Owen J. Roberts rallies past Boyertown, 2-1, for PAC-10 title
BUCKTOWN – To hear senior sweeper Ben Huzzard tell it, one of the biggest attributes of the Owen J. Roberts boys soccer team is its mental toughness.
That strength was put to the test Thursday night at Henry J. Bernat Field, when the Wildcats found themselves down a goal to Liberty Division rival Boyertown at halftime of the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship.
“Coach (Eric) Wentzel has been preaching it (mental toughness) all year,’ Huzzard said. “We were down 1-0 to a real good team, but we kept it alive, we kept our heads and we played how we should.’
That perseverance paid off in a big way as Owen J. Roberts rallied for two goals over the final 23 minutes of regulation on the way to a 2-1 victory.
Junior midfielder Bruce Dowlin delivered the equalizer with a direct kick, then sophomore midfielder Taurean Lee connected for the go-ahead goal with 6:59 remaining as the Wildcats (14-6) won their first PAC-10 title since 2011 and sixth league crown over the past 11 years.
Will Schul scored for Boyertown (15-5), which was seeking its second PAC-10 championship in the past three years.
“We talked about it all week,’ said Wentzel, whose squad had dispatched Phoenixville 3-0 in the semis. “Not leaving anything behind and leaving it all out on the field. No regrets.’
“We just have a lot of pride in our team,’ Dowlin said. “We always have the confidence that we can come back from any deficit.’
That confidence was shaken a bit in the first half, when the Bears struck first on Schul’s left-footed blast from 23 yards out 18:41 before intermission.
That’s how it stayed until with 22:41 left, the Wildcats were awarded a direct kick.
“I was just thinking, ‘ It’s practice,” Dowlin said. “I practice them all the time. I like to take them from that (right) side, curl them outside the wall and post and put it right in the corner.’
Dowlin masterfully did exactly that from about 25 yards out to knot things up and provide a huge shot in the arm for OJR.
“Once Bruce hit that, I knew we had a good chance to win,’ Huzzard said.
That became a great chance when the Wildcats earned a throw-in from the left side with a little more than seven minutes left.
Huzzard started the fateful sequence with a strong throw to the box, fellow senior Nate Raban redirected it in a mad scramble and Lee pounced on it from point-blank range and put it home.
“Our team works really well together,’ Lee said. “We have an amazing connection.’
Boyertown wound up with a 9-7 advantage in shots, with the corners even at 7-7.
“We gave up two goals on restarts,’ Boyertown coach Scott Didyoung said. “All season long, the only teams that have beaten us have done that when we’ve given up goals on restarts. We don’t give up many goals from the regular field of play, but that seems to be our Achilles heel.
“I think the combination of not finishing our opportunities and not getting the job done marking-wise on restarts and giving up restarts unnecessarily hurt us. But I’m very proud of the boys. They played extremely well and they played with a lot of passion and heart.’
As did the Wildcats, a talented blend of youth and experience that showed they are indeed championship material.
“I’d say we move the ball and work well as a unit,’ Dowlin said. “Sometimes we get on each other, but that’s just the way the game goes. We pull together, have a positive attitude, and put the ball in the net.’
“These kids have really grown up this year,’ said Wentzel. “I told them I appreciate the ride they are taking me on.’
