Upper Moreland High School Boys' Soccer Advance in District Playoffs

The Upper Moreland boys’ soccer team kept its composure.

Facing a hot Harriton team on Tuesday night, the Bears were able to draw first blood and take a 1-0 victory heading into the next round of District Playoffs.

Junior Nate Roberts scored for Upper Moreland as Tyler Foerst was credited with the assist.

With the Bears up a goal, they were able to play their style of soccer, and Harriton felt pressured to score.

“I give that team a lot of credit,” said head coach Jack Knauss. “They didn’t let us breathe at all. We took care of our marks. We focused and made sure we made the safe play. We knew at halftime that they had to score and we didn’t. The kids understood that.” 

The defense came up big for Upper Moreland as senior keeper Kyle Walder finished with five crucial saves.

“The defense did a really good job of limiting the shots and stepping out and taking away the shots,” said Walder. “When they did get a shot, I made the save and we got the victory. That is all that matters.”

Upper Moreland played a balance attack the entire second half. They took their chances a few times on the offensive end, but preserving the lead was the important task at hand. 

“First goal of the game is really important,” said Roberts. “You can tell we played together more after the first goal.”

The Bears were considered the underdog as well. Harriton came in as one of the hottest teams in the state, but Upper Moreland thrives under pressure situations. With the senior leadership that the Bears have, they were fully prepared.

“I think the seniors set the tone when it comes to that,” said Knauss. “We always go over that at practice. We always talk about how do you face adversity. We knew they were going to come at us and they did everything they were supposed to do. I wasn’t really worried.”

Upper Moreland has now won 11 games in a row. The Bears didn’t change their game plan.

“We weren’t going to change anything,” said senior Kyle Lynch. “We know that we are District champions and they are coming after us, so why would we change for them?” 

Upper Moreland has few mistakes to fix as they look as though they are playing flawless soccer. Everyone is doing their job on both sides of the ball. Knauss does his job by staying composed and trusting his troops.

“I stand there and I try to keep well composed,” said Knauss. “I think if I can show that they pick it up from me. I think they know what they have to do Thursday night. Come out composed and do your job. Just do your job and everything else will fall in place.”

Against Harriton, each player on the Bears did just that.