By Neil Geoghegan
ngeoghegan@21st-centurymedia.com
@NeilMGeoghegan on Twitter
UWCHLAN >> North Penn was the type of opponent that nobody really wanted to face in its first action of the District 1 4A Boys Soccer Tournament. The No. 20 seed Knights entered the postseason with just one loss in their previous eight games, and topped Downingtown West in round one.
In addition, fourth-seeded Downingtown East did not finish the 2023 regular season very forcefully. But the Cougars do have a strong defense, and during Thursday’s second round clash, East leaned on its backfield for a big chunk of time until the attack finally cashed in, on the way to a critical 1-0 triumph.
“This season, we’ve always been strong defensively. We’ve known that for a long time,” said Cougars’ midfielder A.J. Lamb. “It’s especially important now in the playoffs.
“It’s win or go home right now, so we need that defensive side to be strong enough to allow us, if we are not attacking very well, to get through it.”
That’s exactly what happened, and in the 63rd minute of action, Lamb forced a midfield turnover, got loose toward the net and unleashed a blast that wound up as the lone score of the contest.
“Kudos to North Penn,” said East head coach Tom Creighton. “They were coming in real hot, they have a heck of a team and they had us on our heels for a while. But our boys kept fighting and if you do that, good things can happen.”
Now 15-3 overall, the Cougars advance to Saturday’s district quarterfinals, where they will host the (5) Central Bucks West – (12) Council Rock North winner. The Knights’ season ends with an 8-7-5 mark.
“We had a good second half of the season,” said North Penn head coach Chris DePeppe. “This is tough for the seniors, but the rest will learn from it. But it’s a bitter pill to swallow.
“I thought we did OK in the first half, but we really didn’t create many dangerous chances, so I give the credit to (Downingtown East’s) organization on defense.”
Thursday’s contest was a scoreless tie heading into the final 17 minutes of regulation, and the pressure was beginning to mount on the Cougars, who dropped two of their final three games in the regular season. But then Lamb took matters into his own feet.
“Defensively (North Penn) didn’t really track us well, especially moving forward,” he explained. “I remember winning the ball, and then driving, driving, driving. I had Sergio (Hunt) on my right and so the left back couldn’t really stack. That gave me time to do a little hesitation move and then fire it in.
“It was a real dogfight out there, but we stuck with it. That chance came to me and you have to take it.”
Lamb got a lot on the shot, but Knights’ goaltender, Troy Nine, was right there. Unfortunately for North Penn, the shot bounced off his hands, over his head and into the net.
“That play was something A.J. has the ability to do and I’m glad he finally broke it out,” Creighton said. “It’s one of the tricks in his arsenal and it was a heck of a finish.
“He took the ball up-field, slowed himself down to take a peek, decided to go, put his head down and buried it.”
Afterwards, both sides agreed that the shot came into Nine with a bright setting sun just over Lamb’s shoulder.
“That’s why it is so beneficial getting a home game – we know where the sun is,” Lamb said. “We knew all of the second half, (North Penn) was going to have the sun in their keeper’s eyes.”
DePeppe added: “(Downingtown East) won the toss and they know their field. It was a brutal second half sun, and I feel for Troy (Nine) because he’s a senior and he’s had a great season.
“It’s kind of unfair, but soccer can be cruel that way.”
For the contest, the Knights had a 5-3 edge in corner kicks and the shots were very close (7-6 in East’s favor). North Penn’s best chance to score came at the 26:53 mark when junior Ian Bailisallisa had a header that bounced off the post, and then a teammate hit the rebound toward the goal and it inadvertently bounced off of Bailisallisa.
“I wasn’t nervous – not with our backs,” Creighton said.
“That group of boys back there for us, I don’t know if there is a group around that can compare. And our goalkeeper, Paolo — Big Poppy – (Shordjian) came up big for us.”
Neither side mounted much in the first half, but the Knights’ ball-control style had the Cougars doing a lot of chasing. But the East defense never wavered, and ultimately delivered its ninth shutout of the season.
“I’m glad we stepped up and were able to get the ball a little more in the second half,” Creighton said. “If you look at passes connected, it was probably 1,000 to 15. (North Penn) did a good job of possessing the ball, and we did a good job of not giving them room up the alleys and the lanes they were looking for.”
With the victory, Downingtown East has now assured itself at least two more postseason games. A win on Saturday, and it’s on to the district semifinals. A loss and the team drops into playbacks, with a chance to earn its way into the PIAA Playoffs.
“After our last game (a 1-0 loss to Great Valley), coach (Creighton) said our second season starts now,” Lamb recalled. “We really want to make a push for districts, and we have the squad to do it.”
Downingtown East 1, North Penn 0
North Penn 0 0 — 0
Downingtown East 0 1 — 1
Downingtown East goal: Lamb.
Goalie saves: Nine (NP) 6; Shordjian (DE) 6.
