Conestoga boys' soccer is ready for the playoffs

Before this season, Conestoga boys' soccer coach David Zimmerman said his team needed to avoid the "pitfalls" that often face title-defending teams.

The Pioneers (19-0-1, 11-0 Central League) seem to have done so coming off their 2016 PIAA Class 4A title.

They're Top Drawer Soccer's No. 1 Pennsylvania team as of Monday and are ranked third nationally as of Tuesday. They won their fourth straight Central League title on Oct. 17 by beating Lower Merion. They haven't lost a game since the 2016 District I Class 4A final.

But Zimmerman, who views the regular season as "practice for the playoffs," said Conestoga hadn't "done anything yet" before Thursday night's 5-0 victory over No. 16 Owen J. Roberts in a District I Class 4A playoff game. Senior midfielder Rodrigo Martinez scored two goals in that game.

"We haven't avoided the pitfalls just yet," Zimmerman said. "Now is the time when it matters. … This year we had the shortest break in between games from, like, the last game of the season and the first game in playoffs. And I thought that was actually good, because it didn't give us too much time to rest."

The Pioneers have outscored opponents, 54-3, and won 11 straight dating back to their 2-2 overtime draw against the Haverford School on Sept. 22. The return of senior center back Logan Schwartz, who missed the first two weeks with an injury, helped the defense, Zimmerman said.

Last year, Conestoga played in 15 one-goal games. This season, it has played in one. The game against the Fords provided valuable experience, Schwartz said.

"It's definitely something that makes us better as a team, so we're ready for those challenges when they come later in the season," he said.

Thursday's win over OJR advanced Conestoga to face Perkiomen Valley on Saturday. The Pioneers won, 2-1, and advanced to face Kennett on Wednesday.

The Pioneers avoided the fate of No. 2 Elizabethtown, last year's state runner-up. Elizabethtown's players will turn in their uniforms next week after Central Dauphin's Matt Love scored twice to help the No. 15 Rams beat the Bears in Tuesday's first-round of the playoffs on Tuesday.

Zimmerman noted that Elizabethtown was better in the regular season this year than last year. "What happened to Elizabethtown, that's sort of the typical end to a lot of very good teams following a very successful year," he said. "So it's all about focusing on what's right in front of us, not looking too far ahead."