No. 1 Lower Merion gets desired rematch with semifinal win over Henderson

ARDMORE >> Top-seeded Lower Merion hadn’t stopped thinking of its heartbreaker last year in the District 1 Class 4A boys soccer championship.

Against eventual PIAA state champion Conestoga, the Aces lost in penalty kicks. For the returners from last year’s team, the memory hasn’t so much been a source of pain, but one of motivation instead.

“Pretty much since that game, this group, we’ve known we’re gonna make it back there,” Lower Merion senior Simon Rosen said.

But before the Aces could think about returning to the district title game, first they had to take care of business against a formidable No. 5 West Chester Henderson team that came to play. But in the end, a goal from Rosen was just enough to send Lower Merion back to the big stage after a 1-0 semifinal win over the Warriors at Lower Merion Tuesday.

With the win, the Aces (19-1) will have their District 1 title bout rematch against No. 2 Conestoga at Spring-Ford Saturday at 5 p.m.
Following 48 minutes of scoreless action, Lower Merion senior Joaquin Jenkins made a throw-in that found Rosen in a scrum at the Henderson (16-5) net. Rosen was able to deflect a shot off goalie Teran Diego (nine saves) and in for the score.

“I saw the ball go over the first kid’s head and I kind of tried to just kind of touch it around the second kid,” Rosen said. “I really had no angle, so I tried to hit it as hard as I could. Goalie made a mistake and it went in.”

The Warriors found opportunities all throughout the contest, from a shot that banged off the crossbar early to three direct kicks, to eight different corner attempts scattered throughout.

“I thought it was a well-played game on both sides. Both teams were moving the ball, I thought we were getting into the spaces we wanted,” West Chester Henderson coach Chas Wilson said. “Ultimately we just couldn’t put the ball away.”

Center backs Thanos Danillidis and Mori Rothman, as well as Liam Clifford and Jude Vaughan on the wings, provided a back-four unit that held the Warriors to nine shots and disrupted plenty of other opportunities on the defensive end.

With nine throws coming their way throughout the day, the Aces’ defenders held firm and helped take some of the pressure off of Crosby Johnson (nine saves) in Lower Merion’s net.

“I think the back four stepped up big time today,” Aces coach Nico Severini said. “We knew that we had to make smart decisions on the ball and we knew that we had the mark on set pieces and our goal was to come out and be very tough to beat.”

West Chester Henderson falls to the playbacks and will play No. 11 Pennridge for third place. Both teams have clinched state tournament berths by placing within the top six of the 4A bracket.

“I think this gives us confidence going forward because we know we can play with anybody in the state, because Lower Merion is one of the top teams in the state,” Wilson said. “We got exactly what we needed to to win today except for the final touch. And if we can start putting that ball away, there’s nobody we can’t beat.”

Lower Merion 1, West Chester Henderson 0

West Chester Henderson 0 0 — 0
Lower Merion 0 1 — 1

SCORING
LM — Simon Rosen (Joaquin Jenkins), 48th minute
Shots: WCH-9, LM-10.
Saves: WCH-9 (Teran Diego), LM-9 (Crosby Johnson).
Corners: WCH-8, LM-7.