Walking a Tightrope

Riding a 4-0-1 streak into yesterday's game with Marple Newtown had to pump up this young Aces' squad. However, in those 5 games the defense had to be almost perfect everytime out, as LM's offense only scored more than 1 goal once. It would be tough to continue walking this fine line.

Marple needed only 1 goal to secure the win, handing the Aces their 1st loss in the last 6 games. This moved their overall record to 6-2-1 (3-2-1 in league play). With a tough league game @ Harriton coming up tomorrow (3:45), LM needs to find more offense and take some pressure off the defense.

 Blast from the Past, 1965

The 1965 LM Aces boy’s soccer team could very well be the most dominant team in Aces soccer history. Coming off back-to-back league titles in ’63 & ‘64, the 1965 team was returning many key players from a ’64 team who outscored their opponents 60-6 (an exceptional season in their own right), including their high scorer Steve Davidson (holding the soccer ball).

Davidson, whose 31 goals in a season and 64 career goals still stand as school records for boy’s soccer, captained this explosive team. They also had many other scoring threats in Mark Rash (22 goals), Bill Trimpi, Bill Furber, David Kobinsky, Mike Ross, & Jay Pillard. The ’65 Aces also boasted the best starting midfield line in the district in Jack Pennypacker, Paul Ferst, and Ken Becker. Defensive backs Steve Aichelle and Grover Thompson, along with Jay Littlewood, Steve Mygatt, and standout goalkeeper Toby Pyle, helped record 13 shutouts in 18 games.

After winning the tough Suburban 1 league, and finishing the regular season unblemished with a perfect 14-0 record, the ’65 LM team dominated the first 2 rounds of the District 1 playoffs, pummeling Woodrow Wilson 5-0 in the quarter-finals, and destroying Central Bucks 6-0 in the semi-finals. In the Championship game they took on powerful West Chester (then only having 1 high school), and after regulation & overtime, with the score still tied 1-1, the Aces were awarded the victory, based on a substantial corner kick edge (there was no penalty kick shootout in those days). This victory gave them an invite to the Inter-District game against District 3’s Garden Spot. Playing on a sloppy field at West Chester University, Garden Spot capitalized on a defensive mistake late in the game, and won 1-0, spoiling the ’65 Aces perfect season (something that has never been accomplished in LM boy's soccer history).

The final stats are mind-blowing, starting with an 8-0 league record and a 17-1 overall record. The offense scored an unbelievable 66 goals in their first 12 games (finishing with 97 for the season), while the defense, in those same first 12 games, recorded 10 shutouts finishing with 13 in all). The closest any other LM team has come to matching their goal total was in 1992, when that team scored 78 goals, and they even played 2 more games. The ’65 Aces also placed a record 7 players on the All-League team; Davidson, Ferst, Trimpi, Rash, Pennypacker, Becker, and Pyle. Davidson & Becker were also picked as All-Scholastic selections.

Game change for tomorrow

The time for tomorrow's game @ Marple Newtown has been changed from 3:45 PM to 5:45 PM.

2015 Annual LM Soccer Alumni Game

(Picture of one of our recent past LM Soccer Alumni Teams)

Our 2015 annual LM Soccer Alumni Soccer Game is set for Saturday morning, October 17th, 10 AM, on the boy's grass soccer field at Arnold Field. For the past 5 or 6 years we have been playing against the Radnor Alumni team, but are looking to do something different this year.

We want to keep it in house and have enough LM players to divide up into 2 teams and play each other. We will have regular refs on hand, with lunch on the field afterward for all participants.

So far we have 14 players who have said they would be playing, listed below. We would need at least 10-12 more to be able to play 11v11. I would hate to have to play a short-sided game like 8v8 or even 10v10 so I'm reaching out once again to try & get those additional players.

Those LM Soccer Alumni who are reading this, and who live in the area, and/or know other LM Soccer Alumni in the area, please pass the word so we can fill up these teams. If you, or someone you contact, plans on joining us please email me their name & contact info so I can make the proper arrangements.

It should be a blast so come on out and lace em up one more time. Age is only a number.

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Jon Fleisher

Kevin Escott

Tyler Robinson?

John DePrince

Juan Munoz

Matt Fine?

Alex Cope

Chris Mandarino

Drew Misher

Eli Perlman

Ron Braverman

Bart Brenner

Chris Schreiner

Ben Eisner

Saturday's Game Postponned

Tomorrow's home game with Methacton was moved to Wednesday, October 21st at 3:30 PM due to the Pa[pal visit

Another Close One

LM hosted Penncrest this afternoon in a Central League contest. The Aces struck early with their most successful offensive weapon thus far this season, the long throw-in. With only 5 minutes played senior Jeremy Hillsberg sent one of his patented long throws into the box and fellow senior Quinn Vagnoni once again was on the other end & found the back of the net with a strong header.

A little later sophomore Max Shapiro showed some smooth footwork in a crowd deep in the Lions end but couldn't convert. Meanwhile Penncrest was showing excellent ball movement, building thru the midfield, and sending long thru balls toward the Aces' net but couldn't finish them off. With just 10 minutes left in the 1st half Junior keeper Sebastian Jenkins came up with a huge save to keep LM on top.

There was not much action in the 2nd half as the Aces began to close the door on the Fords midfield passing game. Both teams seemed a little flat as the ball stayed in the center half of the field for most of the half. There were no shots on goal for either team as LM had the goal and the Lions played with no urgency.

It turns out 1 goal was all it took and LM walked away with their 6th victory of the season (6-1-1). Next the Aces host Methacton on Saturday in a non-league game (12:30).

Blast From The Past 1954

Blast from the Past, 1954

The 1954 Aces, coached by Bob Hill and co-captained by Jack Robb & J. Piercy, were the winners of the very first official PA District One Boy's Soccer Championship , and also represented District One in the very first Inter-District playoff game against the District Three Champion. At the time, these 2 districts were the best in the state, so everyone considered this Inter-District playoff game the unofficial “State Championship”.

With most of the scoring coming from All-League forwards Bob Kessler (also chosen to the All-Scholastic Team, which was another name for All-State) & Tom Miller, and the defense boasting 2 more All-League selections in Dave Buten & Don Dougald, LM easily won the Suburban One League title with a 7-1-0 record. Haverford & Upper Darby were tied for 2nd place, with Abington 4th & Cheltenham 5th. The Aces regular season record was 10-2-3, with an early season loss to then powerhouse North Catholic 3-1, and an 1-0 upset defeat at the hands of Haverford High. The offense scored 32 goals, while the defense allowed just 16 (with 8 shutouts, including 5 in a row).

In the Distrcit One Championship game the Aces took down Bethlehem Liberty 3-1. Not knowing what to expect in the very first Inter-District playoff game, LM showed up with their usual 20-man squad, 2 coaches, and about 20-30 parents, students, & Aces fans. Their District Three opponent, North Lebanon, arrived with a band, cheerleaders, and over half the student body. It must have paid off as LM went down 4-1.

Strath Haven

My apologies to all. The Strath Haven game was played Monday (yesterday) instead of Tuesday due to the Jewish holiday. The game was close all the way with the LM defense continuing their fine play. Regulation ended in a 1-1 tie, with senior Russell Peck scoring the Aces' goal. It came in the 1st half off a corner kick from senior Anthony Haines. There was no scoring in the two 10-minute overtime periods so it is recorded as a tie.

This Thursday LM hosts Penncrest at 3:45 PM in another important Central League game.

In this week's Southeastern PA Soccer Coaches Association poll LM (5-1-1) moved up 5 places to #9, with Conestoga (6-0-0) at #4, and Marple Newtown climbing into the top 20 at #16. Father Judge, C.B. East, & Haverford School still remain the top 3 respectively.

Annual LM Soccer Alumni Soccer Game:

We have 15 players already signed up to play in this year's LM Soccer Alumni game on Saturday morning, October 17th, at 10 AM on Arnold Field. We need at least 10-12 more as we plan on splitting the players into 2 teams so they can play each other.

If you haven't emailed me yet (bubdavidson@comcast.net) that you plan on playing please do so soon so we can make the necessary arrangements, and continue to pass the word.

Blast from the past 1942

Blast from the Past, 1942

Every week, for the rest of the season, I'm going to be highlighting different Aces' teams & players from each decade who have earned "Blast From The Past" status for their accomplishments. I want to make this a weekly feature here on "Coach D's Blog" so current and future players can get a feel of the history behind this great program. This week our subject will be the 1942 squad, coached by LM Soccer Hall of Famer Robert Hill. This team started a string of 7 straight league titles for the Aces, prompting several players from this team to later proclaim, "We taught coach Hill how to win".

The team was led by captain Art Campbell and high-scorer Walt Lownes. Both of these players still share the LM record for scoring the most goals in a single game (6). Making up the backbone of the team were; goalkeeper Jeff Shorts, midfielder (then called halfback) Bob Narrigan, fowards Harry Olson & Frank Zinni, and defender (then called fullback) Bill Sapp.

The league they were in at that time was called the Suburban One League, and was comprised of the 4 biggest public schools in District One; LM, Abington, Upper Darby, and Haverford High. The Aces finished at the top with a 5-1 record (as they played each team twice), with the next closest team, Abington, at 2-2-2. LM's schedule that year looked like this, with the score of the game in ( ); Central (4-1), Haverford School (1-3), West Philadelphia (2-1), Abington (4-1), Episcopal (0-2), Upper Darby (2-0), Frankford (3-2), Haverford High (1-0), Hill School (0-4), Abington (5-3), Friends Select (1-0), Upper Darby (2-0), Haverford High (1-2), and Germantown (2-0). Their final record was 10-4, and there was no postseason, as the district playoffs did not begin until 1954.

On A Roll

The Aces traveled to Upper Darby this afternoon for another important Central League contest. Coming off 2 straight wins after their only loss this season against Conestoga, LM wasn't about to give anything back. An old quote that hung in the Aces locker room for many years says it all, "The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender".

Midway through the 1st half  LM senior Anthony Haines put a corner kick right on the money to sophmore Thomas Podrasky and he put the Aces ahead 1-0. As most games with the Royals are, it was very physical, producing 3 yellow cards, but LM would not back down. Senior Jake Newshaffer, subbing for injured Aces' goalkeeper Sebastian Jenkins (broken nose), had a great day in goal, making several key saves. LM controlled most of the play, both on the ground & in the air, using a very efficient ball control game while the Royals were content to play long ball but couldn't solve the vastly improving Aces' defense. Final score 1-0 (4th shutout in 6 games), taking LM to 5-1 overall & 2-1 in league play.

Next week has the Aces hosting Strath Haven on Monday and Penncrest on Thursday (both games 3:45 PM).

Errors is "Thriller at Arnold" post

My apologies to Max Knight-Surie & Quinn Vagnoni for mistakenly listing their class incorrectly in the "Thriller at Arnold" post. They are both seniors, not sophomores. 

LM Boy's Soccer FAST FACTS thru 2014

* LM’s 925 total high school soccer wins
   ranks in the top 3 all time in PA history

* LM has won 21 Surburban 1 League Titles.

* LM has won 11 Central League Titles.

* LM has won 7 District 1 Titles, with 6 Runner-up finishes.

* LM has won 1 State Title, with 2 Runner-up finishes.

* LM qualified for the District 1 Playoffs 13 consecutive years

            from 1984 thru 1996, and 37 years in all.

* LM qualified for the State Playoffs 5 consecutive years from

            1984 thru 1988, and 8 years in all.

* LM had a player voted to the high school All-America team

            8 consecutive years, and 13 years in all, including 2 in 2008.

                        1987 – Drew Misher      1994 – Jon Hanks

                        1988 – Chris Schreiner  2005 – Drew Cotler

                        1989 – Lou Spivak        2006 – Drew Cotler

                        1990 – John Howard     2007 – Greg Robbins           

                        1991 – Will Kohler       2008 – Nick Bibbs & 
                                                                    Dan DiLullo

                        1992 – Will Kohler       2013 – Francisco Palma

                        1993 – Jon Hanks

* LM Soccer began a Soccer Hall of Fame in 2006

            * 2006 inductees

Harold Helveston – coach (1924 – 1941)

Robert Robinson – coach (1967 – 1990)

Bob Davidson – player (1961 – 1963) / coach (1974 – 1995)

Jeffrey Rhodes – player (1962 – 1964)

Steve Davidson – player (1963 – 1965)

Drew Misher – player (1985 – 1987)

Jason DiLullo – player (1986 – 1988)

Will Kohler – player (1990 – 1992)

            * 2007 inductees

Robert Hill – coach (1942-1959, and in 1962 & 1965)

Tom Farr – player (1971-1973)

            * 2008 inductee

Jonathan Hanks – player (1991 - 1994)

            * 2009 inductees

Doug Brown – player (1973 – 1975)

John Wynn – player (1942 – 1944)

            * 2010 inductees

Chris Schreiner – player (1986 – 1988)

David Urban – player (1983 – 1985)

            * 2011 inductee

Walter (Bud) Lownes – player (1941 – 1943)

            * 2012 inductee

1987 State Championship Team

            * 2013 inductee

1968 League, District, & Inter-District Championship Team

            * 2014 Inductee

James Billington - player (1943 – 1945)

Thriller at Arnold

This afternoon LM hosted the Haverford Fords in a key Central League game. Already 0-1 in league play the Aces needed a win to stay in early contention. The game started out slow, with both teams in a defense-first mode. LM used a 6 man sub rotation to keep the players fresh in the high 80 degree conditions.

With very few scoring chances for either team through the 1st 20 minutes, the Fords would break the ice first. With 18 minutes left in the 1st half their #10 scored on a beautiful turnaround 18 yard bullet, giving Aces' junior goalkeeper Sebastian Jenkins no chance. Two minutes later, juiced by the early goal, the Fords tested Jenkins again but this time he came up with a big save. A few minutes later LM had their own good chance but shot wide from 15 yards out. Despite dominating most of the 1st half LM had trouble building forward, despite a strong performance by their senior center midfielder Max Knight-Surie who was making plays all over the field.

In the 2nd half Haverford came out even more defensive, so, being 1 goal down, coach Severini made a move to bolster his offense. He brought senior center back Quinn Vagnoni up into center midfield, immediately paying dividends. The Aces began getting great scoring opportunities and early in the half an LM corner kick beat the Ford keeper but was alertly saved by one of the post defenders. LM's biggest weapon in the 2nd half proved to be senior Jeremy Hillsberg long throw-ins. As the game clocked ticked down under 2 minutes one of those throws would find the foot of junior Alex Moureaud, who ripped one low left from 10 yards out and the game was tied 1-1, and would go into sudden-victory OT.

There was no score in the 1st 10 minute period, but with 6 minutes left in the 2nd Hillsberg lined up for still another long throw-in deep in the Ford end. This time the ball rebounded off a Haverford player and into the net for an own goal, and a hard fought 2-1 OT win for the Aces.

Next up LM travels to Upper Darby on Saturday for another key Central League game (10 AM start).

Early Rankings - Alumni Game

In this week's Southeastern PA Coaches boy's Soccer Poll the LM Aces occupy the 14th slot with their 3-1 overall record. Two other Central League teams appear in the top 15, Conestoga at #4 (3-0) and Harriton at #12 (3-0-1). Conestoga is the only C.L. team in the Philadelphia Inquirer Top 10, coming in at #6.

In this abbreviated week due to the Jewish holiday, LM hosts Haverford High tomorrow at 3:45 PM and Saturday travels to Upper Darby for a 10 AM start. Both these are important Central League games.

Just another reminder, the Annual LM Soccer "ALUMNI GAME" is set for Saturday morning, October 17th,  @10 AM on the boy's grass soccer field on Arnold Field. Our goal this year is to have enough LM Soccer Alumni to field 2 teams & play against each other. To do this we need a minimum of 25 players, and right now we have 13 committed. Its still a little over 4 weeks away so we have plenty of time, but we're hoping that you all pass the word.

If you plan on playing please email me at: bubdavidson@comcast.net. It should be a fun day for all.

Bouncing Back

The Aces hosted non-league opponent Interboro this morning on the turf at Arnold Field. The Bucs are Del-Val League contenders this year and would be a good test. LM controlled the early play and it didn't take long to get on the board as midway through the 1st half sophmore Max Shapiro took a beautiful cross and found the lower right corner of the net to give the Aces a 1-0 advantage. There was a lot of back & forth throughout the contest with both teams getting several good scoring chances. With about 10 minutes remaining Interboro was awarded a PK for a hand ball in the box. Junior goalkeeper Sabastian Jenkins made the save to keep LM on top. This miss seemed to ignite the Bucs as late in the game they peppered the Aces' net, but couldn't get one past this young defense. Final score 1-0 LM.

Next up for the Aces is a home  league game against Haverford High on Thursday at 3:45 PM.

LM Soccer Alumni news

The 2015 LM soccer season is already into week 2 and hopefully you are getting all the 2015 Aces' results, as well as other LM Soccer Alumni news, at "Coach D's Blog", located at: www.coachdssoccerblog.blogspot.com. Bookmark it and be a regular visitor. I post about 3 times a week during the soccer season.

As I mentioned in my last blog, I would be giving you the info on the annual "Steve Fountain Memorial Golf Tournament", our only LMSAA (Lower Merion Soccer Alumni Association) fundraiser each year. It will be held on Friday, October 23rd, at Edgmont Golf Club in Edgmont.

There are many ways to support our fundraiser, and the LMSAA, and you don't have to be a golfer or even live in the area. If you go to our LM Soccer Alumni website at: www.lmsocceralum.org and click on the Golf Invite, it will list all the details.

Ways you can support the LMSAA

1/ You can play in the golf event (which is a scramble format) as a single golfer, or we can pair you up with other LM Soccer Alumni who will be playing.

2/ You can sign up as a foursome and bring 3 friends with you

3/ If you don't golf you can sign up to be one of the sponsors that are listed on the invite, OR, you may know someone who would like to be a sponsor and get a little publicity & goodwill for their company. Many of you found sponsors for us last year and it was greatly appreciated. I hope we can repeat that this year. This is the lifeblood of our fundraiser (the Golf Invite on our website explains how each type of sponsorship works)

* We are in need of hole sponsors ($250) and contest sponsors ($400) so please give it a look

4/ Or you can simply make a donation

How to register as a golfer, a sponsor, or make a donation

A. There are 2 ways to register as a golfer, a sponsor, or to make a donation

         1/ mail a check with the appropriate amount, made out to the

            “LMSAA”, to our LMSAA treasurer Jim VanDusen (LM

             class of ’89) to the address below:

                  Jim VanDusen

                  800 Maple Glen Lane

                  Wayne, PA 19087-4727

* Golfer - choose Single Golfer or Foursome,  
* Sponsor - choose your level of Sponsorship from the Golf Invite (prices & exposure for each are listed on the Invite),  
* Donation – any amount

         2/ You can also pay online at our LM Soccer Alumni website www.lmsocceralum.org by:

1/ going to the home page of our LM Soccer Alumni website and clicking on the golf invite

2/ scroll down to review all the sponsorship & golfing opportunities

3/ click on “click here to register” and fill out the registration form

4/ then scroll down and click on the package that best fits your situation and then click on “submit” (this will register your info)

5/ then, if you just want to make a donation click on the “Donate” button

6/ or, click on “proceed to purchase golf package” and that will take you to the web store

I would like to again thank you all for your continued support for this great event and for Lower Merion Soccer. I hope to be hearing from you soon.

 

Central League opener

The Aces hosted the highly ranked Conestoga Pioneers yesterday afternoon, and it was experience against heart. The Pioneers returned most of their starters, and are the defending Central League Champs. LM had to rebuild from losing 9 starters, but were coming off 2 good shutout wins to start the season. The Aces defense came up big in the 1st half, and the offense got a few good early scoring chances, but at intermission the game remained scoreless. In the 2nd half the Pioneers began to  sustain their offensive pressure, and were awarded several free kicks & throw-ins deep in the LM end. It finally paid off midway thru the half in the form of 2 goals coming from long throw-ins 10 minutes apart. The Aces couldn't answer, and were dealt their 1st loss of the young season 2-0.

Next on the schedule is a non-league contest this Saturday, on the turf at Arnold Field ((10 AM) against Interboro H.S.

Fast Start

The Aces traveled to Bonner this afternoon, trying to build on the momentum from their 1-0 season opener win last Friday at Avon Grove. The Friars were over matched from the beginning as the Aces exploded for 5 goals in the 1st half and cruised to their 2nd win of the season. They displayed much better build up in the midfield, which resulted in many good scoring opportunities, and a bushel full of goals, while their defense was rarely tested.

It will be a different story this Thursday when LM hosts highly touted Conestoga in their 1st Central League game of the season, 3:45 PM on the turf at Arnold Field. The Pioneers return 16 players from their 2014 Central League championship team and are highly ranked in all the area soccer polls. It will be a stiff test for the young Aces' squad.

In LM Soccer Alumni news our annual "Alumni Game" is set for Saturday morning, October 17th, at 10 AM on the boy's grass soccer field at Arnold Field. We are hoping for a big turnout this year so we have enough to pick 2 teams and play each other. However, we need to know how many we can expect to be playing so we can make the proper arrangements. If you're in please email me at: bubdavidson@comcast.net and let me know soon. Please pass the word to other LM Soccer Alumni you keep in touch with.

Also, the date has been set for our annual LMSAA (Lower Merion Soccer Alumni Association) fundraiser, the "Steve Fountain Memorial Golf Event". The Date is Friday, October 23rd, at Edgmont Golf Club in Edgmont PA (15 minutes from LMHS). More details to follow in my next blog.

The Journey Begins

This morning the Aces traveled to Avon Grove for a non-league season opener. With 8 new starters in the lineup, including an almost brand new defense, it will be trail by fire until this young & inexperienced squad start to come together. With no details available at this time, the Aces earned a 1-0 shutout win. I'll get into more details about the roster, the expectations, team leaders, etc. in my next blog.

I would like to inform all our LM Soccer Alumni who read this blog that the annual "Alumni Game" has been scheduled for Saturday morning, October 17th, at 10 AM on the boy's soccer field at Arnold Field. Our goal this year is to get enough interest to have an all-LM affair, splitting the players into 2 teams. To do this we would need at least 25 participants so we need everyone's help. Please pass this on to other alums you keep in touch with even though you may not know if they will be interested. Everyone is welcome, even if you just plan to watch & catch up with old friends.

Everyone who can make it should email me at bubdavidson@comcast.net and let me know. We need to make plans soon for possible lunches after the game & referees. Please spread the word, especially to those who have graduated in the past 5 years or so as they are under-represented in our LM Soccer Alumni activities.

Season opener tomorrow

The Aces finished up with their 2nd of 2 scrimmages yesterday with West Chester Rustin and are now ready for the 2015 season opener tomorrow morning at Avon Grove (10 AM).

LM lost 8-9 starters from last year's squad that went 12-7-1, finishing 6th in the Central League. Coach Nico Severini is hoping that the non-starters & JV players from last year will be able to step up this year and make an impact. Graduation hit the defense the hardest as they lost both goalkeepers and 3/4 of their defensive backfield. The good news is that they have some talented underclassmen in juniors Alex Moureaud & Ryan Tillman, sophmores Thomas Podrasky & Max Shapiro, as well as an outstanding freshman class.

Conestoga looks like the team to beat with 16-17 players back from their Central League Championship team so it looks like the young inexperienced Aces will have to grow up fast as they host the Pioneers next Thursday.