ABINGTON – After operating in tight spaces for most of the match, Braden Delgado made it count when he got into open field.
The Abington boys soccer senior, a skillful technician on the ball, and his teammates had been continually befuddled by an organized William Tennent team throughout Wednesday’s match. Whether it was an offside trap that had them frustrated or the efforts of Zach Dinnis in goal, Abington couldn’t make anything of its possession or chances.
Then, Delgado broke through and finished, sparking Abington to a 2-0 win over Tennent to wrap up their slate of SOL crossover play.
“All I’m thinking is ‘I have to put it past the goalie,’’ Delgado said. “That’s it, hit it low and hard like Garb always says. That was it.”
Throughout the match it was Garb, better known to most as head coach Randy Garber, trying to direct his players into space, urging them on after another offside call and encouraging them to keep working. The Ghosts have yet to drop points in SOL play between the first half of Liberty Division play or the now-completed crossovers, but it doesn’t mean it’s been easy.
Abington has built a hard-working mentality, following the lead of its 11-man senior class.
“We love each other and we’re never going to give up,” Delgado said. “We want to work for each other and we all want to win.”
It’s a good mentality to have, especially when someone is playing as well as Dinnis was between the posts for his team. The Panthers senior made 10 saves, including stopping a penalty kick in the final minute and an incredible point-blank reaction save of an overhead kick.
Tennent also has 11 seniors and its group has the Panthers right in the mix of battling for a District 1 playoff spot. Wednesday, their defense was committed, executed its plan well and matched the hard-working ways of Abington.
“The thing that keeps me locked in is communicating with my defense,” Dinnis said. “I’m constantly talking to them, making sure they’re aware where they need to be and blocking out everything else, the people on the sideline, everything like that and locking in on my defense.”
Tennent had a couple looks on goal in the first half but for the most part, it was Abington pushing the advantage on its home field. Still, there were plenty of moments in the first half where the best the Ghosts could do was play the ball back and try to reset with Tennent’s backs including Ryan Black, Alex Di Prinzio, Mason Adelson and Dominic Grassey in their way.
Garber also applauded Tennent’s efforts, including the activity of Dinnis in goal.
“His activity in and around the box definitely caused some problems,” Garber said. “We knew about him going into the game and we definitely played some balls that he erased to make his life easier. I told the boys it was just being patient and not being frustrated and a matter of time.”
Abington created a handful of opportunities in the first half but they knew their response out of halftime would have to be better. Garber stressed getting the ball to the flanks, the domain of Delgado, then working back in to try and help neutralize the offside trap.
“Our coaches always say stay wide and find feet,” Delgado said. “I can come inside or go out wide and we’ve put a big emphasis on getting to the end line and putting crosses on the ground and hopefully creating chances.”
The shots started coming in droves, but Dinnis continued to be up to the challenge. He had to handle attempts from all over, with Abington looking to pump long balls out of the back, attack from the sides and create set pieces with the Panthers having to defend a total of seven corner kicks.
“They made some good adjustments,” Dinnis said. “Their center backs played some good long balls diagonally across our back line. I think we played well overall though, our guys communicated well.”
Abington wants to be a team that generates its goals through connecting passes, but Garber had a notion that Wednesday’s would have to be won by an individual effort. In Delgado, who has committed to play at Ithaca, they had a guy able to do it.
The senior went on a marauding run, cutting inside and splitting between Tennent’s center backs to finally see that open field. Dinnis came off his line to challenge, but Delgado was able to square up a shot before the keeper could close him down and he tucked away the goal with 8:35 to play.
“We put away a goal and I think it broke their spirit a little bit,” Delgado said. “They had to get one and we just kept going.”
Dinnis felt his team’s response was the right one, the Panthers raising their intensity to chase an equalizer. Abington’s coaches stressed it too and some good work by center defenders Jose Rosario-Martinez and Peter Cleary, plus big Brandon Murataj in the middle, helped win enough challenges.
The senior keeper said the save on the overhead kick, which came in close quarter off a corner, was the one he was most impressed with on Wednesday.
As Tennent moves back to SOL Freedom matches, the Panthers have their eyes set on a goal of continuing into the District 1-4A playoffs
“We just have to keep working, talking to each other and stay locked in,” Dinnis said. “We want to pick up a couple more wins, hopefully move on into the playoffs. It would mean a lot, this team has worked hard with a lot of returning guys.”
Oscar Hoffman added an insurance goal with 4:24 to play, the senior catching a through ball by classmate Braedon Brownholtz and sinking the effort in alone against Dinnis.
Abington knows it’s going to be tested going back into the Liberty ranks as well. Not every match is going to be pretty, but if they bring the work like they did Wednesday, the Ghosts like their chances.
“We said we had to keep doing the same things and eventually it would come,” Delgado said. “We had to keep the energy up.”
Abington 2, William Tennent 0
William Tennent 0 0 – 0
Abington 0 2 – 2
Goals; A – Braden Delgado, Oscar Hoffman
