Parker’s two goals push North Penn past Hatboro-Horsham
TOWAMENCIN >> North Penn’s defense allowed Hatboro-Horsham very few scoring opportunities Tuesday afternoon as the shutouts continue to pile up for NP.
And at the offensive end, the Knights had Liam Parker.
“He’s a pretty creative player,” coach Paul Duddy said of the senior. “He does a lot — smart guy, smart player.”
Parker’s two goals were all the Knights needed to nail down a 2-0 victory over the Hatters in a Suburban One League Continental Conference game, played on a rainy afternoon at NP.
About midway through the first half, Parker followed up on a shot by the Knights, scoring on a header to push his team ahead, 1-0. NP would spend the rest of the half generating a consistent amount of pressure.
“It seemed like we were gonna get another one any time,” Parker said.
Hatters goalie Stephen Doney made several outstanding saves to keep it a one-goal game, but with about 15 minutes to play, Nick Terchek set up Parker, who was able to take it all the way in and sneak a shot into the far corner.
“When Terchek got the ball, I saw so much space,” Parker said. “I knew if he played the ball to me, I just had to beat the keeper.”
It was the third goal in two games for Parker, while the Knights’ defense and keeper Jordan Katz secured their sixth shutout of the season.
“You look at North Penn and they’re second in our conference and one of the top teams in the district,” Hatters coach Kyle McGrath said. “We knew it was gonna be challenging coming to their field, but I thought we did a good job of playing with them.”
Parker set up Mike Kohler just before the break, but a blistering one-timer by Kohler was knocked away by Doney, keeping the score at 1-0.
“He’s been playing really well for us,” McGrath said of Doney, who saw some time in net last year before earning the starting the job this season. “He’s kind of blossomed into a guy that we rely on back there. And he’s turning himself into a leader as a junior.
“We weren’t super aggressive on restarts and throw-ins in the first half, and we changed that a little bit in the second half. We created some opportunities, just kind of lacked the finishing touch. But it was good to see us fight back and put pressure on them.”
The Hatters (5-5 overall and 3-4 in the conference) travel to Souderton Area Thursday while the Knights (7-1-1 overall and 5-1-1 in the conference) travel to Central Bucks South that same day before hosting a rematch with first-place CB East on Tuesday.
Top Photo: North Penn’s Liam Parker (10) is congratulated by Mike Kohler (8) and teammates after his second goal against Hatboro-Horsham during second-half action action of their contest at North Penn High School on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015. (Mark C Psoras/The Reporter)
