PHILA.-- William Penn Charter boys’ soccer head coach Bob DiBenedetto always tells his team to play until the whistle.

It may have been the difference in beating Episcopal Academy and taking control of the Inter-Ac conference with two weeks to play.

On Fri., Oct. 17, Penn Charter defeated Episcopal for a second time this season 1-0, thanks to a goal by Willem Van Beelen with eight seconds left in the first half.

The play started with 20 seconds left on the clock, as Penn Charter goalkeeper Miles Lynch saved a shot by Episcopal’s Mikey McGonagle, Lynch punted the ball to Van Beelen, who dribbled in, blasted a shot from 15 yards out, and nailed the back of the net.

“I saw an opportunity to go forward. Obviously, there was very little time left, but I trust my ability with the ball,” Van Beelen said. “I did not see anybody with me, so I decided to go right at them, and it turned out well.”

Going into the match, Penn Charter had just earned first place in the Inter-Ac league after being tied with Haverford for a week. With Penn Charter beating Germantown Academy last Tuesday, and Episcopal shitting out Haverford 2-0 on the same day, Penn Charter suddenly jumped to first place in the league.

Why is this so significant? With four games left for all the teams in the Inter-Ac, there is not much time to catch up to Penn Charter. With Penn Charter’s win against Episcopal, Episcopal falls to third place and two and a half games behind Penn Charter. Penn Charter’s win also keeps it ahead of Haverford, who jumps Episcopal into second place, a game behind Penn Charter.

There are several ways in which Penn Charter could win the Inter-Ac conference for the first time since 2016. If they win out the last four games, they will earn the league title. If they win three of their four games and tie Haverford, they will win the league. Of course, there are other ways they could win the league by getting help from certain teams.

But in terms of what Penn Charter can control at this point, they have put themselves in a brilliant position to take the Inter-Ac. They have not lost in league play this season, and their 5-0-1 record has given them decent separation this late in the season.

While that is the reality, it’s all still must-win for DiBenedetto. He is not taking their situation for granted. With his mindset of every conference game being a playoff game, he is already looking towards his next opponent, Springside Chestnut Hill.

“It does not matter if it’s Chestnut Hill, GA, Malvern, or Haverford, we have to win every game now,” DiBenedetto said.” “Because everyone is going to have a target on us, and they should.”

The first half of the Penn Charter-Episcopal game was everything you would expect from the two top teams in their conference. Fast play, physical, gritty, several competitive shots on net.

McGonagle forced several corner kicks and put a lot of shots on goal. Episcopal’s Charlie Rihm also demanded a lot of attention from the Penn Charter back line.

Besides Penn Charter’s back line rising to the occasion, it was another classic performance from Lynch, a goalkeeper who has delivered for Penn Charter time after time over the past two years. He had an elite diving save off a blast from McGonagle five yards out with 27 minutes left in the first half.

“I made a read; really quick from the way he was throwing his hips,” Lynch said. “My mindset was I have to make every save possible that I can and keep this game alive.”

Lynch made a handful of saves after as well but was also involved in getting Penn Charter on the board with eight second left, as he got the ball all the way down field to Van Beelen, who put a move on Episcopal’s defense and scored before the buzzer.

It is a play that Penn Charter tries to run every time they can, and for good reason.

“Whenever we see Willem or Jack [Kreamer] one on one up top, we’re playing the ball,” DiBenedetto said. “They know that anytime one of them is isolated one on one or even one on two, I want them to have the ball on their feet.”

DiBenedetto also noted that if Van Beelen let the ball go out of bounds or wasted the final possession of the first half, they would be going to overtime with a scoreless game. According to  DiBenedetto, that was Penn Charter’s only real opportunity to score.

Penn Charter’s back line held it down in the second half, as everyone played defense for the final 40 minutes. Rainer Malhorta and Liam Haines kept Episcopal’s forwards in check, stepping in front of several shots.

“The guys in the back deserve the biggest shoutout because they kept a clean sheet against probably what is the best team in the league,” Van Beelen said. “I thought it was a great, collective effort.”

Every unit contributed at the highest level for Penn Charter. That is how they got the result they did in hosting Episcopal.

While there is still more work to be done, it is coming together for Penn Charter.

They just have to finish.

“It’s a big win,” DiBenedetto said. “I told the boys that I’m proud of them, but more than being proud of them, I’m so happy for them. They’re such a good group of kids.”