Downingtown East knocks Kennett from the ranks of the unbeaten

ENNETT SQUARE >> As league openers go, Downingtown East head coach Tom Creighton was pleased with the end result: a 2-0 road boys soccer win on Thursday against previously unbeaten Kennett. But that doesn’t mean he was totally satisfied that his team failed to better cash in on a big edge in shots on goal (12-4).
“Pressure means nothing unless you put the ball in the back of the net,” he said. “Kennett didn’t give up many good (scoring) chances.
“But we’ve been struggling in the goal scoring category, so to get two (goals) against a team that hadn’t given up a goal is nice.”
The hard-luck Blue Demons entered the day with three shutouts in three outings, by a combined score of 15-0. But Kennett was missing two starters – senior Zach Mannices and junior Ethan Wentzel – who were involved in a car accident Thursday morning.
“They are OK, but they couldn’t play, and I don’t think we rose up to meet the challenge,” said Blue Demons’ head coach Kevin Lentz. “We needed other players to step up.
“We had a chance to make a difficult situation a great victory, but we just didn’t bring it. We didn’t match (Downingtown East’s) physicality, we didn’t win the 50-50 balls and we didn’t get the ball to where we needed offensively.”
The Cougars improve to 2-1 overall and are sure to move up the District 1 power rankings. Kennett falls to 3-1 overall.
“This win is huge,” Creighton said. “(Kennett) was 3-0, and it’s all about points (for the power rankings).
“This team has a lot of positive energy. It’s a good group to be around, and when you have a team that likes each other, it makes it a heck of a lot more enjoyable.”
East got off to a nice start and nearly scored in the opening minute as a header by senior Advik Bablani got behind Demons’ keeper Manny Castro, but was saved by defender Wesley Presnell.
Kennett’s first shot on goal didn’t happen until midway through the first half. And then with 7:48 on the clock, Castro wound up catching his own errant clearing attempt, and East wound up converting the ensuing free kick. Senior James Blake’s boot somehow found its way through a bunch of defenders to Delaney.
“This was an important game and I think we came out strong,” said senior Aiden Delaney.
“We got the direct free kick and I was able to sit behind (Kennett’s) wall. The kick squeezed through and I was right there and kind of got lucky.”
Creighton added: “The ball bouncing around in the box is always a dangerous situation. It’s a tough ball to finish, so to poke it in was a good start. Aiden got his chance and took advantage of it.”
The Demons came close to tying it right before halftime when a centering pass from Rowan Skinner got to fellow sophomore Josh Gruenwald’s foot, but his shot was saved by a diving Jack Kelly, the Cougars’ keeper.
Kennett looked better early in the second half, but at the midway point, junior Luis Colmenares Bittar followed up his own throw-in with a deft lopping shot over Castro and in for an insurance goal.
“It popped out and (Luis) he put it backside. Anytime you put it on frame, it has a chance,” Creighton said.
“We are deep enough where we can overcome some things, but we just didn’t bring the intensity,” Lentz added. “I thought we started the second half with some intensity, but the second goal was very deflating.”
In addition to a big edge in shots, the Cougars also wound up with a 4-2 advantage on corner kicks. And both head coaches acknowledged that East seemed to be quicker to the 50-50 balls.
“If we don’t win 50-50 balls, these boys know I am not a happy camper. It’s all about winning the little battles,” Creighton said.
“We had some players that stepped up – like Reagan Pelletier moved from midfield to center back – but as a collaborative group, we didn’t rise to the occasion,” Lentz added.
“Playoff teams need to step up when there is adversity, and if you don’t, you end up coming up just short, or you have a bad seed and you don’t last very long. We have the talent to be a playoff team with a decent seed.”

Downingtown East 2, Kennett 0
Downingtown East 1 1 — 2
Kennett 0 0 — 0
Downingtown East goals: Delaney, L. Colmenares Bittar.
Goalie saves: Kelly (DE) 4; Castro (K) 10.