Lansdale Catholic stands together, tops La Salle
SPRINGFIELD >> Evan Senour didn’t have to think on it at all.
Asked what drove him and the rest of the Lansdale Catholic boys soccer team to a statement win over La Salle, the midfielder’s answer was quick. It wasn’t one thing or one person who carried the day, but everyone who took the field for the Crusaders chasing the same result.
They did it together and they turned into a 2-0 win over the Explorers Friday afternoon.
“It was just us staying together straight through,” Senour said. “Honestly, that was it.”
Senour helped LC get a dream start with a seventh minute goal but he didn’t rest on that accomplishment. Part of a united effort that yielded the team’s seventh shutout in nine games, Senour put himself in harm’s way twice late, blocking a pair of La Salle rockets in the box.
It was the type of effort that’s summed up the season for LC. Now 5-1-1 in the PCL, the Crusaders decided early on they wanted to be more consistent and were willing to give up some personal glory to do so.
“One of our favorite quotes is ‘it’s amazing what you can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit,'” LC coach Casey Farrell said. “They’ve all taken that as their motto and they’ve said game by game, no matter who we’re playing that we’re going to figure this out. Our leading scorer didn’t have a goal today, that’s perfectly fine and he’s OK with that.”
La Salle didn’t lack chances but the Explorers fell into a rut of playing much too direct at times. Against an LC side looking to put numbers behind the ball, it led to a lot of lost chances to use the field.
When La Salle did get the ball wide, the chances came but LC’s defensive unit and keeper Kellan Ward were up to the job.
“We weren’t overly intelligent today, we tried to force it a lot and dribble into the pressure, which when we haven’t played well, that’s been our Achilles’ heel,” La Salle coach Tom McCaffery said. “That direct style doesn’t suit us and there were spurts where we did move it side-to-side to get around the edges and we hit crosses and either hit it high or at a good goalkeeper, he’s going to gobble it up.”
Ward, who made nine saves on Friday, shares the same belief as his teammates that it’s not all on him or anyone else. While he gets the credit for the clean sheet, Ward noted it’s a team job that extends all the way up to guys like Jimmy Alff and Brendan McCay pressuring out of their attacking spots.
He’s also been gifted a strong back line and the entire unit played well in slowing La Salle until Ward was able to make his saves or come out to collect dangerous balls before a chance developed.
“My defense in front of me is really strong so I have to give a lot of credit to them because they’re always giving me good angles,” Ward said. “They have a high soccer IQ, so they’re always making my job easier.”
Senour took his chance seven minutes, hitting a swerving chip shot to the far side that took just the right path to ping the post and glance in for an early LC lead. With the ball in space, Senour wanted to test the keeper but also figured it was a good spot to try his chances.
“It was a little bit of both,” Senour said. “From there, it was just discipline, we got back on the ball when we needed to.”
Ward made a really nice save on La Salle’s Lucho Narcisi a few minutes into the second half and ended up with nine saves, plus a handful of other plays that cut down chances from even happening.
LC did a good job of keeping the game at their pace and while La Salle had plenty of the ball, the Crusaders were able to go right back at them with the front line forcing the issue. Alff used that work rate to his advantage later in the second half, winning a header over the back line that McCay raced onto, touched out in front of the defenders and slotted home for a 2-0 lead with 15 minutes left.
“It’s a rivalry game in the neighborhood, a lot of these guys know each other and went to grade school together and it’s one of those things you know you are going to get their best effort every time out,” McCaffery said. “We have to make sure we get to that level and raise our game to play at their pace. They had a really good speed today that put us under pressure and made it difficult.”
Both squads have a quick turnaround, with La Salle visiting North Penn for its annual matchup with the Knights at 10 a.m. Saturday morning while LC takes on Quakertown at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. McCaffery noted it’s still September, so there’s plenty of time for his team to take a lesson from Friday’s loss and use it positively.
Senour, again speaking directly, said the Crusaders have to stay humble even with the result. They get tested again with a home game against Roman Catholic on Tuesday but Farrell added the thing he liked most about the postgame talk on Friday was how his guys were already focused on Quakertown.
The Crusaders also felt the boost of a pretty sizable student contingent that lined the touchline on Friday.
“It’s a bad time of day and they know they’re going to sit in traffic on the way home but it’s a support we love,” Farrell said. “The community is getting around us and it’s nice. It’s hard to come by that at a high school level and LC has it. It’s a family.”
LANSDALE CATHOLIC 1 1 – 2
LA SALLE 0 0 – 0
Goals; LC – Evan Senour, Brendan McCay (Jimmy Alff)
