FRANCONIA — Tyler Vandermark was expecting it.
Before the team's offense started scoring a lot of goals, the senior goalie Vandermark worked hard in the first half to keep his team close. His effort was important so that the offense could take control in the second half.
Pennridge scored a lot in the second half and beat Souderton 15-8, guaranteeing them at least a share of the SOL National Conference title on Tuesday night.
Vandermark said, "We knew the goals were coming. We loosened up in the second half, and our offense played incredibly well. We just had to relax and not worry too much."
Souderton, which honored its 17 seniors before the game, only needed to win to get its first SOL National title. Last year, Pennridge just beat Souderton to get its first-ever SOL conference title.
Tuesday didn’t make it an outright back-to-back, but a Rams win over Council Rock South on Wednesday would do that. Senior player Frankie Fanelli emphasized how important it was to win the SOL title for the second year in a row.
Fanelli said, "It’s really important. Winning two years in a row shows that our team is for real, and not just lucky."
Early in the game, and for most of the first half, Vandermark and the defense in front of him worked hard to stop the other team from scoring. Vandermark had 23 saves, including five in the first few minutes, when Souderton was controlling the game.
Vandermark gave credit to his defense, including Colin Manville, Tyler Borneman, Will Howley, Andrew Horensky, and the rotating midfielders. With a great goalie and defense, the Rams were able to control the opponent's top attackers.
Vandermark said, "When they give me shots I can handle, I can help the team when I need to. We have the best defense players in the league without a doubt. They give me the shots I want, and I can stop them."
During the game, Pennridge's senior Ryan Carickhoff scored six goals, with three in the first half. Even though Souderton was frustrated by Vandermark's saves, their defense also played well and made it hard for Pennridge to score.
Souderton's John Martin Vince scored five goals, with his second breaking a tie in the second quarter. After halftime, he scored all three of his team's goals.
The Rams attack played poorly in the first half, but their goalie and defense kept the two-goal deficit. At halftime, the attackmen and offensive midfielders talked about being more precise and encouraged each other that they could do better.</