Tulpehocken takes down Brandywine Heights in final

As a boys soccer player at Tulpehocken, Trevor Brown never won a county title.

Now in his fourth season as the Trojans head coach, Brown helped guide Tulpehocken to its first Berks title in 11 years on Thursday night, as the third-seeded Trojans defeated fifth-seeded Brandywine Heights 2-0 in the BCIAA final at Exeter’s Don Thomas Stadium.

“For me, it means everything,” Brown said. “To coach these boys, and for these boys to be able to do that, it means the world. These things don’t happen all the time, especially when you’re a small school in a county that has such great soccer like ours does.”

Tulpehocken (20-1) was superb for 80 minutes on Thursday, and scored both its goals on corner kicks. On both plays, senior Eliecer “Ace” Aguirre connected with senior Mason Lillis, who received the aerial passes and scored with headers.

“That’s the dynamic duo,” Brown said. “They’re both special.”

Aguirre and Lillis connected for their first goal with 54 seconds remaining in the first half to make it 1-0. Tulpehocken had five corner kicks in the first half.

“It means so much,” Lillis said. “We’ve been working for this ever since I can remember. So many emotions.”

The duo connected again just over 12 minutes into the second half on a near-identical play. The Trojans took eight corner kicks in the game, scoring on two of them.

“It means a lot,” Aguirre said. “We all knew that we had the team to do it. It feels really good to actually do it.”

Lillis credits the pair’s chemistry for their success on corner kicks.

“We don’t even have to say it, we just know,” said Lillis, who, like Aguirre, is a team captain. “We’ve been friends for so long, best friends for so long, that it just clicks naturally.”

The Trojans outshot the Bullets 8-1, including 6-0 in the first half. Tulpehocken held the advantage in possession for the majority of the game, especially in the first half.

“All-around great performance,” Brown said. “It was pure focus. They had one thing on their mind and that was getting this title for the school, the program.”

Making its first appearance in the title game in 1975, Brandywine Heights’ best chance to score came with just under three minutes remaining in the second half. However, the Bullets’ shot was deflected by Trojans goalkeeper Nick Becker before bouncing off the crossbar.

“That’s a heck of a team over there (and) they deserve this win, but we also deserved to be on this field,” said Brandywine Heights coach Jason Miller, whose team is 17-4. “We fought to the end. I asked my guys for 80 minutes, and they gave it to me.”

Both teams will continue their seasons in the District 3 Class 1A playoffs next week, with a chance of a rematch. Tulpehocken also won the regular season meeting between the two teams.

While their preseason goals of winning district and state titles remain in front of them, the Trojans’ win on Thursday was years in the making.

“It’s one of the best moments I’ve ever had,” Brown said. “I’m so proud of these boys.”