By Neil Geoghegan
ngeoghegan@21st-centurymedia.com
@NeilMGeoghegan on Twitter
COLLEGEVILLE >> Nothing seems to fluster the Conestoga boys’ soccer squad.
Still unbeaten, the reigning District 1 champs faced a postseason rematch in the quarterfinal round of the PIAA 4A Tournament against a respected foe: Downingtown East. And the clash, held at Perkiomen Valley High School, took place on Saturday starting at 10 a.m.
But the Pioneers never flinched, blanking the Cougars 3-0 to advance to the state semis, where they will face the La Salle/Council Rock North winner on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. ’Stoga (22-0-1 overall) is now two wins from the program’s sixth state championship.
“There is still work to be done, but we celebrate still being alive,” said Conestoga head coach Dave Zimmerman. “We are looking forward to the next challenge. We talked about the fact that we get at least one more game together.”
It was the end of a campaign for East (17-6 overall) that culminated with the soccer program’s deepest postseason run ever. Was it the best ever?
“Easily,” said Cougars’ head coach Tom Creighton. “This team has been great.”
A mere 11 days after a 5-1 win over East in the District 1 Semifinals, the Pioneers notched their 16th shutout of the season.
“It’s always hard to play a team twice, especially if you won the first one,” Zimmerman explained. “The advantage lies with the loser of the first game. We knew (East) would play tough and be physical. They are a scrappy, hard-nosed team.
“So I was pleased with our overall performance. Sometimes you just have to scratch out a win. Our defense was fantastic and didn’t give up many chances.”
A second half team all season, ’Stoga did something it was unable to do in its previous three outings: hold the lead at the half. Pioneers’ senior midfielder Ryan Zellefrow opened the scoring with just under nine minutes on the clock in the first half. Westin Fryberger’s dangerous throw in was loose about 15 yards in front of the net, and Zellefrow deposited it into the upper left corner with a bullet.
“If we consider 0-0 at the half a win, 1-0 is even better,” Zimmerman said. “This team is built on defense. Today we focused on not giving up a goal to (East) this time – remember we gave up one the last time.”
About three minutes into the second half the Pioneers took control on a goal by senior Kole Wintersteen.
“Brady (Costin) played me a long ball, I chested it down to the ground and hit it in,” Winterstee said matter-of-factly.
“I didn’t think Kole played a great first half, and I think he knew it,” Zimmerman added. “But the true sign of a great player is how you respond. And there is no better way to respond than scoring a goal like that.”
Costin then came close to another when his direct kick hit the crossbar at the 30:56 mark, and then a few minutes later standout East defender Luis Colmenares Bittar drew a yellow card and sat out the next five-plus minutes.
“This team is feeling pretty good, but we still have a lot of work to do,” said Conestoga senior defender Tommy Barausky.
“We are playing with our jerseys in our hands, and the opposition is trying to take them and end our season. It’s a motivational factor to play harder and extend our life in this tournament.”
The Pioneers added another insurance tally with 12:40 to go when junior Zuwa Abhulimen scored on a breakaway. For the match, ’Stoga finished with a 10-6 edge in shots on goal, and a 7-1 advantage on corner kicks.
“(Conestoga) is good,” Creighton said. “We came out and put up a fight, but they were too good today.
“We gave it everything we had, but it still wasn’t enough.”
The Pioneers have surrendered just eight goals all season long, and have now outscored all of their playoff opponents 10-0 in the second half.
“The defense is a collective effort and it’s earned by everyone on this team,” Barausky said.
“We all play for each other, nobody is selfish, and it’s just everyone putting in their best to keep it out of the net.”
Wintersteen agreed: “We are completely confident in our back line with Brady (Costin), Tommy (Barausky), Ethan (Howard) and Mason (McCall),” he said. “They are all excellent defenders, along with our goalie Ryan Carella, who is just a brick wall.”
Afterwards, Creighton pointed out that his Cougars not only advanced to the elite eight in states, but that the East program had never qualified for the PIAA Playoffs until 2023.
“I want our boys to keep their heads up,” he said.
“This season was awesome. We got a little bit of a taste for what it takes, and hopefully we like it and it becomes an addiction.”
Conestoga 3, Downingtown East 0
Downingtown East 0 0 — 0
Conestoga 1 2 — 3
Conestoga goals: Zellefrow, Wintersteen, Abhulimen.
Goalie saves: Shordjian (DE) 7; Carella (C) 6.
