Pio, Strath Haven get in gear, outpace Marple Newtown
NETHER PROVIDENCE — Through two quarters and most of a third Wednesday night, Ibo Pio found mostly frustration on the offensive end. The Strath Haven junior midfielder had two assists, but as the Panthers monopolized possession and strafed the Marple Newtown net with shots, Pio hadn’t yet found a groove.
A running back in the fall, the shifty and speedy midfielder does his best work off the dodge, running by a defender to create space, for a shot or pass. With Marple Newtown clogging up the middle of the field in its zone defense, blocking passing lanes and deflecting goal-bound shots, the space Pio prizes was at a premium. So he knew he had to create it.
“In the first half, it was a little difficult to really realize what they were doing with it,” Pio said. “But in the second half, we realized we have the faster and more athletic guys, and with me sitting behind and letting them come out and press out on the other guys, we can run by them all day. It was easy.”
Pio scored twice in a minute and a half in the third quarter, turning the momentum in Strath Haven’s favor in an 8-6 win over the Tigers in the first round of the District 1 Class 2A tournament.
The second-seeded Panthers (12-7) advance to Monday’s semifinal against No. 3 Springfield-Montco, which downed Interboro, 8-6. The winner advances to the district final and the state tournament.
In the opening half, Pio excelled as the distributor, with Nicky Palermo finding enough space on the crease to fire home three goals and stake Strath Haven to a 4-3 lead. In the third, with Marple Newtown adjusting by compacting into the zone, those spaces closed up.
Pio was tasked with finding a new way through. The method he settled on was dragging a defender wide, then running by him. He did it with 2:27 left in the third and the Panthers on one of nine man-up chances. Then, 1:15 later, he pulled the same move, sweeping in from the right behind goalie Liam Ferry’s cage, changing his shot angle several times in a succession of head fakes and bouncing the ball home.
“I see how I got there and beat him again,” Pio said. “Just do it until they stop me.”
Ibo Pio kept it in … the net. 7-3 Panthers. pic.twitter.com/edpkEa8Cn7
— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) May 16, 2019
Those goals cemented a dominant quarter. The Panthers outshot seventh-seeded Marple Newtown (8-11) by a 44-25 margin for the game. It was 15-3 in the third, with Christian Mazur winning all four of the frame’s draws and the Panthers holding the ball for roughly 10 minutes. Ethan Belville widened the lead with a rip from distance at 9:18, but Marple’s defense held steady until Pio turned on the after-burners.
Given how much work they were forced into, it was a resolute performance from Marple’s defense. They sacrificed bodies to block 10 shots. They disrupted the Panthers’ passing with active sticks. And they got 11 combined saves from Dominic Mandell and Ferry in their goaltending timeshare, Mandell’s six first-half saves keeping them in touch.
Palermo with the sneak for his 4th. 8-5 Haven. 7:28 left. pic.twitter.com/eJHsBCCCYJ
— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) May 16, 2019
“Earlier in the season, we played Strath Haven, we played our zone, and they worked the ball around up top and all they were looking for was outside shots or trying to feed the crease,” defender Blake Turnier said. “I feel like we stopped them on the crease tonight, made sure no one was there, and we really got on their hands and forced either terrible shots or shots that were going to get blocked. I feel like our mentality and focus, we had a hard-fought game.”
Marple made it interesting in the fourth. Colin Ferry scored his second goal of the game with 10:35 left, though in an apropos moment for an attack racked with injuries this year, he rolled an ankle and exited the game. CJ Lane fired in Charlie Box’s skip pass with the man advantage at 9:19 to get within 7-5.
PHOTO GALLERY: Marple Newtown vs. Strath Haven
The amount of time the Tigers were in their defensive half took a toll, not just in Palermo getting a fourth goal to seal it with 7:28 left. But in the desperation that such incessant offensive pressure breeds. With Mazur going 13-for-18 at the X and Strath Haven milking long and productive possessions, Marple’s time with the ball seemed even more fleeting. And that sense of desperation begat turnovers and a rested Strath Haven defense eager to further the cycle.
“It’s nice, you get to catch your breath,” defenseman Zane Mazur said. “But we know we have to keep talking each time we get the ball down there. We can’t let up, can’t fall asleep when they’re down low. … When we know they’re desperate, we know we can go aggressive, and that’s when turnovers get caused and we get the ball up and out to our offense, and they take care of business.”
CJ Lane from Charlie Box. Marple within 7-5. pic.twitter.com/Pibwf0Q65f
— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) May 16, 2019
The Haven attack has had to change its way of doing business since a midseason injury to Liam Carney. Palermo, Belville and Pio have picked up the slack, with Belville (two goals) helping that trio account for all of the offense. Within that framework, the Panthers are learning, and the results are positive.
“Us three have to bring more to the table,” Pio said. “It’s hard not having (Carney) because he’s a threat from the outside, he’s a shooter, he keeps the defense honest. But without him, we just have to create more for ourselves and we have to become more of the shooter.”
Also in the District 1 Class 2A tournament:
Springfield-Montco 8, Interboro 6 >> Johnny Scibello scored all six goals, Mikey Brown had three assists and Connor Evans stopped 12 shots, but the Bucs bowed out after scoring just once in the opening three quarters.
