Lee scores twice, North Penn edges Pennridge in District 1-4A 5th place game

TOWAMENCIN >> Dan Lee had two goals in a span of two minutes, 15 seconds as the seventh-seeded North Penn boys soccer team scored three times in the second half to edge No. 8 Pennridge 3-2 in the District 1-4A fifth-place and claim a berth in the PIAA Tournament Friday afternoon at Crawford Stadium.

“I had three touches on the ball and two goals,” said Lee, a sophomore forward.

Senior Alex Stewart pulled the Knights (17-5-0) even with 31:08 left in regulation. Lee, who had just one other goal this season, put the home side up 2-1 at 21:33 – Nate Kim making a run through the midfield then chipping a pass to Lee, who slotted a ball past the goalkeeper and into the net.

Lee made it a brace and a 3-1 NP advantage at 19:18, an Achilles Triantafyloss cross finding the sophomore in the box with Lee spinning around a defender then ripping a shot in.

Shane Velez found the back of the net to get the Rams within 3-2 with 10:01 left but North Penn held on to reach states for the third time in six seasons and the first time since winning the PIAA-4A title in 2019.

“Throughout the whole season we know our team’s really deep so we can put in anyone, just give us a good 10 minutes,” Stewart said.” And Dan Lee probably had one of the best nine minutes you’ll ever see, especially in a playoff game, he came up really big for us.”

North Penn advances to face the District 3 champion – either Central Dauphin or Dallastown – in the first round of states Tuesday.

“I was not expect for me to score two goals in nine minutes but I’m extremely happy that we won,” Lee said. “And we moved on to states.” 

Velez scored both goals for Pennridge (16-3-3), the junior defender giving the visitors a 1-0 lead by heading in a Nicky Williams corner at 14:39 in the first half.

The Rams, who were looking to reach PIAAs for the first time since 1997, came up a win short of states for the second consecutive season. Pennridge was denied last year in a penalty-kick loss to Neshaminy in the District 1-4A final.

“It can be a cruel game,” Rams coach Pete Valimont said. “Had so many chances in the first half that were so close and couldn’t get an extra one to really kind of give a little bit more separation or put it away. Got the one but knew that wasn’t going to be enough.

“They’re a hell of a team, they’re really good at home and this was not going to be an easy battle and credit to them, they had a couple chances – they got the one and then we pushed up, they caught us. Then we had to really push up and they caught us two minutes later.”

It was the third meeting this season between the rivals, who were 1-2 in the final SOL Colonial Division standings – North Penn taking the title, finishing three points better than the Rams. The Knights won 2-1 at Pennridge Sept. 14 while the Rams earned a 1-0 victory at Crawford Oct. 13 to snap a 13-game losing streak to NP.

“Pennridge, they give us trouble – they always give us trouble,” Stewart said. “But we knew last game when we lost we knew we’d see them again cause they’re a really talented team as it shows. And we just came out today.”

Stewart’s equalizer came after a pair of shots by Kim could not get through traffic. Kim proceeded to touch a ball to Stewart, who created a bit of space at the top of the box to hit a left-footed shot low into the right corner.

“It was bouncing around and then finally gets to me,” Stewart said. “And then I think I took one touch to my left and I had a little bit of separation and I knew we weren’t testing their keeper enough. And the way to get goals is keep shooting, keep peppering the goalie.”

Just short of 10 minutes later, the Knights grabbed the lead after defending a Rams free kick – Kim getting past a pair of defenders and into free space then lofting a pass into the middle that Lee ran down and slid past the keeper to make it 2-1 at 21:33.

“I just saw Nate running and then I just followed him,” Lee said. “And I he just played me a good ball and it was just a simple finish into the corner.”

Lee gave the Knights a two-goal lead a little over two minutes later as a Triantafyloss cross from the left side reached the sophomore, who turned by a defender and sent a ball high into the middle of the net for his second goal of the afternoon.

“It came straight to Nate and I don’t know, just bounced right to me,” Lee said. “Guy was in front of me so I just turned past him and I just shot as hard as I could.”

Velez pulled Pennridge within one with 10:01 as he got to a ball played behind the backline by Jake Saville and blasted a shot over the keeper and into the right side of the goal.

“Just 11 minutes of just lost our marks, didn’t clear a couple of balls against a good team in an elimination game you can’t have those mistakes,” Valimont said. “They made us pay then we really had to push up and fortunately we were able to get one to bring it close and still make it a game with 10 minutes and again credit to their defense and being able to lock it down and just clear balls when they had to.”

Velez put Pennridge up 1-0 in the first half after a long-distance shot by Pat Fallon was saved by the keeper and went out for a corner – Williams delivering a ball into the box Velez headed into the net’s right corner at 14:39 before the break.

“Just a great ball from Nicky,” Valimont said. “And then just a little backdoor run, kind of copied off of Conestoga and what they did to us (in the quarterfinals) to perfect it a little bit better than what we were doing earlier in the season and Shane buried it. He was fantastic and for him to get that other one then, I mean, heck of a game.”

Velez had a scoring chance earlier in the game’s 13th minute, getting a head on Saville’s free kick from 43 yards out into the box but Velez sent his try wide right.

In the 30th minute North Penn received a free kick from 20 yards out just above the 18-yard box with Jovani Gonzalez’s shot going left of the post. In the 32nd minute, Gonzalez ripped a shot from 25 yards out towards the far right lower corner but was denied by a CJ Dimmick save.

Saville laced a shot across the front of goal and wide right in the 38th minute.

Gonzalez came close again in the eighth minute after the break, volleying a ball past an outcoming keeper but the effort bounced right of the goal. The next minute, however, Stewart struck to pull the Knights even.