Philadelphia Catholic League Boys Semifinal Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Philadelphia Catholic League boys semifinals on Wednesday featured games that both ended in 2-0 finals between Father Judge and Conwell-Egan and Archbishop Ryan and La Salle College. Father Judge scored twice in the second half and their defense did the rest to close out Conwell-Egan on their home field at Ramp Playground. Archbishop Ryan scored a pair of goals in the second half to top defending champs La Salle in the later game and set up a Northeast Philly derby for Saturday's final. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are some players that stood out to me in the two semifinal matches.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":62439,"width":366,"height":244,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/10/33110891-97EA-4AC4-9501-564C011BCF7B6N4A7058-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-62439" width="366" height="244"/><figcaption><em>Owen Stock</em></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hugh Nungesser, Senior, Midfielder, Father Judge</strong><br>Nungessor (pictured above) scored the eventual game-winning goal in the first half and was a steady and reliable presence throughout the game in the midfield for the Crusaders. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Roy Hevener, Senior, Midfielder, Archbishop Ryan</strong><strong><br></strong>Hevener was initially going to throw the ball in but tossed it to Monaco and then got on the end of Monaco's throw in the box to score the eventual game-winner for Ryan. He also set up Jarrett Lalli's insurance goal.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Michael McCusker, Senior, Midfielder, Father Judge<br></strong>McCusker was an active presence for the Crusaders on both sides of the ball and did well to squash Conwell-Egan's push to get back into the match down a pair of goals in the second half. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":62440,"width":399,"height":266,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/10/92660E56-9832-4468-9DBD-6FF4E0D3508F6N4A6797-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-62440" width="399" height="266"/><figcaption><em>Noah Kisseweiter</em></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Owen Stock, Junior, Defender, Archbishop Ryan<br></strong>Stock was the lone Ryan player to make first team all-Catholic league and he showed against the high-powered La Salle attack just how valuable a player he is anchoring the Ryan back line. La Salle came in with 42 goals in 12 games against PCL opponents but were held in check. Stock was a steady back line presence in the match and came up with some big stops to deny La Salle when they were chasing the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Noah Kisseweiter, Junior, Defender, Conwell-Egan</strong><strong><br></strong>Kisseweiter is quite a presence in the Conwell-Egan with his size and stature but he was able to dominate in other ways on the day and was arguably one of the best players on the field. Father Judge was able to score twice but was stopped on several promising attacks because of the play of Kisseweiter.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joseph Phillips, Senior, Goalkeeper, Archbishop Ryan</strong><strong><br></strong>The senior goalkeeper was another big reason why Ryan was able to keep La Salle off the board. His organization, communication, toughness and quickness coming off his line were all on display in the shutout victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Frankie Monaco, Junior, Midfielder, Archbishop Ryan</strong><br>Monaco's long throw-in broke a scoreless tie in the second half and held up as the winner to send Ryan through to Saturday's final. Monaco was also winning a lot of balls in the air and battling all game off the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":62441,"width":401,"height":268,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/10/0FD4D723-88E7-4DB2-BEC6-C0C8A634767A6N4A7028-2022-10-27T01_29_03.431-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-62441" width="401" height="268"/><figcaption><em>Luke Seweryn</em></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sean McKenna, Senior, Defender, Father Judge</strong><br>McKenna has been a rock for Father Judge this season and the semifinal was no different. Steady and dependable, McKenna anchored a back line that was solid all game in keeping the clean sheet. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jack Barnett, Junior, Defender, Conwell-Egan</strong><strong><br></strong>Barnett was another factor for the Conwell-Egan defense in limiting opportunities for Father Judge to build on their first half lead. Barnett was getting stuck in on tackles, winning balls, and helping to start the counter on multiple occasions.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Luke Seweryn, Senior, Forward, La Salle</strong><strong><br></strong>Though they never found the back of the net, La Salle still had some bright attacking moments, particularly down the right flank through the senior Seweryn. Seweryn also made some good defensive plays as well, including a good win on a set piece. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joey Kennedy, Sophomore, Midfielder, Father Judge</strong><br>A lot of Father Judge's success this season can be attributed to senior leadership and the play of standout junior [player_tooltip player_id='44526' first='Abou' last='Cherif'] (he assisted on the first goal) but sophomore Joey Kennedy also played an important role in Wednesday's win, coming off the bench to score an important second goal. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Finn Murray, Sophomore, Midfielder, La Salle<br></strong>Murray was a very active presence for the Explorers in the match in the middle of the field both in defense and going forward. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday's final is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the Northeast Supersite. Father Judge lost the final to La Salle a year ago. Their lone loss this season came against Archbishop Wood. Father Judge last won a PCL crown in 2013. Ryan last appeared in the final in 2009 in a game they lost to Father Judge. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->