State Playoff Results

In Saturday's PIAA State quarter-final playoff action Downingtown West, the lone District 1 team still standing, lost 1-0 to District 12 Champion LaSalle. This is the 1st time since 1978 that District 1 did not have a team in the PIAA State Playoff Semi-Finals.

Lower Merion's boy's soccer team will hold their Awards Banquet this coming Tuesday, which represents the end of another Aces' soccer season. During the off season I will only be posting occasionally until mid-August when the 2013 pre-season practice gets underway. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

Past PIAA State Champions

The PIAA State Championship began in the Fall season of 1973. Below are listed the 42 winners (by year), along with the runners-up, with both team's District number in (   ), and the score of the State Final game (in blue). When the State Final game ended in a tie (after the overtime periods were played) co-champions were declared.

1973 West Snyder (4)  2-0  Upper Moreland (1)
1974 Middleburg (4)  4-0  Tulpehocken (3)
1975 Bethlehem Liberty (11)  1-0  North Allengheny (7)
1976 State College (6)  2-0  Bethlehem Freedom (11)
1977 ELCO (3)  2-1  Bethlehem Liberty (11)
1978 Fleetwood (3)  4-0  Upper St. Clair (7)
1979 ELCO (3)  3-0  Harriton (1)
1980 Fleetwood (3)  2-0  Radnor (1)
1981 Mount Lebanon (7)  2-1  ELCO (3)
1982 Neshaminy (1)  2-1 OT  Fleetwoon (3)
1983 Bethlehem Freedom (11)  1-1 OT co-champions with Trinity (7)
1984 Neshaminy (1)  1-0  LOWER MERION (1)
1985 Council Rock (1) 4-2  Moon Township (7)
1986 Strath Haven (1)  1-0  West Chester East (1)
1987 LOWER MERION (1)  2-1 OT  Fox Chapel (7)
1988 Conestoga (1)  3-1  LOWER MERION
1989 Downingtown (1)  1-0  Mount Lebanon (7)
1990 Fox Chapel (7)  1-0  Downingtown (1)
1991 Strath Haven (1)  1-0  Upper St. Clair (7)
1992 Wilson West-Lawn (3)  1-0  Strath Haven (1)
1993 Great Valley (1)  1-0  Wilson West-Lawn (3)
1994 Bethel Park (7) 2-2 OT co-champions with Neshaminy (1)
1995 Strath Haven (1)  8-0  Erie McDowell (10)
1996 Strath Haven (1)  6-0  North Allegheny (7)
1997 Coughlin (2)  9-5 OT  Erie Cathedral Prep (7)
1998 Downingtown (1)  1-0  Peters Township (7)
1999 Downingtown (1)  4-2  North Allegheny (7)
2000 North Allegheny (7)  1-0 OT  Emmaus (11)
2001 Strath Haven (1)  1-1 OT co-champions w/ Erie Cathedral Prep (7)
2002 West Chester Henderson (1)  2-1  Chartiers Valley (7)
2003 Upper St. Clair (7)  1-0 OT  West Chester East (1)
2004 Upper St. Clair (7)  2-0  West Chester Henderson (1)
2005 Warwick (3)  1-0  West Chester Henderson (1)
2006 Council Rock N. (1)  2-1  Manheim Township. (3)
2007 Peters Township (7)  2-1 OT  Downingtown West (1)
2008 Downingtown West (1)  2-1  Peters Township (7)
2009 Father Judge (12)  0-0 OT co-champions with Central Daulphin (3)
2010 Hempfield (3)  2-1  Central Bucks East (1)
2011 Conestoga (1)  1-0  Upper St. Clair (7)

LM Boy's Soccer All-America Selections

Over the years the Lower Merion boy's soccer team has had a player selected to the High School All-America Team 10 different times. The most recent being Aces' goalkeeper Drew Cotler (pictured at right) who was selected in both his Junior (2005) & senior (2006) years. Other selections include:

1987 - Drew Misher
1988 - Chris Schreiner
1989 - Lou Spivak
1990 - John Howard
1991 & 1992 - Will Kohler
1993 & 1994 - Jon Hanks

State Playoff Results

It's a good thing that District 1 got a 5th team in the PIAA State Playoffs this year because that team (Downingtown West) was the lone survivor of the 1st round last night, beating Hempfield 1-0. #1seed Abington lost 4-1 to Wilson Reading, #2 seed Central Bucks East lost 1-0 to Delaware Valley, #3 seed Souderton lost 1-0 to Stroudsburg, and #4 seed Pennsbury lost to LaSalle 2-0.

Downingtown will play LaSalle in the 2nd round at a time & place TBA.

State Playoffs Begin Tomorrow

Five of the 16 teams in the 2012 PIAA State Soccer Playoffs are from District 1, and rightfully so as the PIAA State Crown has gone to a District 1 team 19 times in the past 30 years.

Here are tomorrow night's 1st round opponents for the 5 District 1 teams (4 of which will stay in the Eastern bracket):

#1 seed Abington plays District 3's 3rd seed Wilson at Coatesville Area H.S. (7 PM)
#2 seed C.B. East goes into the Western bracket to face District 6 champion State College at Scranton Memorial Stadium at 5 PM
#3 seed Souderton will play District 11 champion Stroudsburg at Nazareth Area H.S. at 7:30 PM
#4 seed Pennsbury will face Catholic League champion LaSalle (District 12) at Northeast H.S. at 7 PM
#5 seed Downingtown West will play District 3 champion Hempfield at Hersheypark Stadium at 7 PM

2012 State Playoffs

Last night in the district 1 Final #19 seed Abington defeated Central Bucks East 2-1, making them the highest seeded team to ever win a District 1 Title. In the 3rd place game it was Souderton beating Pennsbury 2-1. A new first for District 1 Boy's Soccer is that this year they will be sending 5 teams (not their usual 4) to the PIAA State Playoffs. Downingtown West got the 5th place seed with a win over West Chester Rustin in the playback bracket.

The State Playoffs began in 1973, with Lower Merion qualifying 8 times. The Aces reached the Championship game in 1984, 1987, & 1988, winning the PIAA State Crown in 1987 (pictured below).

District 1 Final Set

After a 2 day delay because of Sandy the district 1 soccer semi-finals were finally played last night. #8 seed Central Bucks East defeated #13 seed Souderton 1-0, while #19 seed Abington beat #15 seed Pennsbury 2-1. This is the 1st time I can ever remember where such high seeds moved through to the semi-finals.

The teams will not have much rest however because they have to turn around and play both the District final game, and the 3rd place consolation game, tomorrow night (as all 4 teams will move on into the PIAA State Playoffs.