From the BCCT:
Playoffs a first for Bulldogs
Playoffs a first for Bulldogs
By: STUART LONDON
Bucks County Courier Times
On Thursday at 6 p.m., something will happen at Morrisville that has never occurred before - a playoff soccer game.
The Bulldogs will host a team to be determined in a first round Penn-Jersey League playoff game at Robert Morris Field.
Not only is it Morrisville's first home playoff game but, according to coach Sean Haines, it is the first time the Bulldogs will experience post-season play since the program started in 1988.
"A lot of good things are happening for us," said Haines, who is in his sixth year as coach.
Going into today's final set of Penn-Jersey regular season games, the Bulldogs are in a tie for second place with a 4-2 record and are guaranteed at least fourth place. They have seven wins on the season (a school record) and a win over International Christian would put Morrisville at 8-8 on the season.
Historically, depth has been a problem for the Bulldogs, as the school has only about 100 boys.
Even this year's very successful squad does not have enough players to field a junior varsity team. Since Morrisville does not field its own girls soccer team, girls can play on the boys team, and Haines has five girls on his 18-player roster. Anywhere from one to three girls start, depending on the matchups.
"Obviously, you need talent to be successful but, more than ever, we have players who are committed," Haines said. "We have a small pool of boys and we have football also drawing players."
The Bulldogs do have talent. Senior Brandon Douglass has 18 goals on the season, freshman Reynaldo Bonilla has scored 12 goals and sophomore Leo Hernandez has been solid in the net.
"He has been a starter since he was a freshman and he has made great strides," said Haines of Douglass. "He is also the only one on the team who plays club soccer. In my six years, I've had four players who've played club ball."
The Penn-Jersey League postseason may be just the start for the Bulldogs. Since they have a pretty good record, Haines hopes to also be part of the PIAA District One Class A playoffs.
"We've never gone to districts before," said Haines. "This is all new. I went to Conwell-Egan and the closest we came to the playoffs was a play-in game against Archbishop Wood."
Wood on a roll
Another team looking forward to the playoffs is Archbishop Wood.
The Vikings have rolled through the Blue Division of the Philadelphia Catholic League. In what was a showdown between the two top teams in the division, the Vikings downed Conwell-Egan, 3-0, on Oct. 12.
That was a nail-biter compared to most of Wood's games, as they have made their opponents feel blue.
Going into today's contest with Bishop McDevitt, the Vikings have outscored their opposition 72-1 in 13 league games. The one goal scored against them came in a 9-1 victory over Neumann-Goretti. Their closest games were by 2-0 scores to both Kennedy-Kenrick and Lansdale Catholic.
The playoffs will be a different story, where Wood will have to take on Red Division powers like North Catholic, Father Judge, La Salle and Archbishop Ryan (who they lost to 1-0 in a non-league game).
"You really have to be motivated," Wood senior co-captain Trey Chamberlain said. "It's disappointing to not play a good team every game. We know at the end of the season we are going to have to pick it up."
Games to Watch
Archbishop Wood girls at Lansdale Catholic, Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. The Vikings can clinch the PCL regular season title with a win over the second-place Crusaders.
Pennsbury at Neshaminy, Wednesday, 7 p.m. The Falcons can wrap up another SOL National Conference title with a victory; while the Redskins could use a big win to help make the district playoffs.
Stuart London can be reached at 215-345-3184 or slondon@phillyBurbs.com
