Wildcats Win, Head to Title Game

Owen J. Roberts scored two quick goals and never looked back in a 6-1 shelling of Pottsgrove. The game was the second semifinal of the PAC-10 boys soccer final four. The Red and White started fast under the lights at Phoenixville's Washington Field, a shock and awe style that threw the young Falcons for a loop and paced the Wildcats to a fast, physical win.

While Pottsgrove seemed to be the better team in the game's opening moments, Jonathan Bush's two early scores put the Falcons in a hole too deep and traumatizing to be able to dig back out of.

"It was important to start fast, and we were able to do that," Owen J. Roberts head coach David Rhen said.

"After getting down a couple goals, I think it took us a little while to get out of it," Pottsgrove head coach Jay Witkowski said. "Then it seemed like it was too late."

After hitting his first goal, Bush made a move to shake off a Falcon defender in the top right corner of the box before drilling his second past Grove goalkeeper Steve Klotz. Bush's scoring resurgence and barnstorming style came at an opportune time for Owen J.

"He had such a slow start," Rhen said. "He was important last year, he scored a lot of goals, and we told him to stay patient. And other people were scoring, so we were getting the results and then all of a sudden he just started to assert himself and he's made some fantastic goals in the last couple of games. They're just perfect -- they're at the right spot, they're at the right time and it's really kept us going ... it's great to have another guy step up like that."

Pottsgrove seemed to settle down following the opening attack, putting on some pressure of their own.

"For the first 10 to 15 minutes, I thought we were still playing fine," Witkowski said. But facing an early climb can make a team hit the panic button. "We were trying things that isn't our game," Witkowski said.

The Wildcats' Dan Knight and Pottsgrove's Ethan Abdalla channeled much of the action, clashing consistently near the midfield line to put their teams in position. Knight won the early battle, sidestepping a defender before blasting a shot just past the lunging hands of Klotz to put Owen J. up by three.

One of the Falcon's key concerns was containing forward Paolo Chavarria and they succeeded until roughly two minutes before halftime.

"We focused on 10 (Chavarria)," Witkowski said. "We wanted to take him out of the game and I thought we did that in the first half. Then he started to break us down and he really started to facilitate the play and move the ball around."

Chavarria proved his knack for both facilitation and improvisation right before the break, finding Garrett Drumheller on a flailing pass in front of the goal as he hit the turf. Drumheller's shot was stopped by Klotz but the defender was there for his own rebound and the score.

Facing a 4-0 deficit at the half, the Grove desperately needed to come out strong to have a chance at a comeback. Instead, it was the Wildcats who came out swinging, as Hunter Mancini scored their fifth goal of the night less than six minutes into the second frame. Frustration began to take its toll, as the game, physical from the outset, turned chippy in the second half. The Wildcats utilized a hard running offense and tight man coverage to bump the Falcons off ball and maintain the lead.

"We've got to be prepared to match that," Witkowski said. "I think we could have done a better job. You know it's going to be a physical game whenever you're in a playoff situation."

Nick Tordone would add one more before Abdalla finally put the Falcons on the board, hitting one home off a corner kick to prevent the shut out.

Dominating on both sides of the ball, Owen J. Roberts had the final locked up before intermission.

"I was very pleased with the total effort," Rhen said.

The Wildcats face Boyertown at Washington Field Thursday for the PAC-10 championship crown. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m., following the girl's title tilt.