Pennridge answers the bell, holds off rival Souderton
EAST ROCKHILL >> Pennridge played rock solid in the back ended, won key battles up top, and when rival Souderton produced a tide-turning goal on Wednesday, the Rams responded with one of their own.
Said senior striker Shane Velez: “We always have this saying: the next five minutes after a goal is when we have to get on it.”
After Sirchia Giuseppe headed home a tally for Big Red to cut Pennridge’s lead in half at 2-1, the Rams raced upfield, scoring barely a minute later when Velez hammered home a nice set-up from Andrew Parlee, forever tilting the momentum in Pennridge’s favor.
The Rams went on to a thrilling 3-1 victory on its home turf in a Suburban One League Colonial Division contest, raising their division record to 2-0.
“My guys played really well. They executed. Shane played fantastic,” said Rams coach Pete Valimont. “(Souderton) came back but we were able to get one back and our defense was able to see it through.”
Of the pivotal second-half goal, Valimont said: “That hasn’t always been our identity. That might have been a 2-2 game or Heaven forbid a 3-2 loss. But fortunately for us we were able to get that one back and get a ‘W’ out of it, which in this league is a huge thing.”
Pennridge led 1-0 at the half and 2-0 early in the second before the two rivals exchanged scores.
“It was a great win,” said Velez, who scored a pair of goals and had one assist. “We knew Souderton was gonna be tough competition and we knew we were gonna have to battle up top. We came out on top, which was great.”
Ayoob Herzi gave the Rams their 1-0 lead, scoring off an assist from Velez.
The Parlee-to-Velez connection clicked twice in the second half for Pennridge, sandwiched around the goal by Big Red.
“We have a great back line. They locked it down the rest of the game. Everyone just played amazing and worked as a team,” said Velez.
The former defender is now at striker, and he’s making a big impact.
“With my teammates, being able to work off of them, I know if I get into a spot, they’ll be able to put a ball there and then we just finish it off, put it in the net,” the senior said.
C.J. Dimmick made some key saves to lock up the victory for Pennridge.
“It was a good game. Coach (Matt) Benner and his staff are great coaches – they know exactly what they’re doing,” Valimont said. “His guys are always tough to play. It’s gonna be a tough one when we go there in a month.”
Respect extends in both directions.
“A lot of credit goes to Pennridge today. They have some really good players out there on the field and and those players delivered for them in a big way,” said Benner. “We’re working through some stuff right now. It’s early on in the season and we’re trying some things, looking at some guys in different places, and trying to figure out our identity. We know we’re a team that has guys that have been here before and we’ll rely on those guys to push us through.”
Big Red (1-2 in the Colonial) is back at it Wednesday, at rival North Penn.
“We all know how hard the league is, and every cycle through the league is gonna be a battle,” Benner said. “So we’ll just keep working hard, look to clean things up in our training and look for better results moving forward.
“There’a a lot of character in that locker room. Those guys care deeply about one another and about the quality of the product that we put out there and we’ll get things right.”
Pennridge plays under the lights on Friday at home against non-league foe Faith Christian at 7:30.
“Looking forward to it,” Velez said. “It’s a big night, big game against a good Class A team that usually plays well.”
Pennridge 3, Souderton 1
Souderton 0 1 – 1
Pennridge 1 2 – 3
First Half
P-Ayoob Herzi (Shane Velez assist).
Second Half
P-Velez (Andrew Parlee); S-Sirchia Giuseppe; P-Velez (Parlee).
