Castle storms as Pennridge pushes past Upper Dublin

EAST ROCKHILL >> Aidan Castle just has a nose for the goal.

Pennridge’s sophomore speedster put himself in dangerous spots all match Tuesday afternoon and came up when his team most needed him to. After Upper Dublin had rallied in the second half, Castle went to work.

In addition to a first half goal, Castle assisted two Connor Gable goals in the second half as Pennridge topped the Cardinals 4-2.

“We just wanted to take it to them hard and play like a team,” Castle said. “We didn’t play very well the whole game up to then but we knew we needed a win so we started connecting passes and taking it to them.”

The Rams finally got a match on their home pitch after a weekend away but took some time to settle into it. Castle admitted the factors of the afternoon heat, the first day of school and guys changing their sleep cycle off the summer added up but he also said it wasn’t an excuse.

Upper Dublin drew three straight corners in the first four minutes but couldn’t put any away. The Cardinals, who opened with a loss to Father Judge, knew they were up for test and couldn’t afford a slow start.

Pennridge made a couple early subs, including senior Bobby Brashear and the complexion started to change. The Rams won a throw deep in Upper Dublin’s end and Brashear bombed it into the box, taking a glance off the keeper’s gloves and in for a 1-0 lead with 24 to go.

“It was a big hole being 2-0 down, it was a result of little mistakes and defensive errors on all ends,” UD coach Andy Meehan said. “We had to battle back at the point, and we did, but being 2-0 down especially away is tough to come back from.”

Both sides engaged in physical battles all half but the Rams were able to power through for a second goal. Castle won his spot against a defender then latched onto a ball over the top and chipped the keeper for a 2-0 advantage with 18 left in the half.

Castle had another gleaming chance about seven minutes later off a terrific three-pass sequence but UD keeper Jordan Lewin-Skversky was able to stuff it.

“Something I’m not worried about with this team is matching the intensity but we have to make sure they do a better job of settling down and playing,” Meehan said. “Sometimes the intensity takes over and they forget they have the skill and talent to play the game.”

UD pulled a goal back by battling in the box and Giovanni Astorino knocking in a close-range finish off a flicked header by Chris Kenney with 5:30 left in the half.

Kenney impacted the game again with 17:40 to go, tapping in a finish at his near post after a gorgeous field-switching cross came off the right flank.

“They’re a good team, scrappy and got two quality goals that took advantage of our mistakes,” Rams coach Pete Valimont said. “Fortunately we started to get it wide open the last 10 minutes and not be selfish, we found the open guy and finished.”

Castle rang the post shortly after the equalizer but Astorino also forced keeper CJ Dimmick into action right after. Dimmick actually had a foot in starting the build-up on the go-ahead goal, bombing a long punt that Brashear could only half-control.

With the ball screaming toward the touchline, Brashear chased it down and sent it over the top to Castle along the right flank.

“Bobby is the Energizer Bunny in the sense he doesn’t stop, he’s big and strong and he does whatever he can,” Valimont said. “That’s an effort play right there and he let the technical guys go ahead to take care of it and finish.”

Castle sped to the endline and sent a low cross through the box to the far post where a late-run making Gabel toe-poked it home with nine minutes to play. UD threw numbers up chasing another equalizer and the Rams countered by hunting another tally. It came with 1:30 to go after Castle slipped past a wide defender and again picked out Gabel with a far post tap-in.

“I know my speed is a huge factor in scoring so I always want to take it to the endline,” Castle said. “I’m always trying to shoot or send it in. I knew I could take the outside back with my speed, he couldn’t stay with me so I looked to take it endline and cross to our strikers.”

Conference play is next for both sides. UD hosts Hatboro-Horsham on Wednesday while Pennridge will visit Quakertown on Friday.