LM Soccer Hall of Fame Inductees

Congratulations to the 1987 PA State Champion LM Soccer Aces, the 2012 inductee into the Lower Merion Soccer Hall of Fame. They will be officially inducted this Friday night, at Edgmont Golf Club, at the 25th year anniversary of their magical season. Their induction bio reads like this:

Sixth Inductee Class, September, 2012

The 1987 State Champion Boy’s Soccer Team:

As of the end of last season, the 1987 LM Boy’s Soccer Team was the 1^st, and only, LM boy’s soccer team to win the PIAA State  Soccer Championship.

The ’87 Aces finished the season with an overall record of 22-1-5, a school record for both total wins in a single season and best overall record in a single season, both of which still stand today. They also recorded 14 shutouts, which at that time was also a school record but has since been broken. 

In a must win situation in the last Central League game of the season they defeated defending League, District, & State Champion Strath Haven 1-0 to earn a share of the Central League Title with Strath Haven. This represented LM’s 4^th consecutive Central League Title. They then lost to Central Bucks East on penalty kicks in the District One semi-final before moving through to the PIAA State Tournament as District One’s 3^rd seed.

In the State Tournament semi-finals they met arch-rival Strath Haven once again, and after 110 minutes of soccer ended in a 1-1 tie, they beat the Panthers on sudden-victory penalty kicks. In the State Final against Pittsburgh powerhouse Fox Chapel the ’87 Aces needed overtime again, after another 1-1 tie. With only minutes remaining in the 1^st overtime period Tri-Captain Drew Misher connected on a penalty kick to give LM their 1^st PIAA State Boy’s Soccer Championship.

Besides placing an unprecedented 8 players on the All-Main Line team, the ’87 Aces also put 7 players on the All-Central League team, 2 on the All-District One team, and 1 on the Regional All-America team. 

Many of these players went on to have stellar college soccer careers, and quite a few are still active, playing club soccer and coaching at various levels.