Springfield SAA U11 are Delco soccer champs

SAA U11 champs are (top row ) Colin Wynne, Anthony Lawson, Jammie Ward, Coach George Pavlovitch, David Bingaman, Pasha Verica, Nick Lafferty, Ronny Miller, (bottom row) Kieran Gallagher, Noah Mannix, Matt Scanlon, Chris DeBernardi, Nick Pavlovitch, Jared Plank. Missing from photo are Coach Kevin Coary and player Jack Coary.

The Springfield boys' U11 Cougars soccer team played an outstanding game on Nov. 13 to seal their place in the championship game in a nail biter against Tredyffrin/Eastown.

The boys played 60 minutes of regulation play, followed by a ten minute overtime, which then lead to two sets of penalty kicks to send the team to the Championship game the next day.

Coach George Pavlovitch took his group, along with their tenacity and the desire to finish the season as champions, to Line Road Field in West Chester for the Championship game the next day.

The surefooted defense lead by Pasha Verica, Kieran Gallagher, Jamie Ward and Goalie Matt Scanlon worked together as a well-oiled machine and turned away every attempt at a goal from the M.O.T team.

The solid play of Anthony Lawson, David Bingaman and Joey DeBernardi controlled the midfield keeping the ball in the offensive zone the majority of the game so that the Cougars offense could continue to get off shots on goal. However, at the half, both teams were deadlocked at 0-0.

The Cougars took the field for the second half ready to go to battle. The offense had several perfectly placed shots, but the strong goal tending for M.O.T turned away attempts. It wasn't until fifteen minutes into the second half that Colin Wynne capitalized on a bobble by M.O.T's goalie to put the ball into the net and put the team on the score board.

The momentum of the game kicked into high gear after the goal was scored and forwards Nick Pavlovitch, Noah Mannix, Nick Lafferty and Jared Plank continued to work hard to send the ball into the box and force the goalie to make several additional saves.

The Cougars worked too hard all season to let this game slip away and they sealed the deal when Joey DeBernardi sent the ball into the offensive zone to Ronnie Miller who dodged his opponent to put a perfectly placed kick over the goalies head to win 2-0 and clinch the championship title.

The team also finished the season undefeated and shut out their last seven opponents in regulation games.