Metzler makes it so: La Salle tops LC in quarters

WYNDMOOR >> Chris Metzler’s had a good career of terrorizing Philadelphia Catholic League defenses.

Friday afternoon, he authored another robust performance as he and his senior classmates on the La Salle soccer team try to keep their final season going. Matched up against a Lansdale Catholic side that’s given him and the Explorers nothing but fits in recent years, Metzler made sure he’d get at least one more game.

The senior scored a goal and assisted the other three as No. 3 La Salle blanked No. 6 Lansdale Catholic in their PCL boys soccer matchup 4-0. La Salle 4, LC 0 Up next: The Explorers will face No. 2 Archbishop Wood in Wednesday’s semifinal at Archbishop Ryan.

“He recognizes where we’re at in the season and he’s a gamer,” Explorers coach Tom McCaffery said. “As a senior, when you’re on a team that wins back to back titles, he doesn’t want to be the guy who lets us down to not get back to the big game. He knows when he’s on, he’s one of the best offensive players in the league and when he’s locked in, he can get the job done.

“We’re seeing right now he is locked in and wants to make another run, so we’re hitching the wagon and hoping it’s a good ride.”

For 37 minutes, the match played out like most LC-La Salle games over the past three years with both teams having spells of possession and creativity but not many shots as a result of it. La Salle edged LC 2-1 in their regular season meeting back in September, but that was the first time any current member of La Salle’s varsity squad had beaten the Crusaders.

LC was really inventive throughout the first half, as the Crusaders looked to attack out of the back and even started their offensive keystone Matt McDonald as a defender. Owen Webster manufactured a number of good runs up the right side while Ray

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GENE WALSH — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA La Salle’s Chris Metzler controls the ball as Lansdale Catholic’s Evan Senour defends Friday.