Conwell-Egan Catholic blanked by Lansdale Catholic
It was a shot that Lansdale Catholic senior Andrew Kobylarz had tried to put into the back of the net all season long with no success — a seemingly impossible shot taken from an improbable angle.
Today (Oct. 8) at Conwell-Egan Catholic (CEC), it worked, igniting a 3-0 Crusaders’ triumph over the Eagles.
Taking a feed from junior Sean Rutz, Kobylarz blasted a ball from just outside the left side post. It hit the back of the net after glancing hard off the top of the right side post a little more than 13 minutes into the contest.
“It took the pressure off us, especially against these guys,’ said LC head coach Joe Wilson “Every year we play them, it’s a tough battle and it’s usually who scores first that wins it.’
For LC, it was its first win against a Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) rival since a Sept. 17 victory over Bishop McDevitt. For Egan, it was just more of what it has seen all season long.
“What went on today, that’s what happened this year,’ said CEC head coach Barry Roxberry. “We had three or four good scoring opportunities and we can’t find the back of the net.’
“The first four (Catholic League) games of the year, we take four three-A teams into double overtime and we wind up with two points,
“LaSalle scored with 24 seconds left. St. Joe’s scored with four minutes left. Carroll won in OT on a corner kick that went in untouched.
“That’s pretty much been our season.’
While the Crusaders launched three balls into the back of the net vs. the Eagles, they too have had a hard time scoring at times this season, hitting paydirt just once in a losses to Roman and Plumstead Christian along with a scoreless tie with St. Joe’s.
“This is a small field and it’s been very dry and the ball bounced so it was difficult for both teams to get what they wanted,’ said Wilson. “Fortunately, we were able to finish today when we weren’t able to finish in the past.’
Before the goal by Kobylarz, Egan missed several golden opportunities including a free kick by junior Jake Emery that a teammate headed past the LC keeper though just wide to the right. Junior Ryan Richards connected with a through ball yet his shot was just high over the crossbar.
“That’s what separates us from other teams — they finish the chances they get,’ said Kemery. “When we do get chances, we don’t finish them,’
With about 10 minutes remaining in the first half, LC got some insurance when sophomore Josh Yurasits headed the second ball into the back of the net, connecting on a header off a throw-in by senior Dan Kelly.
“Throw ins — they’re always a hard thing to defend; it’s like a corner kick but it’s coming in from a different angle; it doesn’t have that same spin on it,’ explained senior Jake Webb. “It depends a lot on how our goalie judges it; sometimes he guesses right and sometimes he judges it wrong.
“We have to defend and we have to stay marked.’
