Ward saves 3 PKs, Lansdale Catholic edges New Hope-Solebury in District 1/12-2A regional final
BUCKINGHAM >> Kellan Ward has a straightforward approach to stopping penalty kicks.
“It’s usually just guess one of the two sides,” the Lansdale Catholic junior goalkeeper said. “And try to get as far as you can and save the ball.”
The strategy served Ward well in a tight contest between the Crusaders boys soccer team and New Hope-Solebury in the District 1/12 Class 3A regional final Saturday afternoon.
Ward denied a penalty in the second half to keep the two sides scoreless, then after the match stayed that way for 110 minutes made two saves in the penalty shootout as LC came away from Central Bucks East with a 0-0 (4-2 PKs) victory.
“The past three weeks we’ve been practicing them all the time at the end of practice cause we knew it’d be going to a situation like this one of these games,” Ward said. “So I was ready for them.”
Ward came up with saves in the second and fourth rounds of the shootout while all four LC players who stepped up to the spot — Owen Webster, Jimmy Alff, Declan Mahoney and Cory Toburen — converted as the District 12 champ Crusaders finally bested the Lions after losing to them the regional final the previous two seasons.
“We’ve practiced (penalty kicks) literally for the last two-and-a-half weeks — we end every single practice, I throw different guys in, take different guys out,” Crusaders coach Casey Farrell said. “Kellan is pretty much always the one in net cause they’re not going to see a much better goalie than him. So, again, they’re going to get frustrated in practice cause Kellan is going to save a lot. But the point is you keep doing what you know to do and we’ll put a game away.”
In the shootout, both teams converted in the first round but Ward gave the Crusaders an opening when he denied a Caleb Herring penalty for the second time on the afternoon — the LC keeper reaching out on a dive to get his hands on the shot to the right side.
“That one was one I had to think about cause I didn’t know if he was going to switch it up or most people have the same routine,” Ward said. “I didn’t know if he was going to stick to that but I guessed that he’d stick to it and I got it right.
Alff proceeded to put in his penalty, giving the Crusaders a 2-1 edge. After each side were successful in the third round, Ward earned his third PK save of the game, stopping Ben Koeppen’s low shot to the left.
“I just guessed a side and got to the ball,” Ward said.
Toburen sealed the LC win on the next PK, ripping a ball into the right of the net.
“We know what we have in Kellan, the kid’s an absolute animal in net,” Farrell said. “And what it is, he’s been hurt that last couple of years, he’s finally healthy and he’s realizing his potential. It’s going to be tough to beat him. So, I can’t say enough about the kid and I can’t say enough about that other team.
“Hard-fought game, you don’t go 110 minutes against a bad team. They’re a very good team, they’re a young team, they’re going to be a problem for years but all the credit to them, they made us take it to PKs.
With the victory, Lansdale Catholic opens the PIAA 2A tournament against District 3 runner-up Lancaster Mennonite for the third consecutive season, though Tuesday’s matchup will be a site closer than the previous two — both held at Central Dauphin Middle School and saw LC fall 5-1 in 2017 then 3-0 in 2018.
“It’s a great feeling after losing to (New Hope-Solebury) the past two years,” Alff said. “It was a great team win, we all worked our butts off and we deserved the outcome.”
New Hope-Solebury begins states facing defending 2A state champ Fleetwood, which edged Lancaster Mennonite 3-2 in overtime in the District 3 final Saturday. Fleetwood beat the Lions 5-0 in last year’s PIAA first round.
While the Crusaders could not put a ball into the back of the net until the shootout, they continued their stout defensive play in the postseason. LC has not been scored upon in regulation in its three playoff games so far — the only goal it allowed coming in the double overtime loss to Archbishop Wood in the PCL quarterfinals.
“It’s a thing we’ve been trying to crack the code all season long, we’ve struggled offensively here and there especially towards the end of the season,” Farrell said. “And we know front to back our 11 guys, no matter who’s on the field, our defense is always going to be strong. So it’s just about either taking care of the opportunities when we get them or being confident enough in our defense that we don’t have to panic when we’re not scoring.
“So I think we did that today, we finally put the puzzle pieces together and we knew they’re not going to get it behind us, we’re going to make them beat us that way and then trust in our keeper in the PK situation.”
New Hope-Solebury earned a penalty kick with 14:54 left in the second half when Koeppen was tripped in the box trying to cut inside to his left. Herring took the PK but his low shot to the right was corralled by Ward after a short dive.
“By the way he was running up he was close to the ball so I thought he was going to go with the inside of his foot to the right,” Ward said. “So I kind of made an educated guess on what side to dive to.”
In the final minute of regulation, LC’s Matt McDougal got off an open shot in the box but it went over the crossbar. Alff had a pair of chances in the first overtime — sending his first high while only reason the second did not go in was Lions keeper Kyle Campbell leaping up to get a hand on the ball and knock it over the crossbar.
“I just looked at the ball and hit it as hard as I could,” said Alff of the shot saved by Campbell said. “He made a great save, props to the keeper but we can’t stop working, we just got to keep going.”
