By John Knebels
PHILADELPHIA – Anyone from anywhere who tries to argue that their soccer league is as consistently exciting, unpredictable, and flat-out excellent as the Philadelphia Catholic League had better be equipped with a mountain of evidence.
Latest case in point – Wednesday’s PCL boys’ semifinals at James Ramp Playground.
The worst part about La Salle and Archbishop Ryan advancing to Sunday’s 2:00 PCL championship at Northeast High School is that Roman Catholic and Father Judge are forced to be spectators.
From start to finish, the doubleheader that began at 4:30 and ended around 9:00 provided non-stop anxiety to the packed masses who never stopped cheering – arguably to the point of annoyance, like the disrespectful guy out there who kept blowing that irritating horn despite politely being told by Roman athletic director Brian Haas to show some manners to the people around you.
But we digress . . .
In top-seed La Salle’s 2-1 double overtime win over six-seed Roman Catholic, the defending champion Explorers appeared on the ropes after the Cahillites carried an early second-half goal by second-team All-Catholic Shane Lachawiec – off an assist by junior Fran Russo – deep into the closing minutes. But constant pressure ultimately produced a wickedly booted goal just inches away from the surface off the foot of Shea Crawford – one of several clutch goals forged by the third-team All-Catholic junior during his career – with 5:07 left in regulation.
“I don’t think there was a time that we had a doubt in our mind that we could come back,” said Crawford. “Our senior leaders show us underclassmen never to give up. These moments are made for us.”
With 11:44 remaining in the second overtime, a handball violation set up the game winner by La Salle all-state senior Finn Murray, a 22-yard blast to the left corner that no goalie could have stopped.
Murray later acknowledged that, personally, it was the most important moment of his soccer career.
“Once we got the first one, we had to keep the momentum going,” said Murray. “Going into overtime, we were feeling strong. In the second overtime, I’m stepping up there to hit it. I found the corner. Senior year . . . this is a great feeling.”
La Salle vs. Roman Catholic - 2024 PCL Semifinal Highlights by John Knebels for PSD:
La Salle vs. Roman Catholic - PCL Semifinal Gallery by Donna Eckert for PSD
Crawford could not have been more pleased for his teammate.
“Chills, literally chills right now thinking about it,” said Crawford. “It’s something you always dream of. I’m sure Finn is through the roof right now. Me myself, I’m through the roof for him. I’m so happy for him. He earns it so much.”
LaSalle coach Tom McCaffery insists that he remained relaxed down the stretch.
“Keep playing,” said McCaffery. “Keep moving the ball. Don’t be frantic. If they stay composed and stay calm, I trust them. Whether there’s 10 minutes on the clock or one minute on the clock, I think there’s a shot they can get it done.”
As for his clutch scorers?
“With Shea, it’s hard to express,” he said. “I don’t want to say you expect it from him, but when you look at his work rate, you know he’s gonna put himself in a position when it matters most.
“Finn . . . the only thing I said to him was, take a deep breath and do what you do. He showed tonight how composed he can be throughout the entire match and not just in that situation.”
Known for his clutch moments, Shea Crawford scored the game-tying goal in La Salle's 2-1, 2OT win vs. Roman Catholic - PSD Video by John Knebels
Finn Murray sent Explorer supporters home happy after his goal in the 2nd OT to give La Salle a 2-1 victory - PSD video by JOhn Knebels
LA Salle head coach Tom McCaffery never lost faith even when La Salle trailed Roman Catholic late in the second half - PSD Video by John Knebels
In four-seed Archbishop Ryan’s 2-1 victory over two-seed Father Judge, junior Jack Stackhouse stole the show.
Then he stole some hearts.
After tying the game at 1-1 on a penalty shot with 24:30 left in the second half, Stackhouse took a pass from junior Jayden Perez and headed home the game winner with 8:33 remaining.
Before teammates could mob Stackhouse, the first-team All-Catholic sprinted with his finger pointed toward a special someone standing in the crowd, and then fully embraced her for a few seconds before she sent him back with his troops to finish Ryan’s pursuit of a second trip to the PCL final in three seasons.
That happened to be . . . Jack’s mother, Nancy.
“When I scored my first one, I felt a second one coming,” said Stackhouse. “I said to myself, if I get my second one, I gotta get over to my mom. She’s my biggest support group. Always been there for me like any mom should. I really appreciate her.
“Same with my dad, too. My dad has been around this league for a long time. My older brother and my older sister are always telling me, ‘Jack, you’re one of the best out there. Keep thinking. Be positive.’ My mom texted me today for the first time. She said, ‘Jack, be a great teammate today.’ So I really took that personally. I was trying to be a great teammate today for my boys.”
When the Raiders entered halftime trailing 1-0, Ryan coach Ryan Haney reminded his players that they had overcome injuries and aggravation and ups and downs all season; yet, they had a golden opportunity to do something special.
The Raiders then went out against a great Father Judge team and arguably played their best half of the season.
Thanks mostly to Jack Stackhouse.
“I can’t say enough nice things about Jack,” said Haney. “I’ve been coaching him for a long time. Big moment, big stage, and he did what he did.”
The only team that defeated La Salle, 1-0, back on October 8, Archbishop Ryan is confident they could win their second title in three seasons.
Archbishop Ryan vs. Father Judge - 2024 PCL Semifinal highlights by John Knebels for PSD:
Archbishop Ryan vs. Father Judge - PCL Semifinal Gallery by Donna Eckert for PSD
“If we come together play for our brothers and just do our job, we could beat them again,” said Ryan junior second-team All-Catholic goalie Naseen Clark. “They won it last year, props to them. I know that we can beat them. We beat them before, and we can beat them again.”
Senior Jack Stackhouse thanks several people who helped him score two goals in semifinal win - PSD Video by John Knebels
Archbishop Ryan goalie Naz Clark made some key stops to help preserve the Raiders semifinal victory - PSD Video by John Knebels
Archbishop Ryan head coach Ryan Haney is all smiles after an exciting semifinal victory over Father Judge - PSD Video by John Knebels
(Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on ‘X @johnknebels.)