Yesterday the Aces took care of a good Springfield team, who had already upset a couple of the league's top teams earlier in the season. It was sophomore Gian-Luca Hail getting his 2nd game winner in the last 4 games as LM won 2-1. In other Central League action Harriton defeated Upper Darby, so the Aces moved into a 2nd place tie with Harriton. League leading Conestoga had an easy time with Garnet Valley winning 4-1.
Next Tuesday is the last Central League game of the season, with LM (7-2-1) visiting winless Ridley (0-9-1). Should they get past Ridley, and Conestoga (8-2-0) loses to Penncrest (3-4-3), the Aces would assure themselves at least a tie for the 2012 Central League Championship with Harriton (7-2-1), but the Rams still have to get past Strath Haven (6-4-0) in their last game.
Tomorrow LM travels to Archbishop Carrol for their last non-league game of the season.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Close Call
The Aces took care of business yesterday against Garnet Valley but it was closer than expected. Their 2-1 win moved LM (6-2-1) past Radnor into 3rd place, as the Raiders lost 1-0 to Springfield. Both Conestoga (7-2) & Upper Darby (7-2) won easily to stay tied atop the Central League standings with 2 games remaining. To win the league title the Aces (Springfield & Ridley left) need to win both their games, and have both Conestoga (Garnet Valley & Penncrest left) and Upper Darby (Harriton & Garnet Valley left) to drop one of their last 2 games. It's a long shot, but you never know.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Stretch Run
The Aces' game last Saturday with Friends Central was cancelled, so their overall record remains at 8-3-1 (5-2-1 in league play). Central League games this week are today at Garnet Valley (listed on the schedule as 3:45 PM, but in the paper today it has it at 7 PM), and Thursday at home with Springfield (3:45 PM). This Saturday LM travels to Archbishop Carroll for a non-league contest (time TBA). Next week the Aces wrap up their regular season schedule when they travel to Ridley for their final Central League match.
LM fell out of the Southeastern PA top-10 soccer poll, that has West Chester Rustin (the 3rd High School in the West Chester School District behind West Chester East & West Chester Henderson) as the #1 team, and Conestoga at #7 (the only team ranked from the Central League).
LM fell out of the Southeastern PA top-10 soccer poll, that has West Chester Rustin (the 3rd High School in the West Chester School District behind West Chester East & West Chester Henderson) as the #1 team, and Conestoga at #7 (the only team ranked from the Central League).
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Central League Standings
Here are the up to date Central League Standings. Teams receive 3 points for a win and 1 point for a tie. As you can see that loss to Penncrest last Thursday night was huge for the Aces as with a win they could have been atop the standings with 19 points, with remaining games against Ridley, Garnet Valley, & Springfield. Now LM needs a lot to happen for them to have a chance at the top spot.
| TEAM | W | L | T | PTS. | |
| Conestoga | 6 | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| Upper Darby | 6 | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| Radnor | 5 | 1 | 2 | 17 | |
| Lower Merion | 5 | 2 | 1 | 16 | |
| Harriton | 5 | 2 | 1 | 16 | |
| Springfield | 4 | 3 | 1 | 13 | |
| Strath Haven | 4 | 4 | 0 | 12 | |
| Haverford | 3 | 5 | 0 | 9 | |
| Penncrest | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | |
| Garnet Valley | 1 | 6 | 1 | 4 | |
| Marple | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | |
| Ridley | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
Thursday, October 4, 2012
LM - Harriton, the game
This afternoon, in an on and off drizzle, the Aces & Rams faced off for the 27th time in their history. LM was looking for a little payback from last year, when Harriton dealt LM their 1st defeat ever. But even more important, the Rams held the top spot in the Central League standings, with the Aces clinging to an outside chance of staying in the race.
It was a typical LM vs. Harriton soccer game, a hard-nosed, take no prisoners battle. Both goalkeepers played outstanding games, with each one coming up big when the team needed it. Both teams hit the crossbar once, and both grabbed, held, and lost momentum several times during the contest. The Aces relied on their long throw-ins & corner kicks for most of their pressure, while the Rams took advantage of quick counter attacks off turnovers.
The 2 workhorses for LM were seniors Greg Levy and tri-captain Matt Lindheim. Eighty minutes of regulation ended in a 0-0 tie, so two 10-minute sudden-victory overtime periods would be played. With the Aces carrying the play in the 1st OT, their pressure would finally pay off. With only 27 seconds left Greg Levy got his 13th or 14th long throw of the afternoon deep in the Ram's end. He would finally connect as sophmore Gian-Luca Hail directed a deflection past the helpless Harriton keeper for the game winner. The LM bench poured onto the field to celebrate the "must win" they desperately needed, and got.
This Saturday LM goes out of league play when they travel to Friends Central for an 11 AM contest. I will post the updated Central League standings right here tomorrow or Saturday.
It was a typical LM vs. Harriton soccer game, a hard-nosed, take no prisoners battle. Both goalkeepers played outstanding games, with each one coming up big when the team needed it. Both teams hit the crossbar once, and both grabbed, held, and lost momentum several times during the contest. The Aces relied on their long throw-ins & corner kicks for most of their pressure, while the Rams took advantage of quick counter attacks off turnovers.
The 2 workhorses for LM were seniors Greg Levy and tri-captain Matt Lindheim. Eighty minutes of regulation ended in a 0-0 tie, so two 10-minute sudden-victory overtime periods would be played. With the Aces carrying the play in the 1st OT, their pressure would finally pay off. With only 27 seconds left Greg Levy got his 13th or 14th long throw of the afternoon deep in the Ram's end. He would finally connect as sophmore Gian-Luca Hail directed a deflection past the helpless Harriton keeper for the game winner. The LM bench poured onto the field to celebrate the "must win" they desperately needed, and got.
This Saturday LM goes out of league play when they travel to Friends Central for an 11 AM contest. I will post the updated Central League standings right here tomorrow or Saturday.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Harriton Rivalry?
The Aces took care of business with Marple yesterday with a 4-1 Central League victory. Junior Eli Cohen tallied twice while senior tri-captain Matt Lindheim recorded a goal and 2 assists. Next up for LM (tomorrow at Arnold Field, with a 3:45 PM tap) is league leading Harriton, who played to a 1-1 tie with Radnor yesterday. If you want to know just how big this game is keep reading.
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Lower Merion vs. Harriton is a different kind of rivalry, dating back 52 years to the first time these two schools played each other in soccer in 1960 (Harriton opened as a 2nd high school in Lower Merion School District in 1959). It's not a rivalry based on win-loss records, championships, or a battle to be the best team in the area. This rivalry is based on pride alone, which Lower Merion School District high school soccer team can beat the other on one given day. Want to know what it felt like, just ask Chris Schreiner ('88), who not only played for LM against Harriton, but later also coached the Aces as well.
"First let me start off by saying my wife is a '89 graduate of Harriton and she used to boo me at all the LM vs Harriton soccer games. As a former player and coach at LM, when we played Harriton it was always a no win situation. When we won the game we were supposed to win, if we tied the game we played horrible and Harriton played great, and ... We never lost! The greatest part about the games between LM and Harriton was that everyone knew each other. Whether they were friends from your club team or another club team or just from the neighborhood. The games themselves were always tough, hard-nosed physical wars, with everything on the line. Bragging rights for another year and hanging out with more Harriton girls."
After about 10 years of playing each other every year the rivalry was ended. Some sources say that it got too heated and animosity built up between not only the teams, but the 2 student bodies as well. This was also apparent in other sports besides soccer. So to help promote unity & goodwill in the School District all athletic contests between the 2 schools were discontinued.
Both school's boy's soccer teams continued to flourish, with Lower Merion dominating the Suburban One (and then the Central) league, while Harriton was without equal in the Del-Val league. Finally in 1985, with both teams having qualified for the District One playoffs (there was only 1 division back then), Lower Merion met Harriton once again on the soccer field in the district quarter-finals. Both teams were ranked highly in the area and it would be an historic game. The Aces proved to be too big and too strong for the Rams that year, as LM won 4-0 and advanced thru the District Playoffs and into the State Playoffs.
Several years later games resumed (in all sports) bewteen the 2 sister schools, with Lower Merion playing the roll of the bigger school and expected winner, while Harriton would be the underdog with nothing to lose. In the 25 times these 2 soccer powers met (thru 2010), LM won 15, lost 0, and there were 10 ties. Last year the Rams finally broke thru and defeated the Aces 2-1 in a night game at Harriton.
Now they both play in the Central League, and within a few years their enrollments should be just about equal. Count on many years of exciting games still to come.
Have an LM vs Harriton memory? Send me an email at bubdavidson@comcast.net.
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Lower Merion vs. Harriton is a different kind of rivalry, dating back 52 years to the first time these two schools played each other in soccer in 1960 (Harriton opened as a 2nd high school in Lower Merion School District in 1959). It's not a rivalry based on win-loss records, championships, or a battle to be the best team in the area. This rivalry is based on pride alone, which Lower Merion School District high school soccer team can beat the other on one given day. Want to know what it felt like, just ask Chris Schreiner ('88), who not only played for LM against Harriton, but later also coached the Aces as well.
"First let me start off by saying my wife is a '89 graduate of Harriton and she used to boo me at all the LM vs Harriton soccer games. As a former player and coach at LM, when we played Harriton it was always a no win situation. When we won the game we were supposed to win, if we tied the game we played horrible and Harriton played great, and ... We never lost! The greatest part about the games between LM and Harriton was that everyone knew each other. Whether they were friends from your club team or another club team or just from the neighborhood. The games themselves were always tough, hard-nosed physical wars, with everything on the line. Bragging rights for another year and hanging out with more Harriton girls."
After about 10 years of playing each other every year the rivalry was ended. Some sources say that it got too heated and animosity built up between not only the teams, but the 2 student bodies as well. This was also apparent in other sports besides soccer. So to help promote unity & goodwill in the School District all athletic contests between the 2 schools were discontinued.
Both school's boy's soccer teams continued to flourish, with Lower Merion dominating the Suburban One (and then the Central) league, while Harriton was without equal in the Del-Val league. Finally in 1985, with both teams having qualified for the District One playoffs (there was only 1 division back then), Lower Merion met Harriton once again on the soccer field in the district quarter-finals. Both teams were ranked highly in the area and it would be an historic game. The Aces proved to be too big and too strong for the Rams that year, as LM won 4-0 and advanced thru the District Playoffs and into the State Playoffs.
Several years later games resumed (in all sports) bewteen the 2 sister schools, with Lower Merion playing the roll of the bigger school and expected winner, while Harriton would be the underdog with nothing to lose. In the 25 times these 2 soccer powers met (thru 2010), LM won 15, lost 0, and there were 10 ties. Last year the Rams finally broke thru and defeated the Aces 2-1 in a night game at Harriton.
Now they both play in the Central League, and within a few years their enrollments should be just about equal. Count on many years of exciting games still to come.
Have an LM vs Harriton memory? Send me an email at bubdavidson@comcast.net.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Looking to Rebound
After a crushing Central League loss on Thursday night the Aces were looking to right the ship on Saturday against non-league opponent Central Bucks West. After scoring only 1 goal in their last 2 games LM finally got their offense going, getting 2 goals past the Bucks keeper. With their defense giving up only 6 goals in their last 8 games that should have been plenty for the Aces, but it wasn't. The Bucks scored 3 and LM lost 3-2.
This week LM hosts Marple on Tuesday, league leading Harriton on Thursday, and travel to Friends Central on Saturday. Sitting at 7-3-1 overall, this is a very important week for the Aces.
This week LM hosts Marple on Tuesday, league leading Harriton on Thursday, and travel to Friends Central on Saturday. Sitting at 7-3-1 overall, this is a very important week for the Aces.
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