)
Upper Dublin coach Noah Johnson:
--The game: “We did a very good job of adjusting and communicating today. That’s something we’ve been talking about every day since the start of preseason and how important talking will be this year just because our team is fairly new. We don’t have many returners. We have a lot of new faces, and people are still just getting used to each other and getting used to what it is that we need to do in order to be successful, and today was a very good day with communicating and talking.”
—Props: “A couple players showed up big for us today and did their part to help us really get forward and do what we need to be doing. Carter Lesshafft did a very good job up top today, just being everything that we needed him to be, which is being strong, being confident and helping us win balls in the air.
“Jacob Peng did a very good job today of creating opportunities and putting the ball in the back of the net."
Next up: Upper Dublin (2-1, 1-0 SOL) next plays at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday. Quakertown (0-1 SOL) is off until a Tuesday game at Abington.
Upper Dublin 2 2 – 4
Quakertown 0 0 - 0
SOL Freedom Division
Springfield Twp 3, William Tennent 0
A pair of second-half goals broke open a close game as defending champ Springfield rolled to the 3-0 shutout of William Tennent in a Freedom Division opener on Wednesday.
Brendan Noonan scored twice for the Spartans.
Scoring:
First Half -
Brendan Noonan (S) from Adam DiBattista
Second Half -
Brendan Noonan (S) from Adam DiBattista
Eden Ha (S)
Springfield coach Riley Woron:
“I always look forward to playing William Tennent. Nick, Dave, and Angelo are great coaches and always set their players up for success. It’s a great litmus test of what kind of season we will have. They have a very dangerous forward who caused us a fair bit of trouble in the first half.
“Our defense was able to settle in towards the second half, and we were able to secure a shutout against a talented team.
“First shutout of the season led by a GK platoon of Josh Garbarini and Robin Kester. We’re hoping to keep the momentum going into next week against two familiar faces in Cheltenham and Upper Dublin.”
Next up: Springfield (2-0, 1-0 SOL) is off until Tuesday when it plays at Cheltenham. Tennent (1-1, 0-1 SOL) plays at New Hope-Solebury on Tuesday.
Springfield 1 2 - 3
Tennent 0 0 - 0
Upper Moreland 1, Cheltenham 0
Lower Moreland 1, New Hope-Solebury 1
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