BUCKTOWN — This time, it couldn’t end in a draw.
Spring-Ford’s boys soccer program has made a habit out of going the extra mile this year, and on Thursday night the Rams went the distance and then some, outlasting Norristown 4-3 in penalty kicks to win the 2024 PAC championship.
After the two sides played to a 1-all tie, team captain Cayden Folkes was the last of four Spring-Ford players to convert his penalty kick, while fellow senior and goalkeeper Andrew Wible saved two Norristown attempts to provide the oh-so-narrow difference between the two sides.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Wible, “to bring this championship back to Spring-Ford.”
Spring-Ford boys’ soccer has seen some shining moments in the past few years, but one coveted prize eluded the Rams’ grasp.
The Rams have made multiple appearances in the PIAA tournament over the past six years, advancing as far as the quarterfinals in 2022 when some current team members were freshmen and sophomores. But those teams weren’t able to accomplish what the 2024 squad did on Thursday.
“That’s all on the players. We asked them before the season,” said head coach Jeremy Sharpe. “We had a team meeting and asked, ‘What are our team goals?’
“The first thing I heard was ‘Win PACs.’”
Getting to the school’s first league title since 2013 had plenty of twists and turns, with four in-league draws providing the difference. The team’s propensity for one-point outings became something of a rallying cry, with some team personnel wearing ties to Thursday’s game in honor of their common – if not preferred – outcome.
The game served as a fitting rubber match for two sides that split their pair of meetings earlier this year, with each team winning on its home field. Spring-Ford reached the final by topping Upper Merion – also on penalty kicks – in Tuesday’s semifinal, just minutes after Norristown disposed of top-seeded Phoenixville with a last-minute goal.
“We never expected it to be this way,” admitted Folkes. “You expect wins, losses, but instead ties became kind of routine for our team. But it taught us something. It taught us to find a way to get through, no matter what. You look at the semifinal and tonight, we came back both times.
Indeed, the Rams were forced to rally after a relatively even opening 30 minutes saw Spring-Ford enjoying the better of the possession but Norristown generating the few half-chances. Norristown junior striker Steve Ruiz had a solo effort down the right sideline tipped wide about 12 minutes in, with an ensuing free kick also ably handled by Wible (six saves).
Pat Clemens sent a cross into the box to generate Spring-Ford’s best opportunity of the opening half, but Norristown goalie Ariel Morales handled the volley.
Ruiz, however, stole the show about a minute later off a service from Alexis Zurita. With his back to the goal, he briefly settled the ball before firing a picture-perfect bicycle kick into the right corner with exactly six minutes until halftime. Suddenly, improbably, Norristown had a 1-0 lead and all the momentum.
Norristown’s back line, headlined by captain Brett Murphy alongside Luis Zavala, Colin Harrington, and Jayson Garcia, stood tall against an increasingly possession-dominant Spring-Ford side as the game went on, helping Morales (nine saves) to fend off a pair of strong efforts from Rams midfielder Derek Miller.
But they couldn’t hold off the Rams forever. Spring-Ford pulled even with 17:45 to go in regulation when Thiago Burnley buried an opportunity from just inside the box.
Both teams had a chance to settle things in regulation, with SF stopping Ruiz with a minute to play and Morales stopping Clemens off a great clearing pass from Wible as time expired.
The overtime periods were relatively uneventful, save for a late Ruiz free kick over the crossbar as Norristown’s best chance to win before penalty kicks. The Eagles went first, and Zurita, Juan Contreras, and Ishmel Kromah sandwiched tallies around Wible’s two stops.
Spring-Ford took a 2-1 lead in the shootout on shots by Clemens and Billy Collins, with Sam Bodenschatz giving the Rams a 3-2 advantage before Kromah’s tally for Norristown set the stage for Folkes’ heroics.
“No, I have not,” Folkes laughed when asked if he’d ever been in a similar situation. “But I know my worth as a player. From the second I got in line as the fifth penalty taker, I knew I’d score my shot.”
But he wouldn’t have been in the position to make it a championship winner without Wible batting away two quality Norristown efforts.
“Two days ago, same spot,” said Wible, alluding to Tuesday’s win against Upper Merion. “I know my teammates are going to make their [kicks], and I have confidence in myself to get a stop when my team needs it.”
Norristown (11-7-1) came into play at No. 26 in the District, putting them squarely on the bubble for a berth in the 24-team District 1-4A playoff field. The Eagles hope that Friday’s game with Harry S. Truman High will provide the difference. Nonetheless, head coach Jason Pinnock addressed the season as a whole following the championship game loss.
Pinnock’s worked hard to bring a once moribund program to the precipice of a league title, and while Thursday’s defeat clearly stung, the coach’s affection for his players was clear.
“I always knew we had the talent,” he said. “It did take a while to get here, but once we got guys who showed up and played the right way, we got it turned around.
“It’s tough to lose this way, especially on PKs, but I’m incredibly proud of them.”
The seniors from the Class of 2025 will always hold a special place in the Norristown program. “It’s one of the best groups we’ve had,” said Pinnock. “When they were freshmen, sophomores, I was chasing people around school to get them to [come out for the team], giving people rides home, whatever it takes.
“Now our program has a real future, and it’s because of this group.”
Results around the district over the next couple of days will determine whether Spring-Ford (9-6-5) starts the District 1-4A playoffs at home or on the road on Tuesday. Coming into play on Thursday, the Rams were the No. 16 seed, which is the lowest seeded team that will host an opening game. However, the PAC playoff matches do not count toward the district standings, and the two teams just behind the Rams have a final game scheduled for Friday.
“Just keep winning,” summarized assistant coach Aidan Kollar. “These guys are resilient, they’re capable of anything.”
“I know this group is going to keep working hard and proving everybody wrong,” added Sharpe.
But for the players, it’ll be tough to top Thursday night.
“This is definitely the climax,” said Folkes. “It’s the highlight of my soccer career.”
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