Boyertown comes out of halftime strong in win over Upper Merion
UPPER MERION >> Boyertown scored three goals during a 10-minute stretch early in the second half to rally from a one-goal deficit and beat Upper Merion, 3-1, Tuesday night at Upper Merion Area High School.
The Bears (7-1) fell behind just seven minutes into the game. They had a handful of scoring opportunities in the first half – putting seven shots on goal – but went into halftime trailing, 1-0.
“We came out slow,” Boyertown senior Beckett Wenger said. “Our intensity, our hard work – nothing was there, nothing was coming to us. During halftime we were all getting at each other, hyping ourselves up and getting intense and ready for the second half. Our work-rate showed in the second half, earning those three goals early.”
The equalizer came in the 44th minute. Luke Moser passed the ball from 35 yards away into the box. After a couple of deflections, Matt Selders was at the back-post for the goal.
Eight minutes later, Macade Knoblauch scored a highlight-reel goal that proved to be the game-winner. Adam Becker sent a corner long over the group in front of the net. Wenger headed it back into traffic and Knoblauch soared above the defenders to head the ball into the net to give the Bears a 2-1 lead.
“Mason (Lorah), one of our center backs, was going for it and I called him off,” Wenger said. “I thought I had a better position on the ball. It happened to go to Macade Knoblauch and he just finished it far-corner.”
Wenger scored the third and final goal just two minutes later. Ryan Goffice passed to Wenger, who dribbled through a defender and beat the keeper for the score.
“I’ve practiced that shot thousands of times,” he said. “Once I got that ball on my left foot coming across, I knew it was going in.
“The first 10 minutes or so (of the second half), we just shut them out completely. I think their spirits were crushed after those 10 minutes.”
“It was just a mental lapse,” Upper Merion coach David Lawrence said. “We played a strong first 40 (minutes) and did everything we worked on in training. We just came out a little bit flat, didn’t pick up marks and everyone just kind of looked at each other.”
The teams traded opportunities over the final 26 minutes, but neither was able to score. Boyertown defenders Lorah and Zach Foskey played key roles in keeping the Upper Merion forwards from getting clean looks while Upper Merion defenders Evan Wintersteen, Ethan Nguyen and Justin Vo did the same on their end.
The Vikings (4-3) got the scoring started with a penalty kick. Arjun Kaushik earned the whistle when he was taken down in the box and Eric Kenworthy stepped up to take the penalty. Boyertown keeper Nick Rothenberger made a diving stop, but Upper Merion’s Patrick Thienry was there to bury the rebound for a 1-0 lead.
“The positive is that we played right there with them for probably 70 minutes of the game,” Lawrence said. “We’re still waiting for one of our best players (Patryk Rojek) to return, so we’ll have a big threat towards the end of the season.”
Upper Merion keeper Ashton Fox made some big saves in the first half to keep his side ahead. He turned aside a breakaway in the 19th minute and made diving saves in the 28th and 36th to send the Vikings to halftime with the lead.
Boyertown 3, Upper Merion 1
Boyertown 0 3 – 3
Upper Merion 1 0 – 1
Goals: B: Matt Selders, Macade Knoblauch, Beckett Wenger. UM: Patrick Thienry.
Assists: B: Luke Moser, Beckett Wenger, Ryan Goffice.
Saves: B: Nick Rothenberger 5. UM: Ashton Fox 8.
Corners: B: 3. UM: 3.
