BOYS SOCCER: A Look Back at Key Moments as PCL Quarterfinals Begin

By John Knebels

PHILADELPHIA – Most leagues say it, but not all of them mean it.

As it pertains to Philadelphia Catholic League post-season boys’ soccer, however, it’s simply the truth.

The mystery “it” surrounds the oft-used notion that any team could beat any other team on a given day. While obviously scientifically true, the credo often lacks credibility.

But not in the PCL, where 11 games – seven decisions and four ties – have extended into double overtime.

When the playoff quarterfinals take place on Friday, all eight teams possess a legitimate chance to advance to the semifinals on Oct. 23 at Ramp Playground. The championship will take place at the same venue on Oct. 26.

In each of the four quarterfinals, the higher seed defeated the lower seed during the regular season. Top-seed La Salle dealt eight-seed Archbishop Wood a 2-1, double-overtime heartbreak on Sept. 24. Two-seed Father Judge blanked seven-seed Lansdale Catholic, 2-0, in the regular-season finale on Oct. 14. Three-seed Conwell-Egan edged six-seed Roman Catholic, 4-3, on Sept. 10, and four-seed Archbishop Ryan defeated five-seed St. Joseph’s Prep, 1-0, on Sept. 14.

Each of the eight quarterfinal coaches was asked to choose the most important PCL game of the season.

With a 5-1 regular-season finale win over Conwell-Egan, La Salle (11-1) nabbed top seed for the first time in three seasons. The defending league champion Explorers were led by Mark Mazzoni’s epic two goals and three assists. Finn Murray’s strength at center midfield helped open opportunities for individual tallies by Shea Crawford, Thomas Regan, and Sam Zieger. Goalie Grant Kiefner’s spectacular save kept La Salle’s lead at 3-1.

La Salle vs Conwell-Egan. (video/ Ryan Nix for PSD)

But La Salle coach Tom McCaffery chose a different result, a 3-2 double overtime win over Father Judge Sept. 14, the first of three double OT victories in a span of four games.

“We were down one-nil, took the lead, 2-1, and then give up a game-tying goal with 90 seconds left, only to find a game winner in the second OT,” said McCaffery, referring to Regan’s sudden-death heroics. “It was a rollercoaster, but the guys were very resilient throughout and found a way to get the job done in a tough away match against a really good team. I thought that afternoon was very important for us.”

After an exceedingly rare two-game losing streak – both in double overtime – two-seed Father Judge (10-2) discovered its stride and currently rides a nine-game winning streak during which they’ve only allowed five goals.

Crusaders coach John Dunlop made a somewhat surprising choice – an 8-0 win over Bonner-Prendergast on September 17.

“They were the next opponent after our two tough losses to Prep and La Salle, both in double overtime,” said Dunlop. “Since that game we ran 10 straight overall games and nine PCL games, which took us from ninth place to second.”

Father Judge vs. Archbishop Ryan - PSD Photos by Zack Beavers

Conwell-Egan’s all-time best third-place finish and record (9-2-1) began with a PCL school-record six-game winning streak and, later, a chance to take first before a loss to La Salle in the regular-season finale.

“It’s really tough to identify a specific game as they all are important games for specific reasons, but I would say one that was especially important was our Archbishop Wood game,” said Eagles coach Mike Rigney, referring to a 3-2, comeback victory on Sept. 20, behind two goals by Juan Correa and a game-decider by Tyler Schmitt.

“They are Class AA like us,” added Rigney, “so it has an impact for our chances with having an opportunity to be an AA representative for District 12 and to try and play for state tournament qualification.”

Four-seed Archbishop Ryan (8-3-1) began with six wins before an elevator ride of two losses, two wins, a loss, and a tie.

“I would say this season proves that any of the eight teams left could win the plaque,” said Ryan coach Ryan Haney. “We beat La Salle (1-0 on Oct. 8) and then tied Wood (2-2 on Oct. 14), and everyone in between has been tight. We have been inconsistent. Hopefully, the team shows up on Friday.”

Conwell-Egan vs. Archbishop Ryan - PSD Gallery by Donna Eckert

Before losing their season finale to Roman Catholic, five-seed St. Joseph’s Prep (8-3-1) had gone 6-0-1 with only one goal allowed.

Hawks coach Johnny McIntyre elected not to specify a single game.

“Honestly, the games before mean nothing,” said McIntrye. “The most important game is the one in front of us – Ryan. It’s a do-or-die game. Win and advance.

“It’s going to be a battle and I wouldn’t have it any other way, going against my friend on the other sideline, Ryan Haney, who continues to do a great job with that program.

“It’s going to be an electric atmosphere, an experience something these boys will remember forever. The crowd is going to be hostile. My boys will have to block everybody out and just focus on the game. Winning Friday night would mean so much to the boys, especially the seniors, and for the program and school.”

Six-seed Roman Catholic (7-4-1) finished with an impressive 2-0 win at St. Joseph’s Prep in the season finale, ending a Hawks 6-0-1 string. While goalie Hector Ortiz kept the ball out of the net, teammates Axley Ramos and Shane Lachawiec – with his team-best 12th goal – supplied the offense.

Cahillites coach Ray DeStephanis was elated with his squad’s performance.

“I guess it’s a what have you done for me lately mentality, but for me, I always look at the last match,” said DeStephanis. “It’s a long season and you can’t afford to look back and think, ‘Wow, we were great in September.’

Roman Catholic vs. Archbishop Wood - PSD Gallery by Donna Eckert

“With that said, in our last match on a school-day evening at St. Joe’s, they were still fighting for positioning while we were locked into sixth place. We came out, played hard, and walked away with a win and good momentum heading into the playoffs. And credit the Prep. They threw everything at us in the back 20 of the match.”

Seven-seed Lansdale Catholic (6-5-1 during regular season) needed a 3-2, first-round win over 10-seed Cardinal O’Hara on Wednesday to clinch an invitation. After Pat Cole pumped home three straight goals, the Lions (2-8) fought to within a goal.

“Huge credit to O’Hara for not giving up and staying in the fight to make us earn it until the 80th minute,” said Lansdale Catholic coach Casey Farrell. “Chris (Rodzewich) really had his guys ready to play. I think we locked back into the game after they scored twice and our backs were against the wall.”

Farrell debated between a key win and a loss. He chose the latter.

“You would probably think that I’d say it was our game against Wood (4-0 win on Sept. 27) because it was arguably the best we’ve played all season and they’re a big rival,” said Farrell. “But for me, it was the La Salle game (1-0 loss four days later).

“They were undefeated at the time, seemingly unbeatable in and out of league, and at that point we had a couple heartbreaking losses and some injuries to key players. But we really came together to play them tough, gave ourselves a few really good chances to win, but ultimately lost 1-0.

“The attitude after the game was ‘we belong and we can beat anybody.’ It was important to maintain that mindset after everything that had happened. I was so proud of the boys for stepping up, and they’ve kept that same mindset going forward.”

Lansdale Catholic vs. Devon Prep - PSD Photos by Donna Eckert

Facing a catastrophic season collapse in Wednesday’s first-round contest, eight-seed Archbishop Wood (5-6-1) severed a 0-6-1 slide by shutting out nine-seed Devon Prep (5-7), 1-0, on a goal by freshman standout Dale Wittick and strong goaltending by Joe Brandt.

Wood coach Hugh Kelly cited a 3-2 loss at Conwell-Egan on September 20, which ended a league-opening five-game winning streak, as a major challenge.

“It was a hard loss for us,” said Kelly. “Kind of put us in a nosedive. So after the win (over Devon Prep), I was happy for the boys. They’ve worked very hard this year.

“We are young. Took a lot of tough OT losses. We’ve actually played pretty good. The last two (regular-season) games, unfortunately, no wins, but we were moving the ball well.”

(Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on ‘X’ @johnknebels.)