Sam Smith scored with 4.1 seconds left in regulation to lift the Owen J. Roberts boys soccer team to a 1-0 non-conference win over West Chester East Saturday afternoon.

Smith’s score came off a feed from Josh Fonder and Gavin Zorn for OJR’s ninth shot of the game. Ryan Walker and Zeb Smith combined for eight saves in goal to preserve the shutout.

Springside-Chestnut Hill 1, Hill School 0 >> In a rematch of last season’s PA Independent Schools Athletic Association championship game, Philip Burckhardt converted a free kick in the 22nd minute to deliver SCH past the Blues.

The Hill finished with six shots on goal while keepers Alan Kim and Blake Groff had two saves apiece.

TOWAMENCIN >> Over the last three years, Jared heard a lot of recruiting pitches at North Penn.

From pick-up games, to summer league to just walking the halls from class to class, Huzar heard it over and over again. His friends who played for the Knights boys soccer team knew he’d only make them better, but playing for Continental FC’s academy team in Conshohocken, Huzar couldn’t join them.

This fall, for his senior year, Huzar joined the Knights and has seamlessly fit right in.

“I’ve been lucky enough to know most of these guys for a while, we hung a lot just playing scrimmages together so it was a pretty easy transition,” the senior midfielder said. “I just wanted to enjoy my senior year, play with my friends and represent my school.”

Huzar scored a goal and assisted on another as North Penn topped Souderton 4-0 on Monday night to improve to 11-0-0 on the season and 7-0-0 in the SOL Continental as the Knights chase a third straight conference title. An extremely fluid player on the ball, Huzar slid right into the Knights’ first XI and meshed with his buddies turned teammates.

North Penn’s Aiden Jerome and Souderton’s TJ Hibsman go for a loose ball during their game on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)

Knights coach Paul Duddy also heard plenty about Huzar the past few years, including plenty from former Knight Matt Murphy. Murphy, who graduated last year, and Huzar have been friends for years and Duddy, citing Murphy and his family’s character, said that was all he needed to know.

A handful of people told the veteran Knights coach he should try to persuade the midfielder out for the high school team. Duddy never felt compelled to go that route, saying every player needs a different environment but if Huzar ever changed his mind, he was welcome with the Knights.

Of course, he’s sure glad Huzar came over this fall.

“He’s very quiet but you watch him play and our whole team understands now what he does and how it helps this team,” Duddy said. “He’s been friends with them and gone to North Penn, he just played for club teams. His talent, I can’t coach that talent, he’s got it, I just have to get him in the right place.”

As a team, the Knights are playing terrific soccer with the ball humming around the field and Huzar has played as key a role in that as anyone. Duddy said one thing that was apparent early on was that Huzar wanted to be a facilitator and put his teammates in position to score.

On Monday, Huzar played a lovely ball up to Knights striker Luke McMahon for the team’s second goal, then got his goal by following up a shot by Carter Houlihan for a rebound. Houlihan, North Penn’s junior dynamo midfielder and Huzar formed a quick chemistry and the senior-to-senior fix with McMahon didn’t take long either.

“I think it just came naturally,” Huzar said. “We all are unselfish players and we can link up well with each other. It fits well for me, they share the ball, I share the ball, it’s all come together well.”

Coming over from academy to high school, Huzar said there was an adjustment with the uptick in physical play. Duddy said the midfielder has handled it well and all the North Penn coaches had to tell him was to not get frustrated when he was getting used to it.

Huzar said the refs at the high school level let a little more go, and with the more condensed nature of the high school season, he’s been careful about recovering his body better each week.

“He’s been an absolute plus for our program, the boys love him and he’s a real good kid,” Duddy said. “He’s so good and so quick on the ball that, and I don’t want to use the term loosely, it’s like magic when he’s on the ball.”

Souderton’s Luke Atiyeh jumps to knock the ball away from North Penn’s Luke McMahon during their game on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)

Duddy joked about the only thing Huzar doesn’t do is talk. While the senior has gotten a little more assertive on the field, Duddy has been trying to get Huzar to open up a little more when he’s off the field.

“I sit down next to him and say ‘come on man, you can talk to me,’” Duddy said. “I don’t need to know anything confidential, but I’ll ask him ‘what do you think?’ I have asked him if he’s having fun yet and he always says ‘Yeah, I’m having fun.’”

Huzar is part of a large senior core for the Knights which includes McMahon, midfielder Aiden Jerome, defender Chris Caputo, defender Christian Snyder, keeper Brett Schwengels and many more who have big goals for this season.

A little more than halfway through the season, Duddy thinks the best is yet to come for Huzar and expects the clutch moments will bring out the best in the senior. Huzar said he hasn’t finalized plans for the future and isn’t sure if or where he’ll be playing in college yet but is instead more focused on the present.

“Our depth, all the players on roster whether bench or starters have been really contributing,” Huzar said. “It’s been a lot of fun. We’re just looking to win the next game and trying to stay humble.”

North Penn’s Carter Houlihan tracks down a pass near Souderton’s Brody Emery during their game on Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)

BUILDING BLOCKS

Souderton coach Matt Benner expected some growing pains this fall.

On Monday, he started five freshmen or sophomores plus two more juniors, so there’s been an influx of youth on the Indians side this season. Souderton stands just 1-8-1 (1-4-1 SOL conference) on the year after the loss to the Knights, but there have been a lot of one-goal games on the Indians’ resume.

“We’re doing what we can each game,” Benner said. “We’re trying to get better with each game and really try to make sure we balance good, strong results this year and competing in the league this year while also looking toward next year. We’re going to make some mistakes, but down the road, these players are going to gain valuable experience.”

Benner noted that while the SOL Continental is tough, it gives his underclassmen valuable game experience and every year, one of the teams that finished at the bottom of the table the season prior makes a big jump up the standings. There’s definitely skill within this group, and Benner is expecting another solid freshman class in next year.

For the second half of the season, Benner is hoping his team learns how to close out games and turn a couple of those prior one-goal losses into positive results.

While seasons like this can be difficult on upperclassmen, the Indians seniors have handled it exceptionally well. Guys like keeper Mitchell Race, center back Luke Atiyeh, defender Kyle Russell and forward Robert Shea have been in the program for a few years and have put their efforts toward passing the torch.

“My seniors are amazing, a lot of them have started for three years and they’re great kids,” Benner said. “They come to training every day and are positive, they’re welcoming to the younger kids and they never stop, which sets a great example for what we want the program to be.”

SOUDERTON 0 0 – 0
NORTH PENN 4 0 – 4
Goals: NP – Luke McMahon (Jared Huzar), Jamie Stewart, Jared Huzar (Carter Houlihan), S own goal.

SPRINGFIELD >> A win over La Salle was a long time coming for Kane Ritchie and the St. Joseph’s Prep boys soccer team.

“My Prep career we haven’t beaten La Salle like at all,” said Ritchie, a junior. “This is the first big win this season — more to come hopefully.”

Ritchie scored twice in Tuesday afternoon’s Philadelphia Catholic League contest, finding the back of the net once in each half to send the Hawks out to a 2-0 lead as Prep held off a late Explorers charge to claim a 2-1 victory at La Salle’s Lower Bartley Field.

“It’s a big deal for sure,” said Ritchie of his brace. “Especially coming out of last season’s (PCL) semifinal big loss — 2-2 then we lost in PKs. Especially cause I missed a PK, little bit redeeming myself this time.”

The Explorers (7-2-0 league) came in having won their last six meeting with St. Joe’s Prep — including Catholic League playoffs victories the last two seasons — but La Salle had a tough time creating sustained offensive chances against the Hawks backline until the final minutes as Prep (5-1-1) claimed its first victory in the rivalry since a 1-0 win in 2013.

“It was the last 15 minutes and we kind of pushed numbers forward and they got a little desperate is when we kind of created some things,” Explorers coach Tom McCaffery said. “Before that, their backline did a great job, 23 (Thomas Magiera) played a heck of a game… he played a great game at center back, really did some nice things to negate our lone forward.

“I just think we sat a little bit too deep with their speed and kind of just sat in a little too much, never really got forward on them.”

Chris Metzler pulled the Explorers within a gaol with 9:10 left in regulation as he got on a loose ball in the 18-yard box and bounced it pass the diving reach of Prep keeper Aidan Hartey.

La Salle’s best chance for an equalizer late came off a throw-in with Metzler trying to get his head off a header deflected in the box but Hartey grabbed the ball of the air in front of the Explorer midfielder.

“We’ve had coming in and out with injuries and we’re trying to find our way through it. Try to make better decision in the front third and quicker decisions,” McCaffery said. “I think right now that they game’s moving pretty fast. We’re trying to get to that level. So hopefully we figure it out in the next two weeks before the playoffs start.”

After not having lost a PCL game since 2015, the Explorers have now dropped two in the span off a week — falling to Archbishop Wood 4-0 last Wednesday to end their 33-game league win streak. La Salle rebounded by beating Archbishop Ryan and Archbishop Carroll but could not make it three straight wins Tuesday. The Explorers face PCL leader Roman Catholic 7 p.m. Friday at the Ukrainian American Sports Center in Horsham.

“As we’ve done for the last couple years, it’s kind of a game-by-game. We don’t try to get too far ahead of ourselves. If that were the case we would of been looking ahead of these guys and looking at Roman on Friday,” McCaffery said. “You’ve got to treat every opponent with respect, recognizing the fact that these young guys that Roman and Wood and St. Joe’s have had over the last two seasons are now upperclassmen and they’re quality players.

“And that’s the best thing about our league is that it’s always stacked with quality. As much as we’ve been successful the last couple years, if things had broke differently in a couple of those situations, this would have been a result we would of seen earlier.”

St. Joseph’s Prep, unbeaten in its last four PCL games (3-0-1) takes on Archbishop Wood 7 p.m. Friday at Temple University.

Ritchie said a big factor in the Hawks finally ending their six-game skid to La Salle was that Prep had built some confidence in its attack after a pair of decisive wins over Conwell-Egan and Lansdale Catholic last week.

“This past weekend we beat Egan 6-0 (last Saturday) and Lansdale 4-1 (last Friday) so I think we just learned how to put the ball in the back of the net,” Ritchie said. “And we were crashing the six, getting those balls in, playing scrappy.”

Ritchie’s opening goal came on a second-chance effort in front of the goal. The La Salle goalkeeper made a tremendous save to deny Evan Filak’s point-blank blast, but the ball deflected into the air and Ritchie was there to head the ball in to make it 1-0 Hawks at 27:55 in the first half.

“It was a hard from Evan’s foot and the keeper just bounced it off his hands and I just jumped out and knocked it down in the corner,” Ritchie said.

St. Joe’s Prep doubled its advantage in the ninth minute after halftime, Filak getting past the La Salle defense on the right flank before sending a cross into the box to Ritchie, who knocked the ball into the right side of the net.

“I was making the far-post run and the ball just came across and I had to take it across my body and just lay it off into the far post.”

The Explorers finally broke through in the final 10 minutes. Colin Doyle made a run into the right side box that sent a low cross to the front of goal. A shot by David Steinbach was blocked but Metzler got on the deflection and put a left-footed effort into the goal.

“That’s the one thing I’ll always give our guys credit for is that they grind and that they work their tails off. And that goal’s an indication of that,” McCaffery said. “As we forced numbers forced, we just kind of kept grinding on them and just trying to get after them, wave after wave and fortunately we found one there. And unfortunately we ran out of time. Another 10 minutes, who knows.”

Sam Smith’s second-half goal was the difference in a defense-dominated PAC Liberty Division boys soccer game Tuesday between Owen J. Roberts and Boyertown.
The Wildcats used Smith’s tally to secure a 1-0 victory over the Bears.
Smith converted Josh Fonder’s setup with 25:29 left in the game. The matchup was relatively even otherwise, Owen J. with a 10-9 edge in shots on goal, both teams taking pairs of corners and their goalkeepers making seven saves.

Spring-Ford 3, Methacton 0 >> Spring-Ford came away with a PAC Liberty Division win over the Warriors in a matchup that was called due to lightning with 22 minutes left in the second half.
Evan Hang and Aiden Hudon scored in the first half off feeds from Colin Trainor before Brett Gulati sealed it with a goal in the 50th minute. Ray Fortebuono made four saves in goal to preserve the shutout.

Perkiomen Valley 5, Norristown 2 >> The Vikings jumped out to a 5-0 lead at the half and cruised to a PAC Liberty Division win over the Eagles.
Anthony Pellerito, Matt Holmes, AJ Hansen, Declan Loughney and Cole Campbell all scored goals with Christian Suarez adding two assists. Fernando Sanchez and Diego Guzman scored during the second half for Norristown.

Upper Perkiomen 2, Upper Merion 1 >> Ian Costanzo scored both of the Tribe’s goals in their PAC Frontier Division win over the Vikings.
Cole Kendra added an assist in the win while Trevor Looby accounted for UM’s lone goal.

Phoenixville 7, Pottstown 0 >> Dominic Sposato’s hat trick keyed the Phantoms’ PAC Frontier Division roll over the Trojans.
Solo tallies by Jack Linko, Dan Cardona, Kyle Flick and Matt Rosenfeld completed Phoenixville’s scoring. Assists were credited to Linko, Rosenfeld, Sposato, Flick, Macario and Gus Martinez, with Raul Martinez needing to make just one stop for the clean sheet.

Pottsgrove 6, Pope John Paul II 1 >> The Falcons answered the Golden Panthers’ early scoring with a vengeance, riding the two-goal outings of Collin Deckert and Charlie McAllister to a PAC Frontier Division victory.
Justin Collings and Ethan Pace also got into the scoring act for Pottsgrove, with Ryan Curnew and Luke Kaiser getting credit for assists. That came after PJP opened the scoring in the eighth minute of the game, Salvy Marano converting a Brett Leighton through pass

Perkiomen School 3, Renaissance Ac. 0 >> Zach Kratz accounted for all three goals in the Panthers’ Tri-County League win over Renaissance Academy.

West Chester Christian 1, West-Mont Christian 0 >> The Wings dropped an Atlantic Coast Christian Conference matchup against W.C. Christian.

Samuel Wilson assisted on a goal and scored on a penalty kick to cap off a three-goal second half as Episcopal Academy won its Inter-Ac boys soccer opener over Germantown Academy, 3-0.

Wilson assisted on Jack Pacera’s goal and Gabriel Furey also had a goal off a helper from Harrison Malone. Goaltender Trevor Manion had two saves and secured the shutout to help the Churchmen (9-0-1, 1-0) remain undefeated.

In the Del Val League:

Penn Wood 4, Chichester 3 >> James Nmah scored his second goal on a penalty kick to secure the Patriots victory in overtime. John Kpankpa and Omarou Kromah also added one goal apiece while Momo Kamara made four saves for Penn Wood.

Nick Baney netted two goals, AJ DiPaolo chipped in one and Jason Willoughby had two assists for the Eagles. Goaltender Cameron Flanagan had eight saves in the loss.

In the Central League:

Radnor 1, Penncrest 0 >> The Raiders got to 10 wins on the year as Ben Engstrom found David Azzarano for the decisive goal in the first half and goalie Henry Cookie made a pair of saves. Kieran Wilmot made seven saves for the Lions.

Ridley 1, Marple Newtown 0 >> Keah Toney scored on a penalty kick with three seconds left in overtime to lift the Green Raiders past the Tigers. Zach Ritz (nine saves) posted his second straight shutout in goal.

Hill School 4, George School 0 >> After a slow first half against George School, the Blues broke through early and often in the second half for a non-league victory Wednesday.

Josh Shepherd, Zach Barrett, Euan Forreset and Caleb Gerdeman all scored for Hill, which held a tenuous 1-0 lead going into the second half. The combined goaltending of Blake Groff and Alan Kim produced the clean sheet.

Pottsgrove 3, Dock Mennonite 1 >> Second-half goals by Ryan Curnew and Sebastian Paez lifted the Falcons over the Pioneers in non-league play.

Ryan Curnew, who assisted Ethan Pace on his first-half tally, scored with 34:58 left in the second. After Dock got on the scoreboard at the 21:26 mark, Paez provided insurance with 3:58 left in the game.

In a nonleague match, Delco Christian erupted with three second-half goals to take a 3-1 victory over Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy.

The Cougars went ahead early as Billy Cohen found the back of the net in the 16th minute. It took the Knights a half-hour to equalize, but they produced three goals in quick succession. Mac Cardone, Jack Dill and Jason Woo all scored for Delco Christian.

Spring-Ford 1, Boyertown 0, OT >> Brett Gulati broke the deadlock 1:14 into overtime to keep the Rams undefeated in PAC play (7-0-1, 9-0-1, 11-1-2) Thursday.

Andrew Raser was on the assist while goalie Ray Fortebuono had six saves in the shutout. Mason Kurtz had seven saves for Boyertown.

Upper Perkiomen 3, Pottsgrove 2 >> The Tribe got a pivotal PAC Frontier win over the Falcons, improving to 5-2 in the PAC Frontier

Phoenixville 3, Pope John Paul II 0 >> The Phantoms got goals from JT Stevens, Dylan Elliason, and Kender Perez to stay atop the PAC Frontier at 6-1-1.

Perkiomen Valley 1, Methacton 1, OT >> The Vikings and Warriors played to a draw in PAC Liberty action. PV is now 4-0-4 in the division and 8-0-5 overall.

Perkiomen School 3, AIM Ac. 0 >> Jayden Kemp, Brock Reber and David Westhoff scored goals to secure the Panthers’ Tri-County League victory over AIM Academy.

West-Mont Christian 3, Kimberton Waldorf 0 >> Sam Landis scored twice, and Caleb Silkroski completed the scoring for the Wings in their Tri-County League victory over Kimberton Waldorf.

Samuel Wilson struck twice in the first half, with Rowan Brumbaugh and Jack Pacera doing the assisting, as Episcopal Academy topped Malvern Prep, 2-0, in Inter-Ac play.

Trevor Manion made two saves for the clean sheet for EA (10-0-1, 2-0).

Also in the Inter-Ac:

Haverford School 1, Penn Charter 1 >> Will Micheletti scored 10 minutes in but the Fords couldn’t press the advantage.

In the Central League

Radnor 8, Marple Newtown 0 >> Bobby Hydrisko scored twice as the Raiders deluged the Tigers with seven first-half goals. David Azzarano, Henry Cooke and Ludwig Posauner tallied a goal and a helper apiece.

Garnet Valley 3, Upper Darby 0 >> John Luke Buchy set up second-half goals by Eric Albright and John Cleary to augment an own goal and lead GV to a win. Phil Nmah made seven saves in net for UD.

Harriton 6, Strath Haven 2 >> Nate Perrins and Jake Zweier score off helpers from Vincey Palermo in the first half, but the Rams scored three unanswered after the break to blow open the game.

In the Del Val League:

Chichester 10, Glen Mills 1 >> Logan Sullivan and Danny Coale scored twice, and Jason Willoughby added a goal and two assists to lead the Eagles. Manuel Barajas notched Glen Mills’ goal.

In nonleague action:

Penn Wood 4, Bonner & Prendergast 0 >> Romario Sterling tallied a hat trick and set up Billy Beck’s goal, while James Nmah assisted on Sterling’s first two tallies in a big win for the Patriots (6-5).

Mike Perretta made seven saves in goal for Bonner.

ABINGTON >> Pressure can be a weapon.

The Abington boys soccer team feels its defense and its offense starts with its pressure up top. With forwards that want to pursue the ball as soon as it hits a defenders’ foot, sometimes it leads to quick opportunities.

That’s exactly what the Ghosts did on their first goal Thursday night and kept it rolling as they topped Upper Dublin 4-0 at Schwarzman Stadium.

“We got everything back together, we connected as a unit and played on the same page,” Abington’s Liam Friel said. “We were open, we looked for each other, picked our heads up, connected passed and looked for the right guys. It just worked out.”

Upper Dublin’s Christopher Kenney chases down a loose ball near Abington’s Liam Campbell during their game on Thursday, Oct 4, 2018. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)

Friel scored the last goal and assisted the first as four different Abington players put a ball in the back of the net. Sean Touey also tallied a goal and assist for the Ghosts, who put two goals away on either side of halftime.

While the Ghosts controlled most of the game, even racking up three corner kicks in the first four minutes, Upper Dublin nearly scored the game’s first marker. A ball pinging around the box found itself heading into the net only for a timely intervention by Ghosts defender Reece Gibbs.

Gibbs, who has been pressed into center back duty due to an injury, headed the ball off the line to keep the score deadlocked.

“Reece can play anywhere,” Abington coach Randy Garber said. “He’s strong, athletic and good in the air. He’s just a tough kid to get by and him filling in at the back, we don’t lose too much.”

The juniors’ timely intervention came with about 21 minutes left in the first half, and the Ghosts capitalized on the change in momentum a few moments later.

Touey pressured the ball at the back, winning it off a defender. UD keeper Alex Goldenberg made a terrific slide tackle to take it off Touey, but Bryce Lexow was able to get it on the right flank and cross it back in.

Friel was there for a shot, which seemed on its way in but got there for sure when Nevin Baer flew in to tap it home.

“We all know each other well, we play as a unit and see ourselves as a total team,” Friel said. “As long as it goes in the back of the net, it doesn’t matter.”

Touey made it 2-0 with 13:29 left in the first half when he drove a direct free kick from about 20 yards out through the wall and into the net.

“The key is with most of the teams we play, we play a high pressured defense and no one likes to play when they’re pressured,” Garber said. “That allows us to win balls that other players panic on. We have quite a few players capable of scoring goals.”

Upper Dublin’s Ryan Melick runs with the ball near Abington’s Gavin O’Neil during their game on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)

Upper Dublin worked hard but the Cardinals didn’t have much success connecting offensively. To combat the Ghosts’ pressure, the Cardinals wanted to get things moving fast, but they didn’t turn it into sustained possession.

“That team has a lot of firepower and one of the tricky things is to not make mistakes in the back,” UD coach Andy Meehan said. “They have the players to make you pay. We were trying to get the ball forward but weren’t able to get it to people and connect.”

Goldenberg played well in goal for UD despite the waves of pressure. The senior keeper came up with eight stops, including a couple on Touey and gave his team a chance to stay in the game.

UD dropped to 5-7-1 (3-6-1 SOL American) with the loss and although things haven’t gone as planned, the Cardinals have played hard through a myriad of injuries. That’s all Meehan can ask for, and he had no problem with his squad’s effort Thursday.

“We still have games left and I don’t like to get outworked by other teams,” Meehan said. “If we get beat by a better team, they can hold their heads up. What I look for at the end if effort and who wants to continue to play.”

Abington goalie Alex Haycock dives for the ball during the Ghosts game against Upper Dublin on Thursday, October 4, 2018. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)

The Ghosts went up 3-0 on a well-played goal when Touey got the ball in the box and laid it off right to Gavin O’Neil for a one-time volley. Friel got his goal with about 31 minutes left when he converted a rebound following another Abington shot.

Abington, now 12-1-0 (8-1-0 conference) on the season, finds itself in good position in both the SOL American and District 1-4A power rankings but the Ghosts know there’s still work to do. They were tripped up by Wissahickon in their first meeting with the Trojans and the Ghosts know they can’t overlook anyone the rest of the way.

“We have to keep it up at practice and keep working hard,” Friel said. “If we do that, we can carry it into the game and play as hard as we can and keep putting balls in the back of the net.”

ABINGTON >> Pressure can be a weapon.

The Abington boys soccer team feels its defense and its offense starts with its pressure up top. With forwards that want to pursue the ball as soon as it hits a defenders’ foot, sometimes it leads to quick opportunities.

That’s exactly what the Ghosts did on their first goal Thursday night and kept it rolling as they topped Upper Dublin 4-0 at Schwarzman Stadium.

“We got everything back together, we connected as a unit and played on the same page,” Abington’s Liam Friel said. “We were open, we looked for each other, picked our heads up, connected passed and looked for the right guys. It just worked out.”

Upper Dublin’s Christopher Kenney chases down a loose ball near Abington’s Liam Campbell during their game on Thursday, Oct 4, 2018. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)

Friel scored the last goal and assisted the first as four different Abington players put a ball in the back of the net. Sean Touey also tallied a goal and assist for the Ghosts, who put two goals away on either side of halftime.

While the Ghosts controlled most of the game, even racking up three corner kicks in the first four minutes, Upper Dublin nearly scored the game’s first marker. A ball pinging around the box found itself heading into the net only for a timely intervention by Ghosts defender Reece Gibbs.

Gibbs, who has been pressed into center back duty due to an injury, headed the ball off the line to keep the score deadlocked.

“Reece can play anywhere,” Abington coach Randy Garber said. “He’s strong, athletic and good in the air. He’s just a tough kid to get by and him filling in at the back, we don’t lose too much.”

The juniors’ timely intervention came with about 21 minutes left in the first half, and the Ghosts capitalized on the change in momentum a few moments later.

Touey pressured the ball at the back, winning it off a defender. UD keeper Alex Goldenberg made a terrific slide tackle to take it off Touey, but Bryce Lexow was able to get it on the right flank and cross it back in.

Friel was there for a shot, which seemed on its way in but got there for sure when Nevin Baer flew in to tap it home.

“We all know each other well, we play as a unit and see ourselves as a total team,” Friel said. “As long as it goes in the back of the net, it doesn’t matter.”

Touey made it 2-0 with 13:29 left in the first half when he drove a direct free kick from about 20 yards out through the wall and into the net.

“The key is with most of the teams we play, we play a high pressured defense and no one likes to play when they’re pressured,” Garber said. “That allows us to win balls that other players panic on. We have quite a few players capable of scoring goals.”

Upper Dublin’s Ryan Melick runs with the ball near Abington’s Gavin O’Neil during their game on Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)

Upper Dublin worked hard but the Cardinals didn’t have much success connecting offensively. To combat the Ghosts’ pressure, the Cardinals wanted to get things moving fast, but they didn’t turn it into sustained possession.

“That team has a lot of firepower and one of the tricky things is to not make mistakes in the back,” UD coach Andy Meehan said. “They have the players to make you pay. We were trying to get the ball forward but weren’t able to get it to people and connect.”

Goldenberg played well in goal for UD despite the waves of pressure. The senior keeper came up with eight stops, including a couple on Touey and gave his team a chance to stay in the game.

UD dropped to 5-7-1 (3-6-1 SOL American) with the loss and although things haven’t gone as planned, the Cardinals have played hard through a myriad of injuries. That’s all Meehan can ask for, and he had no problem with his squad’s effort Thursday.

“We still have games left and I don’t like to get outworked by other teams,” Meehan said. “If we get beat by a better team, they can hold their heads up. What I look for at the end if effort and who wants to continue to play.”

Abington goalie Alex Haycock dives for the ball during the Ghosts game against Upper Dublin on Thursday, October 4, 2018. (Gene Walsh/Digital First Media)

The Ghosts went up 3-0 on a well-played goal when Touey got the ball in the box and laid it off right to Gavin O’Neil for a one-time volley. Friel got his goal with about 31 minutes left when he converted a rebound following another Abington shot.

Abington, now 12-1-0 (8-1-0 conference) on the season, finds itself in good position in both the SOL American and District 1-4A power rankings but the Ghosts know there’s still work to do. They were tripped up by Wissahickon in their first meeting with the Trojans and the Ghosts know they can’t overlook anyone the rest of the way.

“We have to keep it up at practice and keep working hard,” Friel said. “If we do that, we can carry it into the game and play as hard as we can and keep putting balls in the back of the net.”

Hill School 2, Peddie School 1 >> Hill kicked off its Mid-Atlantic Prep League campaign Friday with a road victory at Peddie, getting two goals from senior Euan Forrest.

Forrest scored on a corner from Sam Beckett and thena free kick in the final five seconds before intermission. Peddie tied it on a breakaway in the 33rd minute but managed only five shots all match. Both sides hit the bar twice as The Hill unloaded 19 shots.

Phoenixville 4, Academy Park 0 >> Phantom goals were scored by Kyle Flick, Greg Flamma, Kender Perez, and Clay Kopko in a non-league win. Assists from JT Stevens, Jack Linko, Dan Barry, and Kopko. Gavin Perillo made three saves in net to keep the clean sheet. 

Micah Metricarti was all Delco Christian needed for a 4-1 Bicentennial League win over Calvary Christian.

Metricarti scored all four goals for the Knights. The first three were unassisted and the final goal came on a pass from Cole Levis. Goalie Josiah Bronkema made one save to post the win.

In nonleague action:

Penncrest 4, Chichester 0 >> Brandon Cairy tallied twice and Justin Pott made eight saves to post the shutout for the Lions. Nate Rogers and Brian MacCurtin added one goal each for Penncrest.

Alex Kades

The senior striker and second-year captain, an all-state selection last fall as well as Central League MVP runnerup, has scored 17 goals for the Rams (10-1-1 as of Oct. 7) this season. He tallied four goals in a 6-2 win against Strath Haven Oct. 4, and two days earlier scored two vs. Upper Darby in a 3-0 win. “He has been drawing every team’s top defender and usually has two opponents surrounding him,” said Harriton head coach Biff Sturla. Kades, who will be playing soccer for University of Pennsylvania next fall, helps coach Sturla’s Under 11 travel team and also the Lower Merion Soccer Club’s Boys 2012 Birth Developmental Academy. “He is a great role model for the younger boys and they look up to him a lot,” said Sturla.

Q: What has been the biggest key to your offensive productivity?

A: The biggest key to my offensive productivity has been the chemistry I have developed with my teammates. I have played club and high school soccer many years with Evan Tracy and Justin Nachman, and this is my third year working up top with Mikkel Andersen.  

Q: What do you think have been the biggest key(s) to Harriton’s success this fall? As a second-year captain and striker, how do you see your role of leadership on the Harriton soccer team?

A: Going into the year, the whole back line was new. Our first year goalkeeper Zach Schulman and our defenders have done a great job against quality strikers. As a striker, I help our defenders in practice, explaining what frustrates me as an attacker and show them what I try and exploit in other defenses. 

Q: Earlier this year, Coach Sturla mentioned that hard work and dedication will reward players who do not have original success, such as yourself. Who have been your biggest soccer mentors, and what was the most important thing you learned from each of them?

A: I have had the benefit of learning from a lot of coaches over the years. The two that stand out are Biff Sturla and Blaise Santangelo. I played club soccer for Biff multiple years and he eventually rewarded me for my hard work and taught me the importance of playing soccer the “right way.” Blaise coaches WCUSC Men’s Program and U23 team and has given me the opportunity to play on his NPSL roster and in the U23 Regional Championship. Playing with current and former pros and Division 1 players has significantly improved my game.

Q: Two of your goals in recent weeks were assisted by your younger brother Zach, a freshman outside midfielder. Can you tell us a little about those two plays, how they developed?

A: The first assist was a chipped through ball that put me on a breakaway and was an easy finish. The second assist, was similar, just from a different angle. He has made a big impact on the team with three assists in the last four games.

Q: You’ve played both midfielder and striker. What do you like best about playing the striker position?

A: I love taking people on 1v1 and putting the ball in the back of the net. 

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: The strongest aspect of my game is my ability to take defenders on. I am currently working on playing with my back to goal.

Q: What originally sparked your interest in coaching?

A: I have learned through experience that coaches have a big impact on kids lives. I want to be a positive influence on the younger kids in our club.

Q: Who is your favorite soccer player, and why?

A: Eden Hazard. His dribbling and passing is effortless and he dominates every game he plays in. 

Q: You wear uniform jersey No. 18 – why did you pick this number?

A: It has religious significance as 18 is good luck in Judaism.

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

A: I plan to pursue the PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) major at Penn. I want to be an entrepreneur when I am done playing soccer. 

Q: What extracurricular activities do you participate in at Harriton other than soccer?

A: I participate in the Freshman Mentor Program and SpeakUP.

Fun facts – Alex Kades

Favorite book: The Great Gatsby.

Favorite author: John Feinstein.

Favorite TV show: Breaking Bad.

Favorite movie: The Longest Yard.

Favorite athlete: Joel Embiid.

Favorite pre-game pump-up song: Cant Say by Travis Scott.

Favorite team: Philadelphia 76ers.

Favorite place to visit: Florida.

Favorite pre-game meal: Pasta.

Person I most admire: “My parents. They work  tirelessly to make my siblings and me happy.” 

Family members: parents Howard and Meredith, brother Zachary and sister Lily.

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

HORSHAM >> In the final pregame huddle, Central Bucks West boys soccer coach Stefan Szygiel stressed a fast start.

With his team roughly 24 hours removed from a grueling conference win over Pennridge on the expansive pitch at Talen Energy Stadium, Szygiel wanted the Bucks to find an early goal so more players could rotate their way in. The Bucks got that early goal, then a second all in the first six minutes.

Jimi Leder scored twice as CB West went on the road to beat Hatboro-Horsham 3-0 Monday afternoon.

“I don’t think (Hatters coach Kyle McGrath) or I expected the game to start that way but it can be a dangerous cushion too,” Szygiel said. “We were in that situation before against them and they’ve come back on us before so the message had to be stick to the game plan and we needed guys who were going to do what we asked.”

The Hatters, who had won four in a row coming into Monday’s contest, started flat and paid for it. Reed Sturza played Leder a terrific ball in the first minute, with the junior catching the keeper in no man’s land and putting away a composed finish for the quick advantage.

With Hatboro-Horsham  (7-6-1, 5-4-1 SOL American) unable to shake its sluggish start, the Bucks (11-2-0, 8-1-0 SOL Continental) kept coming and had a string of four straight corner kicks in the minutes following the opening goal. On the fourth, West played it short and while the initial ball in was punched out, Luke Fehrman was able to volley it back in.

The ball got to the goal at the same time as a Hatter defender and West midfielder Carson Snyder but was ruled over the line before anyone else touched it, giving the goal to Fehrman.

“It was not the start we were hoping for and credit to CB West for taking advantage of the first five minutes and scoring two goals,” McGrath said. “That kind of deflated the momentum we had built over over the last four matches. When you give a team like West opportunities, they’re going to take care of them.”

Leder, Sturza and Fehrman were all quite good on Monday and played with connectivity and inventiveness in the attack. Even after going up 2-0, the Bucks weren’t content to sit back and start thinking about rest, choosing to keep attacking.

“We had to come out strong knowing these games still count the same as our 2-1 win over Pennridge,” Leder said. “We had to stay focused. Heavy pressure from the start is crucial for the high school game, so that all around pressure, building from the back and finding ways to get it done were all important.”

Leder nearly picked out Fehrman, with Hatters keeper Zack Kim intercepting the ball, Fehrman was about a split-second too late to get to a Sturza ball and Colin Burn put a cross a shade too high for Leder all in the first half. Sturza also put a shot on frame that Kim was able to stop.

While the Hatters did eventually settle in after the rocky start, West went into the break in firm control.

“To start the game, we were really energetic and really focused, but we kind of lost it a little bit in the second half,” Leder said. “Playing the half-space balls really worked, we saw their back line was really high sometimes so there was a lot of space in the gaps. Finding those balls ahead or running onto it created a lot of success for us.”

Hatboro-Horsham surged well out of the break. Ryan Cole uncorked a curling shot on frame that forced West senior Dylan Smith into a tough save. The Hatters also had a couple of early corner kicks but couldn’t generate any real chances off them thanks to West’s stout defending.

With four games left, the Hatters essentially control their own fate in terms of the postseason. They sat 19^th in the District 1-4A standings entering play on Monday and can still win their way into the 24-team bracket, starting with SOL American conference games with Springfield-Montco and Cheltenham this week.

“We’re dealing with some injuries right now, so it comes down to that next man up mentality and we have to take care of business,” McGrath said. “We probably need to win at least three of four, if not all four. We’ve defended very well the last two weeks, we create a lot of opportunities but aren’t finishing them so we’ve been in a lot of tight games. Today, it was simple stuff we didn’t do in the first five minutes.”

Leder iced the game with about 16 minutes left when he pounced on a rebound inside the six-yard box. Sturza fired a shot that Kim did well to save, but with nobody there to clear it, Leder was able to fire it home before the Hatters’ senior keeper could slide over for the double-save.

“We always have to look for the rebounds,” Leder said. “It’s high school soccer, there’s going to be a lot of rebounds and missed bounces, so we have to pounce on them.”

CB West is off until Thursday, when it visits SOL Continental-leading North Penn in a pivotal showdown. The Knights erased a 2-0 deficit to beat West 4-2 in their first meeting, so both sides are expecting another intense, high-level clash later this week.

The Bucks did rotate plenty of players in and once they settled back in to the second half, the level of play stayed up. It was just the type of performance they had hoped for.

“There was continuity even when we were moving guys through and putting guys in different positions,” Szygiel said. “There was a purpose to what they were trying to do and we have to keep going with that. It’s an important time of year, we’re in the back third of the season and want to keep moving forward.”

CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 2 1 – 3
HATBORO-HORSHAM 0 0 – 0
Goals: CBW – Jimi Leder (Reed Sturza), Luke Fehrman (Nick Centenera), Leder (Sturza). Shots: CBW – 7, HH – 2. Saves: CBW – Dylan Smith 2, HH – Zack Kim 4. Corners: CBW – 5, HH – 7.

Boys Soccer

The Pioneer Athletic Conference boys soccer playoff picture is chaotic.

Except for one piece: Spring-Ford has plans next Tuesday.

The Rams clinched a place in the PAC Final Four on Monday courtesy a 5-0 victory over Pope John Paul II in a rescheduled crossover game.

Sal Ibarra, Brandon Duke, Aiden Hudon, Christian Wuertz and Tommy Bodenschatz were on the mark for Spring-Ford, which improved to 7-0-1 PAC Liberty, 10-0-1 PAC and 12-1-2 overall. With 31 standings points in PAC play, the Rams clinched at least a wild card. They can clinch the Liberty Division and playoff top seed with any non-loss this week in its contests against Owen J. Roberts (Tuesday) and Perkiomen Valley (Thursday).

The PAC playoffs will be staged Tuesday, Oct. 16 at Owen J. Roberts with the boys semifinals going on simultaneously at 7 p.m., following the girls semifinals at 5 p.m.

Colin Trainor, Marcel Francis and Colton Pollock were on assists as Spring-Ford led 3-0 at halftime and out-shot PJP 10-2. Liam Hungate had two saves in SF goal; John Wagner had five stops for PJP.

Boyertown 3, Methacton 1 >> It took 13 days, but the Boyertown boys soccer team finally defeated Methacton.

In a game that began Sept. 26 but was postponed due to lightning, the Bears got goals from Colin Brisbois, Nick Willson and Chris Davis for a 3-1 victory in Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division play Monday afternoon.

Dimitrije Randjelovic and Jacob Groff were credited with assists as the Bears improved to 3-4-1 in the Liberty, 6-4-1 PAC and 8-5-2 overall, staying in contention for a PAC playoff place though results will have to break their way in a crowded race this week with Perkiomen Valley (7-0-4), Owen J. Roberts (7-4), Phoenixville (7-3-1) and Upper Perkiomen (6-4) comprising the chase pack for wild card spots for next week’s PAC Final Four

Methacton (2-4-2, 5-4-2, 7-6-2) got a goal from Trevor Rambo, assisted by Luca Numerato.

Perkiomen Valley 9, Pottstown 0 >> Brian Love and Albert Pickles each scored twice in the first 11 minutes as the Vikings cruised to a PAC crossover win. AJ Hansen, Declan Loughney, Naseem Abdel, Cole Campbell (1 assist) and Alex Chamorro (1 assist) also scored goals while Josh Sabio had two assists.

At 4-0-4, 7-0-4, 9-0-5, the Vikings can clinch a PAC playoff place with a win in either league contest this week, Tuesday at Boyertown or Thursday vs. Spring-Ford.

Pottsgrove 3, St. Joseph’s Prep 1 >> The Falcons picked up a non-league win while getting two goals from Ethan Pace.

Pottsgrove scored twice in the opening 40 minutes, Collin Deckert (assisted by Shane Gleason) and Pace (assisted by Ryan Curnew) on target in the final 10 minutes of the half.
Pace, on an assist from Kevin Mendez, sealed it 10 minutes into the second half, while SJP managed a consolation goal from Drew Krumenacker with just 2:36 remaining. Luke Kaiser had four saves while Pottsgrove out-shot its PCL opposition 11-5.

Phoenixville 4, Marple Newtown 1 >> JT Stevens netted a hat trick and Kender Perez also scored in the Phantoms’ non-league win. Assists were from Dom Sposato (2), and Ryan Cowan while Phoenixville led in shots 11-4. Gavin Perillo made three saves.

Phoenixville (6-1-1, 7-3-1, 9-4-2) meets Upper Perkiomen (5-2, 6-4, 9-6) Tuesday at Upper Perk in a game that will go a long way to determining the champion of the PAC Frontier Division.

Upper Bucks Christian 6, West-Mont Christian 1 >> The Wings fell in Atlantic Coast Christian Conference play.

Golf

District 1 Championships >> Day One of the District One Boys Golf Championships got underway on Monday morning and gave way to some difficult misty conditions at Turtle Creek Golf Course.
Eight players from the Pioneer Athletic Conference survived the opening-round cut in the Class AAA division at 5-over 77. Central Bucks West’s Jezzeny sits in first at 4-under 68 while Holy Ghost Prep’s Liam Hart and Matt Fleming are tied for second at 3-under.

Among them were recent PAC Individual Champion Josh Ryan and Spring-Ford’s Luke Watson, both of whom finished in a seven-way tie for eighth place at 1-over. Norristown senior Caleb Ryan and Spring-Ford’s Nate Pierce both sit tied for 15th overall at 2-over while Methacton teammates Dylan Lasecki and Nick Martin along with Spring-Ford’s Axel Kalbach were 3-over. Owen J. Roberts’ Ryan Glenn sits at 4-over.

Field hockey

Upper Perkiomen 5, Dock Mennonite 0 >> Luci Carpenter had two goals and an assist to help Upper Perk pull away from Dock in a non-league outing.
Also scoring for UP (7-3, 8-7) was Abriana Gatto, Kylene Gooch and Margo May while AiYi Young had two assists.

Kennett 7, Pope John Paul II 1 >> Sydney Thureen had two goals and Emma Schwarz three assists for Kennett in a non-league win over PJP. Nina Mariano had PJP’s long goal while Elizabeth Lynn made 10 saves.

Girls tennis

Hill School 3, Friends Central 3 >> Elena Zhang closed on a six-game winning streak to win her No. 1 singles match over Skye Victor, 8-3, and give Hill a tie in the match. Joyce Sun and No. 2 singles and the No. 2 doubles team of Marina Mendez and Mofe Akinyanmi were also victorious.

Girls volleyball

Perkiomen Valley 3, Owen J. Roberts 2 >> The Vikings came back to edge the Wildcats in a five-setter, 25-12, 23-25, 21-25, 25-12, 15-11. PV leaders on senior night were: Grace Herbein (36 assists, 23 digs), Sarah Straub (19 kills, 13 digs), Liz Caruso (13 digs), Kylie Harris (8 kills, 13 digs) and Lilly Jonello (4 kills). OJR leaders were Michelle Frank (2 kills, 3 blocks, 23 digs), Mikayla Johnson (2 aces, 8 kills, 13 digs), Gabi Tamburro (8 kills, 9 digs), Michelle Mayk (5 kills, 7 blocks and 2 digs) and Jordyn Chambers (2 aces, 25 assists and 15 digs).

Boyertown 3, Pottsgrove 0 >> The Bears cruised in straight sets, 25-3, 25-5 and 25-17. Leaders for the Bears were Emily Wolfe (4 aces, 4 kills and 2 blocks), Savannah Derstine (9 digs), Logan Black (6 digs, 2 kills), Allie Garris (9 digs and 2 assists) and Taylor Jones (6 digs, 6 assists and 14 aces). The Bears record is now 16-3 overall and 9-2 in league play.

Phoenixville 3, Norristown 0 >> The Phantoms swept, 25-17, 25-18, 25-18. Phoenixville leaders were Keara Hennessey (5 aces, 4 kills, 19 assists, 11 digs), Kayla Grammerstorf (12 kills, 10 digs), Malu Salin Matos (5 aces, 3 kills, 4 digs) and Romina Broglia (4 kills, 4 digs)

Pope John Paul II 3, Villa Maria 0 >> The Golden Panthers swept, 26-24, 25-16, 25-20 in a non-league outing. Leaders were Maddie Mulcahey (8 kills, 9 digs, 2 aces, 11 service points), Sarah Ward (8 kills), Hannah Tulli (5 kills), Chelsea Harvey (5 kills, 5 digs, 18 assists, 10 service points), Mikaela Monroe (4 kills), Lexi McMonagle (10 assists and 2 aces),
Simone Sparano (24 digs, 4 aces) and Tea Pasuale (7 digs).

Upper Bucks Christian 3, West-Mont Christian 0 >> The Wings fell 25-19, 25-7, 25-8.

Water polo

The Upper Perkiomen water polo teams lost to Gov. Mifflin Monday. In girls action, GM won 12-8; boys saw the Mustangs win 16-9.

Spring-Ford 5, Owen J. Roberts 3 >> The Rams came storming back from down 3-1 to score the game’s final four goals and clinch the PAC Liberty Division championship. Brett Gulati had three goals and Colin Trainor had a goal and three assists for SF. Spring-Ford is 8-0-1, 11-0-1, 13-1-2.

Boyertown 2, Perkiomen Valley 0 >> Goals by Ryan Burkhardt and Colin Brisbois fueled the Bears’ shutout of the Vikings in PAC Liberty Division play.

Chris Davis and Gavin McCloskey were credited with assists on the Boyertown goals. Mason Kurtz made six saves in goal to secure the clean sheet.

Pottsgrove 3, Upper Merion 2 >> Ethan Pace figured in on all the Falcons’ goals as they edged the Vikings in PAC Frontier Division play.

Pace assisted on Collin Deckert’s game-opener at the 37:13 mark of the first half, later assisting on Caleb Hochstehl’s tally with 13:34 remaining in the first half. He then scored on a penalty kick with 31 seconds left in the game.

The Falcons (6-2-1, 6-5-1, 9-6-2) can win the Frontier Division with a win over Phoenixville Thursday.

Pope John Paul II 9, Pottstown 2 >> Sean LaPree and Zach Murtaugh each scored twice to help the Golden Panthers roll up a big victory on the Trojans in PAC Frontier Division action.

Salvy Marano (one assist), Brett Leighton, Calvin O’Neill, Ricky Gomes-Garcia and A.J. Williams also scored as PJP padded its 4-0 first half lead with five more in the second half.

Perkiomen School 3, Phelps School 1 >> Zach Kratz and Owen Taylor each figured on pairs of goals for the Panthers in their victory over Phelps.

Kratz and Brock Reber scored Perkiomen’s first two goals, with Taylor assisting both. The third came from Jayden Kemp, with an assist from Kratz.

West-Mont Christian 7, Coventry Christian 0 >> Sam Landis and Sergio Gonzales each scored pairs of goals to lead the Wings’ Atlantic Coast Christian AC romp over Coventry Christian.

Tyler Fox, Ezra Fagan and Caleb Fitzmier came up with solo tallies for West-Mont.

PENNSBURG >> The Upper Perkiomen boys soccer program isn’t exactly used to playing meaningful games in the second week of October.

Yet there was Upper Perk Tuesday night at home, hosting a game against the defending league champions — the ones it had defeated earlier in the season — with a genuine shot at the Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division championship.

As for Phoenixville, the feel-good story of underdog, upstart Upper Perk didn’t interest it much.

The Phantoms dampened the Indians’ spirits with two goals from Kender Perez and a backbreaking goal from JT Stevens late in the first half en route to a 4-1 victory to take the driver seat in the race for the PAC Frontier title.

Clay Kopko sealed the game with a majestic header from a Ryan Cowan corner kick in the second half to see Phoenixville improve to 7-1-1 in the Frontier, 8-3-1 PAC and 11-4-2 overall. Sean Clark had a pair of assists.

“It was a really good team effort today,” said senior midfielder Stevens. “We played well defensively, giving up only one goal instead of the two we gave up last game against them. It was a big defensive effort and we got the offense going with Kender, who played really well today.”

Phoenixville’s Clay Kopko plays the ball over his head back into the penalty area against Upper Perkiomen. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)

It sets up a winner-take-all match with Pottsgrove (6-2-1, 6-5-1, 9-6-2) — 3-2 winner over Upper Merion Tuesday — on Thursday. A Pottsgrove win would give the Falcons the division on head-to-head tiebreaker after the teams tied in their first meeting.

Upper Perkiomen fell to 5-3, 6-5, 9-7, but the loss doesn’t dampen the huge surprise the Tribe have been this fall.

Head coach Kyle Fisher’s bunch has historically been a bottom-half Frontier Division team. But this season, with senior captains Tyler Raymond and Mike Sitko, senior forward Ian Costanzo and sophomore midfielder Cole Kendra leading the way, Upper Perk has experienced an awakening. While the PAC playoffs aren’t in their future, the District 1-3A playoffs are. They are ranked No. 5 in the power rankings after Tuesday.

“I don’t think any of us expected to come out and perform as well as we have,” defender Raymond said. “I think we knew we’d perform, but I don’t think any of us expected to be in contention for the top spot in our division.

“I think we’ve even surprised ourselves as well as everyone else. We’ve gotten a lot more support from our school fan-wise so it’s been a really good senior year.”

“I think all the players understand how we play together,” Sitko said. “We know how to play off each other.”

Upper Perkiomen midfielder Cole Kendra.

The Tribe got on the scoreboard first on a quality long ball behind the defense from sophomore defender Jack Cupitt down the right side. Austin Dunar ran on and finished it across goal for the 1-0 UP lead in the 13th minute. But Perez, who carried a threat down the right side, won a scrum that led to a goal six minutes later then was the beneficiary of a defensive mistake with 11 minutes until halftime.

The real backbreaker came with 1:13 to halftime when Kopko, a junior center back with great ability and license to roam, played a short throw-in to Clark, who made a smart turn in the penalty area and played a ball toward goal that ricocheted out but only the Stevens near the top of the 18. But the Phantoms’ top midfielder smashed a volley to the right for a 3-1 lead that largely decided the contest.

Phoenixville’s Kender Perez celebrates his second goal.

The additional juice from losing to Upper Perk the first meeting didn’t hurt the Phantoms.

“We were really amped up. We watched film the other day of the last game we played against them and we did not play well,” Stevens said. “It was a big game for PAC Final Four and districts so we had a lot of passion and were really focused. We really wanted to get the win and it showed through.”

Phoenixville was something of the surprise story last fall when a strong senior class led by midfielder Kyle Tucker, last fall’s Mercury All-Area Player of the Year who is now at Drexel, became the first small-school division team to raise the PAC plaque.

Now, they wouldn’t mind doing it again.

“Last year we had a lot of key pieces go, but I feel like last year during practice and games, our role players got in and got a lot of experience and I feel like they’re showing what they learned and that they can contribute to the team,” Kopko said.

“It’s really been seamless because we have such a good cast. It’s definitely been fun,” Stevens said.

PENNSBURG >> The Upper Perkiomen boys soccer program isn’t exactly used to playing games with playoff implications in the second week of October.

Yet there was Upper Perk Tuesday night at home, hosting a game against the defending league champions — the ones it had defeated earlier in the season — with a genuine shot at the Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division championship.

As for Phoenixville, the feel-good story of underdog, upstart Upper Perk didn’t interest it much.

The Phantoms dampened the Indians’ spirits with two goals from Kender Perez and a backbreaking goal from JT Stevens late in the first half en route to a 4-1 victory to take the driver seat in the race for the PAC Frontier title.

Clay Kopko sealed the game with a majestic header from a Ryan Cowan corner kick in the second half to see Phoenixville improve to 7-1-1 in the Frontier, 8-3-1 PAC and 11-4-2 overall. Sean Clark had a pair of assists.

“It was a really good team effort today,” said senior midfielder Stevens. “We played well defensively, giving up only one goal instead of the two we gave up last game against them. It was a big defensive effort and we got the offense going with Kender, who played really well today.”

Phoenixville’s Clay Kopko plays the ball over his head back into the penalty area against Upper Perkiomen. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)

It sets up a winner-take-all match with Pottsgrove (6-2-1, 6-5-1, 9-6-2) — 3-2 winner over Upper Merion Tuesday — on Thursday. A Pottsgrove win would give the Falcons the division on head-to-head tiebreaker after the teams tied in their first meeting.

Upper Perkiomen fell to 5-3, 6-5, 9-7, but the loss doesn’t dampen the huge surprise the Tribe have been this fall.

Head coach Kyle Fisher’s bunch has historically been a bottom-half Frontier Division team. But this season, with senior captains Tyler Raymond and Mike Sitko, senior forward Ian Costanzo and sophomore midfielder Cole Kendra leading the way, Upper Perk has experienced an awakening. While the PAC playoffs aren’t in their future, the District 1-3A playoffs are. They are ranked No. 5 in the power rankings after Tuesday.

“I don’t think any of us expected to come out and perform as well as we have,” defender Raymond said. “I think we knew we’d perform, but I don’t think any of us expected to be in contention for the top spot in our division.

“I think we’ve even surprised ourselves as well as everyone else. We’ve gotten a lot more support from our school fan-wise so it’s been a really good senior year.”

“I think all the players understand how we play together,” Sitko said. “We know how to play off each other.”

Upper Perkiomen midfielder Cole Kendra.

The Tribe got on the scoreboard first on a quality long ball behind the defense from sophomore defender Jack Cupitt down the right side. Austin Dunar ran on and finished it across goal for the 1-0 UP lead in the 13th minute. But Perez, who carried a threat down the right side, won a scrum that led to a goal six minutes later then was the beneficiary of a defensive mistake with 11 minutes until halftime.

The real backbreaker came with 1:13 to halftime when Kopko, a junior center back with great ability and license to roam, played a short throw-in to Clark, who made a smart turn in the penalty area and played a ball toward goal that ricocheted out but only the Stevens near the top of the 18. But the Phantoms’ top midfielder smashed a volley to the right for a 3-1 lead that largely decided the contest.

Phoenixville’s Kender Perez celebrates his second goal.

The additional juice from losing to Upper Perk the first meeting didn’t hurt the Phantoms.

“We were really amped up. We watched film the other day of the last game we played against them and we did not play well,” Stevens said. “It was a big game for PAC Final Four and districts so we had a lot of passion and were really focused. We really wanted to get the win and it showed through.”

Phoenixville was something of the surprise story last fall when a strong senior class led by midfielder Kyle Tucker, last fall’s Mercury All-Area Player of the Year who is now at Drexel, became the first small-school division team to raise the PAC plaque.

Now, they wouldn’t mind doing it again.

“Last year we had a lot of key pieces go, but I feel like last year during practice and games, our role players got in and got a lot of experience and I feel like they’re showing what they learned and that they can contribute to the team,” Kopko said.

“It’s really been seamless because we have such a good cast. It’s definitely been fun,” Stevens said.

LOWER GWYNEDD >> Stuart Malcolm is looking for some consistency from the Wissahickon boys soccer team heading into its final games of the regular season.

“We got to start putting good performances together and not just one good one and then coming out and being scrappy,” the Trojans head coach said.

Tuesday night, Wissahickon had to just settle for finding a way to pull out a win over visiting Cheltenham after being a goal down at halftime

Eddie Fortescue netted the equalizer in the ninth minute after the break while Christian Vorchheimer collected the go-ahead goal off a scramble in front of the next with less than seven minutes to go as the Trojans rallied for a 3-2 Suburban One League American Conference victory.

“It’s a great feeling. I don’t know what to say, team just put together a great game,” Vorchheimer said. “We just had to force the ball over the line and that’s we did. And we’ll take the win.”

Neither second-half goal was glamorous but they got the job done for Wissahickon (8-4-2, 7-2-2 conference), which avoided its second two-game losing streak of the season.

“I was disappointed with the fact that we gave them the impetus after a few minutes when they put one away and they felt they were in the game,” Malcolm said. “So we talked at halftime about what are the things that were successful last night (in a 1-0 loss to Roman Catholic). And that’s what we tried to kind of emphasize in the second half.”

Fortescue pounced on a rebound to make it 2-2 with 31:32 left in regulation. Vorchheimer’s goal came after a throw-in into the 18-yard box. Jovani Gonzalez got a touch on the ball to push it out of the grasp of Cheltenham goalkeeper Justin Grady and toward the right post. Vorchheimer came in and knocked a ball into the net for a 3-2 lead at 6:34.

“Just a lucky, scrappy, ugly goal but we’ll take it and keep moving forward,” Vorchheimer said.

Cheltenham had its best chance to level the contest in the final seconds, drawing a free kick near the top of the Wissahickon box after a corner kick, but the restart was sent well high of the goal.

“They worked harder than we did. We worked hard the first half, we worked hard the second half but just didn’t raise our level up to match them,” Cheltenham coach Bill Tonkin said. “And they stole the game away. They deserve it. Can’t  say any more than that.”

Findlay Peet and Ben Kaplan each had a goal for the Panthers (6-8-1, 5-5-1), who missed helping their chances of making the District 1 playoffs for the first time since 2010 with a third consecutive defeat. Cheltenham, sitting 29th in the 1-4A rankings with 24 teams making the postseason tournament, visits Hatboro-Horsham 7 p.m. Thursday.

“We’re not playing bad, that’s the problem. We’re playing good soccer. We just can’t finish games,” Tonkin said. “We’re getting snake-bit a little bit. I mean, we were in a good spot a couple weeks ago, now we’re fighting. So hopefully these last three games we can put something together and see what happens.”

Wissahickon, which is 14th in the 4A rankings, kept its SOL American title hopes alive with Tuesday’s win. The Trojans visit first-place Abington 3:30 p.m. Thursday with a Ghost tie or win giving them the outright conference crown. Wiss gave Abington its lone loss of the season 6-0 Sept. 17.

“I’m not as comfortable as I would like to be in terms or where we are and what we’re doing and where people are going and everything else,” Malcolm said. “I think we got the majority of that settled on the field but there’s 11 spots and I’m still moving people around and giving people opportunities.

“We brought two players up from JV to try and see if we can get some other scoring going cause we’re a little bit too two-dimensional at the moment and it’s an odd goal here and there from players.”

Peet put Cheltenham a 1-0 lead at 21:24 in the first half, getting played forward by Max Brown then slotting a shot past Trojans goalkeeper Jun Yuh.

Wissahickon made it 1-1 at 11:02 as Trey Schwartz headed a Vorchheimer’s corner kick over Grady and into the top of the net.

“It was just trying to put the ball in the middle, let the tall guys get a head on it and just put it where it needs to be,” Vorchheimer said.

Cheltenham, however, regained the advantage with 4:42 remaining before halftime. On a Matthew Montes free kick sent into the box, Yuh and a Panther went up for the ball, Yuh could not snag it and Kaplan was there to send into the goal.

Fortescue tied it 2-2 in the second half by putting in a rebound after Gonzalez was denied by Grady. A few minutes later, Fortescue came close to giving the Trojans the lead, getting free in the box but his shot was saved by Grady. The ball bounced to an open David Goldstein, who sent a shot off the left post.