DISTRICT 1-4A BOYS’ SOCCER: Heckler lifts Upper Dublin past CB West in final minute

UPPER DUBLIN — For nearly 80 minutes of regulation, neither ninth-seeded Upper Dublin nor No. 24 Central Bucks West could generate a goal.

There were plenty of shots on both ends in a physical, evenly matched opening round of the District 1-4A playoffs, but it wasn’t until there were 4 seconds left in regulation when one team could finally break through.

Upper Dublin was pressuring the box trying to score, West cleared it, but the Cardinals’ Campbell Heckler struck an incredible volley from 30 yards out that hit the bottom of the crossbar and in, lifting Upper Dublin past the Bucks 1-0 under the lights at Upper Dublin High School Tuesday night.

The referees weren’t quite sure at first if Heckler’s shot had crossed the goal line, and Kaleb Abebe tapped it over, but it appeared the initial shot broke the plane.

“The last 30 seconds of the game was a case of tachypsychia,” UD coach Noah Johnson said. “Everything leading up to Campbell’s shot felt like an eternity.

“I’m really proud of all my boys for being mentally mature the entire game and getting the win.”

For the second round Thursday, the Cardinals (16-3) go on the road to face No. 8 Lower Merion, which eliminated No. 25 Cheltenham 3-0 in Round 1.

Upper Dublin goalkeeper Gabe Copley fended off several shots throughout the night, including a penalty kick in the first half. Also, he received a yellow card with about 6 minutes left in the contest, when an official deemed that he rolled the ball too slowly back into play (a call that raised several eyebrows).

Anthony Ginaldi replaced him for 5 minutes in goal, and immediately thwarted a direct kick by CB West (9-10), which he pushed over the crossbar as his teammates erupted.

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Email Christiaan DeFranco at cdefranco@thereporteronline.com. Follow him on X at @the_defranc, or go to ChrisDeFranco.com.