Lower Merion topples Conestoga to capture district crown

ROYERSFORD >> Often dismissed as having little impact in athletics, revenge can still be a very powerful emotion when channeled properly.

The Lower Merion boys did that on Saturday against archrival Conestoga, and it led to the District 1 4A Championship. The Aces topped the Pioneers 1-0 in the final at Spring-Ford, but the final score wasn’t a true indicator of just how dominate Lower Merion was.

“(Revenge) was a big factor,” said senior captain Mori Rothman. “We talked about having to want it more than they did.”

It was actually a double-revenge situation for the Aces, who fell to ’Stoga on penalty kicks in the 2021 district final. The Pioneers also handed the Aces their lone regular season loss this fall, 3-2, back on Oct. 6.

“(Revenge) was definitely talked about a lot,” said senior standout Sam Nyenka. “When we lost to (Conestoga) with three minutes left, we’ve watched film every single day since that game. We’ve been preparing for this game for weeks.”

Right from the start, top-seeded Lower Merion played with more urgency, and seemed to be quicker to the ball. Now 21-1 overall, the Aces head into the PIAA Tournament with a head of steam.

“This season has been like a video game where you know what the next level is and you want to get to it,” said Aces’ head coach Nico Severini. “Conestoga is a very good team and we have a nice rivalry with them, but it’s always been very positive.”

Unlike Lower Merion, who has nine seniors in the starting lineup, the Pioneers have just two, including defender Peter Miller – who is a very dangerous weapon on throw-ins. But midway through the first half, Miller went down holding his right foot, had to be helped off the field and never returned.

“(Miller) leads our team in assists this season as a (defender), which is pretty rare,” said ’Stoga head coach Dave Zimmerman. “That was a huge weapon we didn’t have. It is swollen but we don’t know yet how serious it is.”

Now 18-3 overall, the second-seeded Pioneers entered the day with a dozen shutouts, including the four previous district outings. Conestoga is still the reigning state champs, and it is not beyond the realm of possibility that these two could meet again for the third time this season.

“We will put this one behind us and we are looking forward to (the PIAA first round) Tuesday,” Zimmerman said.

“We were very fortunate to beat (Lower Merion) in the regular season, so I am sure they were looking for revenge. But ultimately, they were better than us and out-played us. Sometimes you just know that the other team was better.”

That was certainly true of Nyenka, who was ultra-dangerous every time the ball was on his foot. He scored the game’s only goal and helped the Aces to a decided edge in shots on the goal (12-4) and corner kicks (8-1).

“We did whatever we could to try to contain (Nyenka), but he is incredible physically,” Zimmerman said.

“Sam has been tremendous this season,” Severini added. “He’s been something special all the years he’s been with us. He can do a lot of things: shoot, dribble, pass and play defense.”

Lower Merion had the clear edge in the first half with possession and scoring chances. But it wasn’t until the final 8:15 of the half that Nyenka finally broke through, taking a pass from teammate Andrew Davis on the wing, who then maneuvering effectively to get off a shot into the back of the net.

“Drew played a phenomenal ball to me,” Nyenka explained. “I did a little step-over to get past the defender and just blasted it. There were a lot of people in the box but I just let it go as hard as I could.”

Earlier, the Aces came very close to scoring when a shot by senior Jack Forman bounced off the crossbar. ’Stoga’s best first half chance came in the waning minutes when Westin Fryberger’s blast was sent wide by a diving Crosby Johnson in goal for the Aces.

Nyenka continued to befuddle the ’Stoga defense in the second half. His driving shot early in the stanza necessitated a diving save by Pioneers’ goaltender Ryan Carella. And then midway through the period, Carella had to do it again to keep a Nyenka free kick from going in. In all, the junior keeper made 11 saves and kept his team in contention.

“We know each other very well, so it was a very familiar foe in a big setting,” Severini said. “This is a testament to (the Central League).

“We found our rhythm early. We had a game plan – we wanted to make smart decisions offensively, make sure we played as a team, and we wanted to create in the final third like we have for most of the season.”

Defensively, Lower Merion was stout, particularly in the second half. Conestoga had just one shot on goal in the final 40 minutes.

“Sometimes, you don’t play well. But it’s not you, it’s them. Lower Merion is always good defensively,” Zimmerman said.

“We played lock-down defense,” added Rothman, a defender. “I couldn’t ask for anything more from our center backs and outside backs, and even our wingers were dropping back, which is something we haven’t done this season. That’s how you know that everyone wanted this so much.”

According to Severini, it is Lower Merion’s seventh all-time district title, and the second under his tutelage, which started in 2010.

“Heading in, I don’t think I’ve beaten (Conestoga) — until today,” Rothman said. “For all of the seniors on this team, it’s a great way to go into states.”

Lower Merion 1, Conestoga 0

Conestoga                            0 0 — 0

Lower Merion                     1 0 — 1

Lower Merion goal: Nyenka.

Goalie saves: Carella (C) 11; Johnson (LM) 4.