Photos/Videos: Zack Beavers, Lennie Malmgren

By: John Knebels

PHILADELPHIA – Only one-third of the regular season beckons. Four teams have dominated. Three continue to joust for mid-standing position. The remaining five hope to at least make the playoffs.

In other words, things are totally normal in Catholic League boys’ soccer.

As for recent action . . .

“We made some adjustments because of a yellow card in the back, and that, coupled with some slippery conditions, we didn’t want to expose the back to any further trouble with an errant slip. As a whole, the entire back line were just short of phenomenal, led by our keeper Sean Brennan’s athleticism and command of the box.”

The win over Lansdale Catholic was a back-and-forth affair. 

Father Judge (7-1) took care of business on the road, edging Lansdale Catholic, 2-1, and Conwell-Egan, 1-0, in double overtime. The Crusaders have allowed only four goals thus far.

In the win over LC, senior Mike McCusker accounted for both goals. Sophomores Gavin Dunlop and Juan Ceciliano each picked up solo assists.

Against Conwell-Egan, senior Hugh Nungesser ended the contest in dramatic fashion, head-balling Dunlop’s free kick into the cage with seven minutes remaining in the second overtime.

“To be able to get my first overtime goal was incredible,” said Nungesser. “The feeling is indescribable. Seeing it go in and watching the bench sprint to the corner with me was a moment I’ll never forget.”

Archbishop Wood (6-1) increased its winning streak to six with a 4-0 win at Devon Prep. The Vikings have outscored their opponent by a collective 17-1 during that period.

“They have been moved around from their normal positions,” said Kelly. “We graduated our whole back line last year, so it’s been a process.” 

La Salle (6-1-1) shook off a rare two-game winless streak by defeating host Archbishop Ryan, 2-1, behind two goals by senior Seth Michalak. The two-time defending champion Explorers previously had lost to Father Judge, 2-1, and battled Roman Catholic to a scoreless tie.

“I don't think the weather had an effect on the match at all,” said McCaffery. “The field held up great and was in really good condition, and I didn't see any real issues with footing or the ball doing crazy things.

“I think it's important to look for quality play in a draw like Friday night. I thought we handled the flighted ball well throughout the match, and offensively we were able to generate quality chances. If we are fortunate enough to see them again down the road, I hope our guys are more clinical with their chances so that we have a better result.”

St. Joseph’s Prep broke a three-game losing streak with a 7-0 win over Devon Prep (1-7). The Hawks are now tied with Lansdale Catholic for sixth place with a 4-4 mark.

“This win was absolutely huge for us because we had a little bit of a cold stretch,” said Prep senior goalie Coleman Monahan. “But this win has put the team back on the right path. We have all the confidence in the world going forward.”

Cardinal O’Hara notched its first win since 2020 and stopped a seven-game losing streak by nipping host Bonner-Prendergast, 2-1. Junior Mike Foster and freshman Gavin McLain supplied the offense.

“It was a huge win for us,” said O’Hara senior Kyle Coleman. “After the close games we had with some of these teams, it finally felt good for us to get a win to bring our confidence up.

“Going into the second half of the season will be big for us, but for right now, it feels good. But we know that we need to put in the work and focus on the next game.”

O’Hara senior Luca Galieti agrees.

“Big win,” said Galieti. “We’ve been due for one for a while now. On top of that, it puts us closer in contention to get into the postseason.

“The win was nice, but as of right now, I think the team is just focused on the next three games.”

Archbishop Carroll has won two of its last three games.

"This season has been a lot of fun and challenging at the same time," said coach Kyle Grizzard. "We are a young team this year with only one graduating senior. Coming off a one-win season last year, most teams counted us out before the game even started. Although we haven't won a lot of games, we've given teams a challenge on the pitch.

"We've been playing our best soccer of the year, winning three of our last four games, including two PCL wins. Jack Gallagher, our junior striker, has scored six goals in those three wins. Our sophomore center back, Thomas Malloy, has been as solid as they come as the last line of defense in front of the stellar play of our junior goalie, Steven Finley, who's only played the position for two months and has three shutouts on the season.

"It's going to be an interesting last few weeks, and I'm excited to see what these boys can do."

(Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.)