Dock Mennonite blanks Delco Christian in regular-season finale
TOWAMENCIN >> Putting a collective finishing touch on a strong regular season, Dock earned a 2-0 victory over rival Delaware County Christian Tuesday night in a matchup of two District 1-A playoff squads.
“I was really pleased with our team tonight,” Pioneers coach Matt Moyer said. “We had four starters out tonight. What I’m really proud of is the guys stepped up and played a really solid game against a really quality team.”
Dock finishes the regular season with an 11-6 mark, currently fifth in District 1-A. The Pioneers get ready for an Oct. 26 playoff opener.
Delco, second in District 1-A, finishes the regular season 13-3. The Knights will have a first-round bye and open the playoffs on Oct. 28.
“I have a lot of respect for Delco and what they do program wise – they’re a very good team. And we feel we got a good result tonight,” Moyer said after the matchup of BAL powers. “I thought it was a collective team effort tonight, and it was guys who needed to step up did. And I’m just proud of the work the boys did.”
Dock seized a 1-0 lead in the first half, off the foot of senior midfielder John O’Donnell.
“I wasn’t expecting it but it was a good cross – back post, (Sam DaCosta) hit it across to me. I was in the right spot at the right moment,” O’Donnell said. “It was definitely an energy booster. After that, everybody was energized and ready to fight for it.
“We usually give up goals in the last five minutes of the half, so we knew we had to shut that down and we did.”
A big reason for Dock’s success was its control “through the mid with John O’Donnell and Nolan Vaszily – two senior leaders there,” Moyer said. “We explained the importance of this game too, going into districts, and they really stepped up. And that’s what you need in these moments – senior leaders.”
Cody Sell and Brayden Kratz earned the combined shutout in net.
Dock padded its lead with a goal by Pablo Montaner, with 17 minutes to go.
Dock withstood every offensive surge by Delco. Benjamin Norbury, Griffin Schmitt, Cameron Vavala and Matthew Levis all played well for the Knights.
“They beat us in districts last year so we knew it was gonna be a tough game,” O’Donnell said. “We knew we had to shut down the middle. We knew that was their strong suit.
“We stayed strong the whole game. It’s our last game before the postseason so it’s definitely a morale booster. We have a couple practices before we get started next week so I’m excited – looking forward to it.”
Dock Mennonite 2, Delco Christian 0
Delco Christian 0 0 – 0
Dock Mennonite 1 1 – 2
First Half
D-John O’Donnell (Sam DaCosta assist).
Second Half
D-Pablo Montaner.
Shutout: Cody Sell, Brayden Kratz.
