Rankings, scoring leaders and what to watch for as league championships kick off
Championship week, soccerstyle, is upon us.
The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference will play its boys and girls tournaments on Monday (quarterfinals), Wednesday (semifinals) and Saturday (finals).
The Colonial League scheduled its boys and girls tournaments for Tuesday (quarterfinals), Thursday (semifinals) and Saturday (finals).
So, clear your calendar on Saturday, soccer fans.
Today’s notebook includes a profile of Wilson scoring star Wilson Bibiano; predictions and thoughts on the EPC and Colonial League tournaments; a look at our state-ranked teams; The Morning Call rankings; and updated standings and scoring leaders.
Let’s get going …
Warriors’ Wilson from Wilson
Wilson from Wilson brings a certain international flair to Colonial League soccer fields.
He brings plenty of production, too.
“Before anything else,” Wilson’s Wilson Bibiano said, “I was taught the Brazilian flair by my father [Hudson], who was a semi-pro player in our home country.”
Bibiano was born in Brazil, moved with his family to New York when he was a year old and settled in the borough of Wilson by the time he started elementary school. Since his arrival to the area, Bibiano has been a standout scorer at the youth, club and scholastic levels — the type of athlete who draws the attention of opposing coaches and players alike.
A senior striker for the Warriors, Bibiano has scored 38 goals in 18 games this season and is easily the Colonial League’s No. 1 scorer. He also has 11 assists for a total of 87 points.
Gennaro Mazzella, a senior at Moravian Academy, is second in the league with 54 points.
“Wilson’s first touch is what makes him such a dangerous player in my opinion,” Northwestern Lehigh coach Nathan Hunsicker said. “It’s like he has the ball on a string to his foot. He has a great touch and makes everyone around him better.”
Bibiano, who hopes to play in college at the Division I level, started to train with a soccer ball “as soon as I could walk.” His father and uncles were serious players back in Brazil. He played at the YMCA, for ENCO United and now plays for Lehigh Valley United in the offseason.
After starting on defense at Wilson as a freshman, Bibiano burst onto the scene as an elite scorer as a sophomore. He tallied 20 goals that year, then 22 during a COVID-19 shortened junior campaign.
Bibiano’s career total is at 82 goals entering next week’s district playoffs. Wilson, at 9-9 overall, will likely enter the Class 3A bracket as the No. 7 seed.
“I think I can hold my own against a lot of the top players and teams in the area,” Bibiano said. “I’ve scored Southern Lehigh, Northwestern Lehigh, all the top teams in our league.
“My left foot is my dominant foot, so of course teams will push me to my right. I’ve scored seven or eight goals with my right foot, which I’ve really tried to improve. I’m up to about 5-10, 180, which is almost three inches taller and 35 pounds heavier than I was my sophomore year. I don’t get pushed off the ball anymore.”
“Wilson is in great shape and he is very fast,” Warriors coach Mike Buskirk said. “He can score with either foot. Most teams cover him with two or three defenders.”
And often, as Bibiano has proven repeatedly over the past three seasons, that’s not enough.
Futbol forecast: EPC predictions
BOYS
Semifinalists: Parkland vs. Nazareth, Freedom vs. Central Catholic
Finalists: Parkland vs. Freedom
Champion: Freedom, 2-1. Tournament talk: Perennial powerParkland,whichisunbeaten since 1-0 loss to Central Catholic in its opener, and The Morning Call’s preseason favorite Freedom, on a 10-game win streak, are the conference’s hottest teams entering the tournament. Emmaus, on the opposite end, was held scoreless in its last three and went 0-1-2 in those contests. The Green Hornets were the last remaining unbeaten team in District 11. Central Catholic also is capable of a championship run. There is the potential for two superb semifinal-round matchups.
GIRLS
Semifinalists: Parkland vs. Central Catholic, Easton vs. Nazareth
Finalists: Parkland vs. Easton Champion: Parkland, 1-0. Tournament talk: Parkland is the undisputed EPC power. The Trojans own six straight titles, from 2014-19. They would’ve been the pick to win last year, as well. However, a potential roadblock awaits Parkland if Central Catholic survives Emmaus in an outstanding quarterfinal-round clash. Central tied Parkland 0-0 in the opener and edged the Trojans 1-0 on Oct. 4. (Parkland is 2-0 vs. Emmaus.) On the other side, Easton and Nazareth could be set for a third head-to-head. The Red Rovers own 1-0 and 3-1 regular-season wins.
Futbol forecast: Colonial predictions
BOYS
Semifinalists: Moravian Academy vs. Northwestern Lehigh, Notre Dame-GP vs. Southern Lehigh
Finalists: Moravian Academy vs. Southern Lehigh
Champion: Moravian Academy, 1-0.
Tournament talk: Moravian Academy enters the six-team tournament on a 14-game win streak and with the No. 1 seed. The Lions, however, should be challenged in the semifinals and the final (if they qualify). Northwestern Lehigh handled Moravian 3-1 on Sept. 9 and is always a threat. Notre Dame has enjoyed plenty of recent District 11 playoff success, claiming four straight Class 2A titles but the Crusaders are looking for their first league title. Southern Lehigh is the defending champ.
GIRLS
Semifinalists: Northwestern Lehigh vs. Moravian Academy, Southern Lehigh vs. Palmerton
Finalists: Northwestern Lehigh vs. Southern Lehigh
Champion: Northwestern Lehigh, 2-0.
Tournament talk: Quite frankly, it’d be a complete surprise if Saturday’s league championship showdown isn’t a repeat of last year’s Tigers-Spartans clash. Northwestern won the regular-season matchup, 2-0, on Sept. 8. Palmerton, though, led by senior scoring star Brianna Moore, is always very dangerous. The Blue Bombers are aiming for a first Colonial crown. Moravian Academy is the one team to tie Northwestern, 1-1, on Sept. 7.
Statewide sensations
Parkland’s boys entered the postseason ranked No. 4 among Class 4A schools in the state, according to the PSCA Top 10 poll. The Trojans were fifth a week ago. The Central Catholic boys were seventh among 2A teams, while Moravian Academy maintained the No. 1 spot in Class A.
Northwestern Lehigh’s girls remained in the second spot among Class 3A schools in this week’s Top 10, while Colonial League rival Southern Lehigh fell from seventh to No. 10 in the same classification. Central Catholic’s girls were No. 7 in Class 2A.
This ’n that
Northampton senior Raine Korpics hit her stride in the second half of the season. She scored a hat trick in the Konkrete Kids’ 4-0 victory over Whitehall last week, then tallied the decisive goal late in a 3-2 win over Moravian Academy. Korpics has 21 goals and four assists (46 points) entering the District 11 postseason.
Elie Khalil of Whitehall tied the program’s record for career assists with 31. Khalil, a senior midfielder, is tied with 2020 graduate Kresstoph Whittick, who is a sophomore forward at West Chester University. This year, Khalil has 16 goals and eight assists entering the District 11 playoffs.
Saucon Valley’s Ava Riehl has burst onto the scene as a freshman scoring sensation. Riehl leads the playoff-bound Panthers with 23 goals and six assists (52 points) this season. Saucon Valley, which went 1-8 in Colonial League play a year ago, is 8-8 going into the league tournament.