Central Bucks East holds off North Penn, improves to 3-0 in SOL National

TOWAMENCIN >> Nick Knepp knows the Central Bucks East boys lacrosse team is set for a tough game when it takes on North Penn.

And their encounter on Tuesday’s cool and windy afternoon proved to be no different, as the host Knights and Patriots were even at seven goals apiece late in the third quarter of the SOL National matchup.

Knepp, however, broke the tie with 1:25 left in the third and just 57 seconds into the fourth Luke Christmas gave East a two-goal edge. North Penn could not find a way to put a ball into the net in the final period and the Patriots held on for a 10-7 victory.

“That’s a hard team we see every year,” said Knepp, a senior committed to Widener. “It’s always a close game no matter who’s better. And we got a group of young, young guys and they stepped up well in the second and the third.”

Central Bucks East (3-2, 3-0 SOL National) scored the last four goals of the first half – including all three in the second quarter – to take a 5-2 lead into halftime. But North Penn got its attack going after the break, putting together a 4-1 run to pull even at six after a Billy Homony tally at 3:40 in the third.

“I think we talked about a lot of stuff in halftime and came out ready to go,” Knights senior Connor Toussaint said. “Came out prepared and we just came out fast and I think that was the way to go.”

North Penn (4-5, 2-2) knotted things again 7-7 as Toussaint scored off a Ben Sanfelice assist at 2:18 but the Patriots grabbed the lead for good when Christmas found Knepp in front for a goal 54 seconds later.

“Me and Luke play soccer together and we’ve always had that connection,” Knepp said. “So he was looking, I knew he was looking at me the whole time. So I knew he was going to slip that in.”

Christmas extended the East advantage to 9-7 as he fought through a defender on a dodge on the right side to bounce a shot in at 11:03. 

North Penn had opportunities to cut into the margin but could not break through in the quarter and the Patriots eventually went up three on Matthew Bowen’s goal with 3:24 left

“Just inconsistent and just I feel like our offense needs to work harder to get the ball,” Toussaint said. “And work harder to get open when they don’t have the ball.”

Toussaint had two goals and an assist while Lars Homan and Caleb Moister both finished with a goal and an assist for the Knights, who have lost their last three after opening the season 0-2 then following that with four straight wins.

“I think it’s just really putting the ball in the net, not putting shots away when we need to,” Toussaint said. “And really just moving the ball and moving your feet when you’re not having the ball is really our problem right now I think but we should be able to get it here soon.”

Thomas Williams scored a game-high four goals while Knepp had two goals and three assists as CB East earned its third win in a row. Bowen had two goals while Christmas collected a goal and two assists.

The Patriots began the season 0-3 with losses to Downingtown East, Germantown Academy and Wissahickon but now sit in first in the SOL National as the lone unbeaten team left in conference play.

 “Coach (Bruce) Garcia he does a great job scheduling the harder teams, cause those are the teams you’re going to see in the district playoffs,” Knepp said. “Cause once you won the first round, you see the better teams like Downingtown, the Springfields, all those teams. So he does a really good job of preparing us and gets us ready cause that’s who we’re going to see.”

The Patriots host Upper Dublin in an SOL nonconference game 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. North Penn has a road nonleague matchup at West Chester Rustin 3:45 p.m. Thursday.

“I think we have all the offensive power we need,” Toussaint said. “It’s just putting our minds together, just working as a team.”

The Knights led twice in the first quarter, Jake Dolan scoring in front to make it 2-1 at 3:15 after an assist from Homan before Knepp’s goal at 1:51 had the East even at two.

“They’re a lot of freshmen on offense so as the only senior that’s on the field, I think I have to step up,” Knepp said. “And it’s kind of my role to slow everything down when we kind of get out of whack.”

The Patriots struck twice in the first two minutes of the second quarter – Adam Vol giving the visitors a 3-2 lead at 11:02 while a Bowen shot found the back of the net at 10:05. A Williams tally at 2:24 made it a three-goal game at halftime.

Toussaint opened the third quarter’s scoring by getting through traffic for a goal at 9:54. Homan’s goal at 8:38 off a Moister assist had the Knights within 6-5.

Williams put the Patriots back up two at 7:28 but North Penn responded with the next two goals, Moister scoring at 6:41 with Homony charging in from the right side to make it 6-6 at 4:40.

A third goal by Williams with 3:40 left in the quarter had East ahead 7-6. Toussaint reached up to haul in a Sanfelice pass and bounced a shot in to knot things up once more at 2:19. But Knepp’s tally off the feed from Christmas had the Patriots up 8-7 going to the fourth.

Central Bucks East 10, North Penn 7
Central Bucks East 2 3 3 2 – 10
North Penn 2 0 5 0 – 7
Central Bucks East Goals-Assists: Thomas Williams 4-0; Nick Knepp 2-3; Matthew Bowen 2-0; Luke Christmas 1-2; Adam Volm 1-0; Dean Blackwell 0-1.
North Penn Goals-Assists: Connor Toussaint 2-1; Lars Homan 1-1; Caleb Moister 1-1; Jake Dolan 1-0; Billy Homony 1-0; Jake Myers 1-0; Ben Sanfelice 0-1.