It was everything a soccer game should be. Two evenly matched teams in a tight, well-played contest that went right down to the wire.
In the end it was the Council Rock North boys team prevailing, 2-1, over Archbishop Wood in a non-league game on Saturday at CR North’s Walt Snyder Stadium.
It was the second consecutive one-goal victory for the Indians, who previously topped Suburban One League National Conference opponent Bensalem, 2-1. CR North opened the year with an 8-0 win over SOL rival Harry S Truman.
“This was extremely important for us as a team,” said CR North junior Ari Pollack, the center midfielder. “It meant a lot for us to win this game and get the season off to a good start. They’re a good team so this is a good test for us and it shows what a good team we are. This is kind of a rivalry. We know a lot of the guys on their team.”
Last season, the Indians were 1-6 in one-goal games.
The Vikings had a few early chances but CR North dominated the first half, although when the intermission came there was still no score.
Three minutes into the second half the Indians were on the board, courtesy of a goal by senior captain Nick Wise. Michael Brusca assisted on the play.
“Our halftime talk just pumped us up a lot,” Pollack said. “We played the second half extremely hard, really physical. We just wanted every single ball more than the other team. We won every 50/50 ball. That was exactly what we needed.”
After Wise’s goal, the Indians hunkered down and worked to keep the Vikings off the board. Goaltender Gavin Roon and defenders Danny Ugras, Chase McCaffrey, Corey Brennan and Mike Pinho all did their parts.
CR North held Wood off until the 8:21 mark, when Enzo Petruzzelli netted the equalizer with an assist from Logan Pietrzak.
“Our defense really stepped up,” said Brusca, a senior striker. “We played outstanding. We didn’t let any balls bounce right back behind the defense. McCaffrey is a senior captain, and he never lets any ball out. Nobody gets past him.
“After they scored, it was extremely important that we didn’t put our heads down. We had to keep up our intensity and keep fighting and we were able to do that and we put one in.
“It’s a big lesson for us. We’re definitely going to learn a lot from this win. It’s a strong opponent so this is a big confidence boost for us. It’s a non-league game, but sometimes the non-league games are more important than the league games as far as getting big wins. This was a real test for us.”
With overtime looming ominously, Brusca once again found Wise, who tucked away the winner with 3:21 remaining.
“Getting that first goal of the game really boosted the morale of the boys, I think,” said Wise, a senior striker. “We knew this was a tough opponent coming into this game. I don’t think anyone thinks we’re as good as we are so I think this win shows it.
“They scored but we didn’t get down. We don’t ever put our heads down. We rallied the troops and we got it going at the end of the game. We’re a tough group. We kept our heads up and kept it going.
“Getting that last goal with not a lot of time left was electric, to say the least. This is a game of centimeters and that one got lucky. it went through a few people.
“I think our team could be really good this year. All these close games, by one goal, there’s going to be a few more of them, we’ve got to win them. Those were games that we lost last year but we can win them this time around.”
It was the first loss of the year for Wood, the 2021 District 12 titlist and PIAA Class 3A runner-up.
“They’re definitely a quality team,” Pollack said. “This is a big win for us.”
CR North’s most recent appearance in the District One Class 4A tourney was a second-round exit in 2019.
“I have goals for this team,” Brusca said. “Definitely one is to beat Rock South for the Rock Cup and go to playoffs, definitely. That’s a big goal.”
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