PHOENIXVILLE — Following a brief stumble toward the end of their season, Connor Northcott and the Phoenixville Phantoms rediscovered their mojo just in the nick of time.
Northcott scored with 9:19 remaining in the second half off a spectacular set-up by defender Jack Nixon that delivered Phoenixville a much-needed 1-0 victory over Avon Grove in the first round of the District 1-4A boys soccer playoffs on Tuesday night.
It was exactly the kind of moment Phoenixville was craving after the team hit some rocky terrain over the last two weeks. The Phantoms dropped their first game of the season on Aug. 23 then didn’t lose again for six weeks, going 13-0-2 over the next 15 games and positioning themselves as one of the better teams in the area.
Then came a perplexing 7-0 loss at Upper Merion on Oct. 8, a curious result but one the Phantoms were probably overdue for. They closed the regular season with a 4-1 win at Upper Perkiomen to earn the top seed in the PAC playoffs, only to be unceremoniously bounced by Norristown — making their first ever league playoff appearance — in the semifinals.
Suddenly, a season with so much promise seemed like it was on the ropes. Until Tuesday night, that is.
“Our season was really strong overall, but those losses were rough for us,” Nixon acknowledged. “Tonight we did what we needed to in order to get the job done. It’s massive for everybody.”
“Those two games were a wakeup call,” added a soaking wet Northcott, courtesy of a celebratory cooler bath from his teammates. “We were so used to winning all season, then those two losses gave us a reality check. We knew we had to bring our top energy, and I think we did that today.”
The No. 9 Phantoms also received some more good news shortly after the game: thanks to No. 25 Council Rock South’s upset of No. 8 Council Rock North, Phoenixville will host another game at 5 p.m. in Thursday night’s second round.
Phoenixville controlled possession and had more chances than No. 24 Avon Grove during the game’s first 70-plus minutes, but by and large it was an evenly-played match. Avon Grove’s Joey Herman clanked a shot off the left post despite having a wide open net early in the first half, and Dylan Harper had two solid chances himself before halftime. For their part, the Phantoms (15-3-2) had a handful of worthy opportunities spanning both halves but came up empty, in large part due to a strong effort by the Avon Grove (9-9-1) keeper.
Then, Dixon and Northcott finally struck. Dixon received possession about 30 yards from his own goal and with plenty of room to maneuver and survey his options, played a ball roughly 40 yards ahead to hit Northcott with some space on the left side of the field. The senior midfielder corralled the pass, found an open lane to his right before blasting a missile back into the upper left corner of the net despite the keeper getting a hand on the shot.
“The ball came over the top right back to me,” Dixon recounted. “I see Connor standing there, and all I’ve got to do is get that kid the ball. I sent it over their back line to hit Connor and he did exactly what he needed to do.”
Northcott, who had shifted more into attack mode as time ticked off the clock, was ready for the opportunity.
“I thought there was no way Jack was going to see me because I was pretty far away,” Northcott said. “He found the pass and played a great ball onto my foot. Some holes opened up and I took them. The goalie got a hand on it but thankfully it hit the back of the net. Jack was talking all game about momentum, so hopefully that goal is going to give us some momentum going into the next game.”
In addition to Northcott’s heroics, Phoenixville’s defensive effort deserved plenty of praise. In addition to junior Nixon, seniors Liam Hahn, Patrick McNamara and Mateo Rodriguez all played well-disciplined soccer, and senior keeper Ryan Lang (nine saves) turned aside every Avon Grove chance in the shutout victory.
“We have some great experience back there with strength and togetherness,” Phantoms head coach Mike Cesarski said of the team’s defensive unit. “They worked their tails off, and I don’t think any of the three seniors had a wrong foot today. When you have guys with that level of experience, asking them to be disciplined is not much of a stretch.”
Now armed with new life, Phoenixville does not want to squander its second opportunity, especially not with double-digit seniors on its roster. With Dixon’s help, one of the team’s best performers made a monumentally clutch play in the guts of the game with the season on the line. That, plus another home game to prepare for, is all the motivation these Phantoms need right now.
“Connor’s not the loudest guy on the team, but he brings it every day,” Nixon said. “When this kid starts to turn it on, everyone believes in him. When you can run behind a guy like him who can do all of the things he can do, that’s why we’re a strong team that’s been so successful.”
“I saw a lot of guys fighting,” Northcott added. “We feed off of each other when we’re energetic, and the home atmosphere definitely helps. When we’re playing our best, we can beat anyone.”
