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BOYS’ SOCCER: La Salle Defeats Roman Catholic, Sits Solely Atop PCL Standings

By John Knebels, 10/02/17, 2:15PM EDT

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NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA-  It wasn’t a championship, but don’t tell that to the players who participated.

   In a soccer extravaganza between the Catholic League’s only two undefeated teams Friday night at Lighthouse Field, La Salle High School defeated Roman Catholic, 3-0.

   Although the Cahillites lost, they continued to garner respect from the defending league champ Explorers.

   “Since Roman is one of the top teams, we knew that if we did not come out energetic and play our best for the entire game, they would be able to capitalize on their chances,” said junior Chris Metzler.  “There isn’t much room for error when playing against a quality team like Roman.”


La Salle junior, Chris Metzler #13 - PSD Photo by Bryan Kelly

Although much has been said, written, and tweeted about how La Salle is the team to beat in the Catholic League, the Explorers (10-1 overall, 7-0 league) understood that the Cahillites (9-4, 6-1) would supply their most challenging league contest this fall.   

   “The guys were amped up to take first place and to stay undefeated in the league,” said La Salle coach Tom McCaffery. “They knew that Roman was very good defensively with zero goals conceded until Friday night. 

   “I think our attacking players knew how much of a challenge it would be to score goals and they wanted to show how good we can be in the attack.”

   McCaffery said he noticed a particular focus during team training and practice.

   “That carried through in their execution of the game plan in every phase of the game,” said McCaffery. “As the game went on and we were playing well, it fed into their excitement level and belief that they could win the match.”

   La Salle scored what proved to be the game winner late in the first half. Metzler caused a turnover and fed senior Chris Lenge, who then placed a ball just wide of the post for Metzler to tap home.

   Undaunted, Roman Catholic pressed hard in the second half. Halfway through, Metzler put the Cahillites in desperation mode when he scored his second goal. The Explorers added more insurance with nine minutes remaining when senior Jacob Mittman capitalized on a scramble inside the box.

   “The second goal definitely calmed us down a little,” said senior Bobby Bohner. “It gave us some more breathing room and we were able to get back to our normal style of play.”

   Bohner was impressed with the Cahillites’ resolve despite being down 2-0.

   “It did not affect Roman too much,” he said. “They kept coming full speed.”


La Salle junior Cole Hammel #17 - PSD Photo by Bryan Kelly

   La Salle junior Cole Hammel said he and his teammates were aching for the game to begin.

   “We were locked in and ready to play,” said Hammel. “We knew that we needed those three points to stay at the top. When we as a team have a collective mindset going into a game, it’s going to be very hard to break us down.

   “The whole team played with confidence, and that was awesome to see. I thought our team defense and absolute desire to win were the key factors that gave us the competitive advantage.”

   Senior Joe Brigidi described the event as a regular-season playoff tilt.

   “We knew coming into the game it was going to be a hard-fought battle for first place,” said Brigidi. “Gaining first place would allow us to bypass the tough two and three seed playoff game in the semifinals.  

   “With that said, we stuck to our game plan of neutralizing Roman’s offense, playing smart in the attacking third, and taking advantage of what we could get off of restarts, especially with our disadvantage of size compared to Roman.”

   Brigidi said one of La Salle’s best qualities is taking every opponent seriously. 

   “Every game, the targets on our backs keep getting bigger and bigger,” he said. “We all want the hubcap (championship plaque) a second year, so we have been working on aspects of our game that may have been lacking in all of our previous matches.

   “We know Roman, Wood, Prep, and all the other schools want to end our season in the playoffs, but we should be more than ready to give them a good run for their money.”

Senior goalie Brett Werner admitted that the game “felt different.”

   “There was this sense of urgency to do things faster, longer, and better,” said Werner. “And it wasn't just me. The whole team was pumped up for this game. Friday night under the lights are the games you live for, and we were all anxious to get out on the field and make a statement.”


La Salle Goalie, Brett Werner - Photo courtesy of @LaSalle_Sports

   Among those who helped stop Roman defensively were Brigidi, Hammel, Bohner, and senior Chris Marzullo. Werner extolled each of those four defensemen.

   “Cole and Joe always play at a high level, and their performances are always outstanding to me,” said Werner. “I’m super proud of Bobby and Chris for stepping up to the plate and performing, in my opinion, like All-Catholic caliber defenders.”

   The Explorers expect to face Roman Catholic in the postseason.

   “We are trying to take it one game at a time this year and not overlook any opponents, but Roman is definitely a game we had circled on the calendar,” said Bohner. “Being that it was a rematch of the PCL finals last year, we knew that we were going to get their best effort.

   “I'm sure we will see Roman down the road, so it is important to get right back to work and keep getting better as a unit.”

   Mittman agreed.

   “With not playing three years prior to this year (because of club team commitments), I did not have great knowledge behind the rivalry between the two of us,” he said. “Now I got a feel of what it is like to play in an emotional rivalry match against one of the best teams in the city.

   “As we try to approach every game the same, we had an extra boost due to the atmosphere and meaning behind the game. We played hard for 80 minutes against a young Roman team and we will not be surprised if we see them down the road.”


La Salle senior Jacob Mittman #8 - PSD photo by Bryan Kelly

Roman Catholic coach Ray DeStephanis, whose team starts four seniors and only has five on its roster, acknowledged Roman’s youth but didn’t dwell on it. 

   “Given that we just had senior night and we had the shortest ceremony of my tenure, I’d say we are relatively young,” he said. “I guess you can say every match there’s potential to learn and gain valuable experience. It’s been pretty evident this year, as sometimes we’ve looked like world beaters and other times the coaching staff can’t wait to get the boys off the pitch and back into practice.

  “All in all, we are a tad young, but competitive. Playing all these nip-and-tuck matches will serve to make us stronger and more composed down the stretch.”

   La Salle wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.

 

(John Knebels can be reached at Jknebels@gmail.com or on Twitter @johnknebels.) 


Roman looks to bounce back on the road tomorrow afternoon vs. Carroll - Photo courtesy of @RCHS_Soccer2017