Beskar’s saves the difference maker as Souderton edges Abington

ABINGTON >> The reactions of Abington’s sideline told the story.

Over and over in the fourth quarter, one of the Galloping Ghosts attackmen or midfielders broke down the defense and got a point-blank shot against Souderton’s Axell Beskar. And over and over again, Beskar stonewalled shot after shot on his doorstep with each save sending the Ghosts bench into disbelief.

Beskar’s heroics were the difference as the Indians edged Abington 11-8 in a rainswept SOL American Conference contest Friday afternoon.

“A complete difference-maker,” Souderton coach Mark Princehorn said. “He’s been playing at that level all year and Moravian is getting a gem. He’s been phenomenal for us not only saving the ball but in the clearing game and just as a leader too.”

Princehorn, who ranks Beskar among the best players he’s ever coached, still had to review the game tape but wagered that the goalie posted a career-high in saves on Friday. After watching the tape, Princehorn said Beskar did indeed set a career-high but also a single-game program record with 26 stops.

Beskar will likely also surpass 400 career saves this year, a testament to the impact he’s had on games the last four years.

A three-year starter in goal, Beskar didn’t want to take all the credit for his performance. The senior goalie credited his defense for backing him up and staying on the same page all afternoon.

“Our defense really communicated well and when the communication is there, they’re mostly taking outside shots and it makes my job a lot easier,” Beskar said. “I just tried to stay in the net and made sure the defense was playing the body when the attackers got to the inside.”

Abington, which controlled the faceoff X behind midfielder Mike Mulvihill, scored first but the Indians came back with the next four goals to build a lead they wouldn’t give back. By then, the skies had opened up and the bulk of the second and third quarters were played in consistent rain.

Souderton’s defense did a nice job when facing a set-up offense, where the Ghosts were able to score well in transition. The difference was Beskar, who saved shots low, high and everywhere in between even with Abington attackers practically within a lacrosse stick’s distance when they shot at him.

“He played a great game, you have to finish on the doorstep and a few times we didn’t,” Abington coach Matt Duffy said. “Their goalie stole the show today.”

Souderton got a balanced offensive effort, a welcome sign for a unit that’s had to rebound after losing Stephen Blue for the season. Blue, a junior who is already the program’s all-time points leader, went down with a left knee injury late in the team’s game against Pennridge but was right in the mix on the sideline Friday, yelling out plays and talking to attackers when they subbed off.

The Indians, who led 4-1 after a quarter, kept their three goal lead with a 7-4 edge at the half. They managed to stretch the lead to 9-5 after three quarters and held their biggest lead at 10-5 before the Ghosts scored twice to cut it to three.

Nate Rose had a solid offensive game for Abington with five goals and was one of the main guys who thrived attacking in transition. Marco McAfee had two goals and an assist, with one of the goals coming when he followed his own rebound off a Beskar save and Shawn McConnell played with high energy, his uniform covered in mud by the end of the game.

“We were dodging more, early on we were content just moving around and trying to find the outside shots but that goalie was great,” Duffy said. “I told our guys I thought we had one-on-one matchups against their defenders and we were finally taking those matchups and moving the ball really well. We were seeing the slides and moving the ball through it, we just had to finish.”

Beskar isn’t the only experience guy on the defensive side but the senior goalie said that’s not what makes the unit work so well. Regardless of class standing or total games played in a Souderton uniform, they’re all friends and they all understand nothing works without all of them playing their part.

“I have 100 percent faith in my defense,” Beskar said. “It’s just the bond we have. We’re always hanging out, even in school, we’re always talking to each other, it creates that strong bond and we know we can trust each other.”

It’s early, but the SOL American Conference is shaping up to be very competitive this spring. Scores have been close for the most part and it’s usually one or two things that have proven the difference as the teams go through their first few conference games.

Princehorn agreed there will likely be a lot of grind-it-out type games like Friday’s turned into. The one thing his team can rely on in those situations is the guy they have between the posts in goal.

“He’s a captain, a three year starter and even played a little as a freshman,” Princehorn said of Beskar. “He brings a level of excellence and a level of leadership that is unmatched. He’s doing a great job for us.”