Trust propels Central Bucks East past Abington in District 1-4A second round
ABINGTON >> If a little trust goes a long way, then a lot of trust must mean a ticket to the District 1-4A quarterfinals.
Trust is the reason No. 13 seed Central Bucks East goalkeeper Dan Marino was so confident making plays or holding midfielder Wes Meyers knew a tactical change was going to work. It’s not like No. 4 Abington didn’t have trust that it was going to find a goal, but the Patriots’ trust that they weren’t going to allow one was just a bit stronger.
A nearly goal and a robust defensive effort helped East best Abington 1-0 in their District 1-4A boys soccer second round match on Thursday, ending the Ghosts’ season and sending the Patriots to Saturday’s quarterfinal round.
“Honestly, it was just about staying composed all throughout the game,” Marino, a junior, said. “We took the lead early and we had to keep a mindset of not letting a goal in just keeping it up. This is a really good team, a really tough team and they were down our throats the whole game but we stayed composed and didn’t let the ball in the back of the net.”
The teams met on the opening day of the season, with East coming back late to beat Abington 3-2. Thursday, there was only one goal but it didn’t make for any less compelling of a match.
About seven minutes in, the Patriots earned a throw-in deep down the line in Abington’s defensive third, right in range for Luke Christmas to send one of his long tosses into the box.
Christmas fired one in the right spot, a glancing header from Michael Montabana popping up for Joey Roth to meet in the air for the goal.
“We went out and played our game,” Meyers, also a junior, said. “We switched some tactics about halfway through, man-marked a few players but it really came down to who wanted it more.”
That a pair of juniors played such a prominent role isn’t all that surprising but it is telling. A team with 20 seniors trusted two juniors to handle key roles, whether it was Marino putting his body on the line to make saves to go rip the ball out of the air or Meyers marking either of Abington’s lethal duo of Liam Hartman and Luke O’Donnell.
Meyers chalked the success on the defensive end up to a healthy dose of communication, especially in the box and at times, it seemed like the Patriots had twice the amount of players the Ghosts did on the field. In the first half especially, East was just quicker to the ball and swarmed to it anytime Abington hit something remotely dangerous toward the Patriots’ goal.
Abington coach Randy Garber had plenty of props to give East and commended the Patriots for their resiliency throughout the match.
“We gave up an early goal we shouldn’t have but knowing their coach and their players, they’re big and strong and they play a lot of defense, so it worked out for them,” Garber said. “They worked hard, I think the second half we were in their end of the field most of the time with throw-ins and corner kicks but we kept knocking the ball in the air and they kept winning it.
“Their goalkeeper had a heck of a game, he kept them in the game, everything we threw in the box, he won.”
Marino, who made a superb save on O’Donnell in the first half and a turning-point play with a double-save on Braedon Brownholtz and O’Donnell in the second, parsed credit out to his guys.
“It’s all trusting your teammates,” Marino said. “There were times I had to come out on the ball and make a play and there were other times other guys had to come in and make a play. I think we have a great team and a lot of guys were there to make plays when I couldn’t get there.”
Meyers was equally reluctant to take any props for his work, instead chalking it up to his teammates communicating with him and aiding him and the Patriots’ general willingness to get in front of shots or be tough around the ball.
While the loss was a difficult one for Abington’s seniors who have poured so much into the program, it doesn’t diminish their accomplishments. Hartman, O’Donnell, Drew Paxson and Kevin Kretchmen were all captains – Garber thinks it was the first time in his career he had four senior captains – and they helped the team win three straight SOL Liberty titles, keeping the standard of winning they inherited when they came into the program.
“We scored a lot of goals, we had over 60 goals in the course of the year but it doesn’t matter where you’re seeded, it’s a matter of is the ball going to go in the back of the net? Tonight I think we could have played another 30 minutes and the ball wouldn’t have gone in,” Garber said. “We had plenty of chances but just couldn’t finish one where all season we found a way.”
The Patriots felt they left some points on the table in the regular season and they’ve looked at the postseason as a time to prove they’re better than their seed. Starting the playoffs with a win-or-go-home game against archrival CB West then having to go to Abington was a good way to do it and thanks to one unifying factor, it’s the Patriots who are a win away from the state tournament.
“It’s trust,” Marino said. “I was not the starter last year and developing this trust we all have, it’s gotten better and better as the season’s gone on. The last 10 games I’ve played, we’ve conceded two goals, so it’s been very good for all of us.”
CB East 1, Abington 0
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1 0 – 1
ABINGTON 0 0 – 0
Goals; CBE- Joe Roth
GIRLS SOCCER
ABINGTON 1, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 >> On Tuesday, Abington coach Rick Tompkins called senior Maura Day a weapon most teams don’t have.
The midfielder is a threat from all over the field and even if she isn’t directly scoring, she usually gives her team a good chance to get a goal. Thursday, Day blasted a second half free kick that Piper McGinley got a little bit of with her head to send the No. 6 Ghosts past No. 11 Council Rock South 1-0.
Day summed up her feelings like any senior would.
“I do not want to leave this group,” Day said. “It feels amazing.”
CR South played with tremendous energy, the Golden Hawks’ midfield and defense swarming the ball in the first half and keeper Karissa Smedley making some trademark excellent saves. If not for a timely clearance off the goal line by Abington’s Sara Kaeser, they would have had a lead too.
Abington has created a ton of chances through two games in the postseason, adding seven corners on Thursday to the 10 it had against Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday. Day, who scored directly on a free kick against PW, knew where she was going when a foul gave Abingto a free kick with 18-plus minutes left against CR South.
“We practice our restarts and corners a lot so we have set players to look for,” Day said. “I’m usually looking back post and trying to drive it so they can get something on it”
The Ghosts will host No. 14 CB East, a 2-1 winner at No. 3 Avon Grove, in the quarterfinals on Saturday. The teams met on opening day, with East claiming a 5-4 victory.
Abington 1, CR South 0
ABINGTON 0 1 – 1
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 0 – 0
Goals: A – Piper McGinley (Maura Day)
