PHILADELPHIA – After several non-league games since late August, Catholic League soccer got underway on Thursday afternoon throughout the Delaware Valley. This explains why some coaches and players are in particularly good moods while others might be struggling to force a smile.
But it’s a long season, and one win or one loss does not a season make. Still, league games take on an entirely different purpose.
“When you are facing any opponent from the Catholic League,” said Bonner-Prendergast coach Tom Markopoulos, “you need to be ready to play.”
In their 2-0 victory over Conwell-Egan, the Friars survived a slow start and was unable to cash in until late in the second half. That’s when Andrew Markopoulos took a corner pass from Charlie Miller and broke the scoreless tie.
B-P acquired some relief when Kaito Kitazawa found Theo Ijeboi for an insurance tally.
Bonner-Prendie vs. Cardinal O'Hara 2015 - PSD Photo
“We turned it up in the second half and applied some heavy pressure,” said coach Markopoulos. “Their keeper made some great saves until we were finally able to put one more away to solidify the win. It was good to get a win in our first Catholic League matchup, but we still have much to improve on.”
Archbishop Carroll’s season opener could not have gone much better. Vito Vincent’s goal two minutes into the contest set the tone, and the Patriots kept on scoring as they steamrolled Bishop McDevitt, 8-0. Vincent added another goal later, joining junior Nick Booth (two goals, three assists) as a standout.
“Vincent locked down the defense,” said coach Blaise Santangelo. “He was a dominant force. A man among boys.”
Santangelo described Nick’s performance as “a massive offensive effort” and credited senior captain Sam Frederick with controlling the midfield and playing “some beautiful” offense.
“We have a very strong sophomore class and they had a very big impact,” said Santangelo. “We decided to focus a lot on fitness in camp this year. The boys have handled the heat and played well together.”
Father Judge vs. Lansdale Catholic 2015 PCL Semi - PSD Photo
In his first game as Archbishop Ryan’s boys’ head coach following a championship-flooded career as Ryan’s girls' coach, Ryan Haney was pleased with the Raiders’ 1-0 victory over Lansdale Catholic.
“The boys worked extremely hard to earn 3 points,” said Haney. “I think with LC beating (Ryan) in the quarterfinals last season, the intensity was high.”
The game’s lone tally occurred with 2:28 remaining in regulation, scored by George Montag and assisted by Kevin Conroy. Goalie Ryan Stock earned his third consecutive shutout.
“We are very disappointed in the loss,” said Lansdale Catholic coach Joe Wilson. “We missed several opportunities early in the game. We worked real hard to generate three or four good scoring opportunities but failed to do so due to miss touches or shots wide in the first half.
“Ryan made a great run with two minutes left and caught us in a mistaken defensive position, which they made us pay for. Our student athletes played a great 78 minutes. We have learned and we're ready to move onto our next opponent.”
Father Judge upended Cardinal O’Hara, 4-0. Mike Powers scored two goals while John Lodise and Sean McCormick added one apiece.
“Yesterday was tough,” said O’Hara coach Mike McDevitt. “We knew Judge was a very talented team going in and they lived up to that. We did a good job frustrating their forwards in the first half.
“Our team defense is our strong point so far. We had a few chances going forward, but Judge has a strong backline once again. Although it wasn’t the result we wanted, there were definitely things we can take away from the game that will help us going forward.”
Father Judge coach John Dunlop lauded O'Hara's effort and pointed out that the Lions do not enjoy the experience of a senior-laden team like the Crusaders.
"I think we just wore them down with our bench," said Dunlop. "O'Hara is young and will get better as the season goes."
For Dunlop, this was no ordinary contest.
"Mike McDevitt (O'Hara's head coach) is a Judge alum and was on my first team I coached at Judge 13 years ago," he said. "This game was extra special."
John Knebels can be reached by both twitter (@johnknebels) or email (jknebels@gmail.com).