Truman stuns Council Rock North
BucksLocalSports Editor The Truman boys upset Council Rock North Wednesday, Sept. 12 in Newtown for what is most likely the biggest soccer win of head coach Scott Milone’s tenure with the Tigers.
Truman senior A.J. holar tallied a hat trick in the contest.
With his team trailing, 1-0, holar took a feed from David Rodriguez to lock things up at a goal apiece in the 36th minute.
holar then scored an unassisted goal two minutes later to put the Tigers on top, 2-1, at the break.
Two minutes after the intermission, holar took a feed from hinsley Cherilus and put it in the back of the Rock net for his third goal of the game.
After coming up short in duels with Suburban One League (SOL) National Conference rivals Neshaminy and CR South, Truman pushed it way to 1-3 overall, 1-2 in the league.
The Tigers dropped their opener Aug. 31 at Academy Park. Mohammed honneh scored once and Nabieu Sesay notched a pair of goals in a 3-2 win that favored the home team. holar tallied both goals for Truman.
The Indians fall to 0-3, 0-4 in the SOL National conference. The Rock has also sustained losses at the hands of Wissahickon, William Tennent and Abington.
Last season, Truman had numerous close games against its SOL National foes but always, the Tigers found a way to fall behind and lose. Truman fell 4-3 to Archbishop Ryan, 2-1 to Neshaminy, 2-0 to CR South, 1-0 to William Tennent, and 3-2 to Abington.
“We’ve had a lot of close games. We’re there; it’s just the big story – can’t put more in the net than [our opponents] do,” said Milone after an early-season loss to CR South in 2011.
Things started to turn around for the Tigers however after a midseason duel at Bensalem where Truman JRW LWS fiUSW OHDJUH ZLQ RI the 2011 campaign. With the teams locked in a scoreless draw, Rashard dayle fed Mike Camacho (since graduated), who tallied the winning strike. Pressed into service when starting netminder Eric dutierrez went down with an injury suffered in the second game of the season, Tigers goalkeeper Jimmy Antolino (graduated) UHJLSWHUHG fiVH SDVHS LQ 7UUPDQ’S fiUSW OHDJUH ZLQ RI WKH season.
More victories against SONL rivals would follow.
Three days later, facing SOL Continental Conference foe Central Bucks South in enemy territory, the Tigers took a 1-0 lead into the intermission on another goal by Camacho. In the second half, the teams traded goals with curkan Boz reaching paydirt for Truman and Matt dilbert and Mike Serban reaching the back of the net for the Titans.
Again it was Camacho coming through with the winning strike, reaching paydirt with less than a minute to go. A non-league win, yes but nonetheless impressive. After all, CB South came into the game touting a 9-2-1 overall mark and a 7-1-1 Continental Conference record.
The Tigers recorded their second league win of the 2011 campaign, besting Pennsbury, a team they lost to, 4-0, earlier in the season and one they’d never defeated during Milone’s tenure.
holar connected on a cross from Camacho in the 16th minute and the goal stood as the game’s only strike. David Rodriguez stood tall in goal for Truman, denying a penalty kick by the calcons in the 60th minute of play.
Late in the season, Truman played perennial District One contenders Neshaminy (0-0) and New Hope-Solebury (1-1) to a draw.
“We were out there making plays all year long; we just weren’t connecting,” said Milone. “By the end of the year, we started to gel.”
,Q WKH SDSW, RQH RI WKH flDZS in the Truman team was its penchant for falling behind by a goal or two before beginning to play. Maybe now, the team is playing the full 90 minutes?
Time will tell.