Kim, Perrin combine on first-half goals, North Penn shuts out Lansdale Catholic

TOWAMENCIN >> It did not take long for the North Penn boys soccer team to get comfortable in its new home.

Just six minutes into Wednesday night’s matchup with visiting Lansdale Catholic, the Knights grabbed the lead as Nate Kim got on the end of a through ball by Jim Perrin and chipped it into the top of the net.

“Felt great, it boost my confidence for sure,” said Kim, a junior. “It’s always good to get a goal first game of the season, hope to continue it for the rest.”

Kim and Perrin combined to double North Penn’s advantage later in the first half – this time with Perrin on the scoring end – while Jovani Gonzalez struck on a brilliant free kick after the break as the Knights’ opener on the season and at reconstructed Crawford Stadium finished with a 3-0 nonleague victory over the Crusaders.

“We all felt good coming into this game, we all wanted make a statement being our first game on the new stadium,” Perrin said. “But we all connected well and we even got our second team in, so that says a lot.”

After getting the assist on the opening goal, Perrin made it 2-0 volleying in a Kim corner at 17:41. Gonzalez’s free-kick strike at 28:44 in the second half made for the same 3-0 scoreline as the Knights’ wins over LC in both 2018 and 2019. The teams did not play against each other last season.

“We definitely want to establish sort of like a fortress in this stadium,” Kim said. “And I think we did it. We had a shutout win, three goals and couldn’t ask for more.”

Lansdale Catholic had a few first-half opportunities on free kicks but could not create any serious scoring chances on frame from them as the Crusaders were shut out by a Suburban One League Colonial Division side for a second straight day, having lost 3-0 to Souderton Tuesday. LC opened its season last Friday with a 3-1 win over Westtown School in Ocean City, New Jersey.

“It’s tough,” LC coach Casey Farrell said. “We had our first game of the year Friday down the shore on Labor Day weekend. They all spent the weekend down the shore, they came back Monday night, we had a game against Souderton yesterday and a game against North Penn today. We haven’t practiced literally in a week.

“It’s just a bad recipe for trying to win soccer games against quality opponents.”

The Crusaders (1-2-0) came out of halftime with some energy and looking to cut it the deficit pressing the Knights (1-0-0) deep in the NP half. But the contest’s third score ended up coming from the home side on a super Gonzalez free kick in the 52^nd minute. From 25 yards out, the senior delivered a shot past LC’s three-man wall and into the right side of the goal.

“If you were watching the Souderton game yesterday, literally the each same thing happened,” Farrell said. “They came out with their hair on fire, we were kind of slow. We figured out in the second half, they first 10-15 minutes it was looking like a whole different team we were playing and then one thing led to another, they get a whatever kind of goal and it just deflates you.

“So again I think difference is one ball bounces one way things change but I was happy with our effort when we came out in the second half it just didn’t go our way tonight.”

North Penn begins SOL Colonial play Thursday as the defending division champs visit Central Bucks West 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

“Tomorrow’s going to be a test,” Perrin said. “But like I said before if we keep playing who we did today we can defend our title.”

 Lansdale Catholic starts Philadelphia Catholic League play against host Father Judge 6 p.m. Friday.

“We’re all just still trying to learn from each other,” Farrell said. “We’ll get there, I’m not too worried about it. It’s three games in, it’s a long season and I know we have the quality on the team, we’ll figure out pretty soon here.”

On North Penn’s first goal, Perrin – in the middle of the field – knocked a through ball to Kim, who had split a pair of defenders to get behind the LC backline.

“I thought about taking on the defender but then I saw Nate streaking across,” Perrin said. “So played it to him and he finished.”

Kim proceeded to connect on a left-footed chip over the outcoming goalkeeper and into the upper half of the net at 34:00.

“I saw that we were on a counter and I saw space behind the defenders so I made a diagonal run, kind of in behind the defenders,” Kim said. “And I just chipped it over the keeper and hoped it go in.”

Kim returned the favor in the 23^rd minute, sending a corner kick to the right far post. His ball sailed over the goalie and into the path of Perrin, who put a close-range volley in to make it 2-0 at 17:41.

“I just decided to sneak around, see if it would slip through,” Perrin said. “But he dropped it over everybody. Right place, right time.”