Freedom boys roll
Freedom is on a roll.
A hat trick by Peter Tichy and contributions by freshman Michael Deluhery and senior defender Vincenzo Rosete gave the Patriots a 6-0 victory over Easton in an East Penn Conference quarterfinal on Monday afternoon at Freedom.
“We’re on our 11th win in a row,” said Tichy, who scored all of the Pates’ first half goals. “It’s our last season, and this could be our last home game, so we came out like we’ll never play here again.”
Tichy’s first goal came in the first five minutes of play on an assist by Sebastian Garces. His second, three minutes later, was on an assist by Taher Kitabwalla, and his third, 10 minutes after that, was on an assist by Deluhery.
“For us to put up six goals against a quality team shows the stride we’re at right now,” said Freedom head coach Matt Reightler.
The Pates defeated Easton, 5-1, toward the end of the regular season.
“We played really well both times,” Coach Reightler said. “To put us against someone we were confident about put us in a good frame of mind.”
The Red Rovers’ first-half shots just couldn’t find the back of the net.
Rosete headed an Easton ball out of the goal, covering for keeper Tristan Willey. Andy Sumelidis’s shot was saved when Willey jumped up and punched it away. And a shot by Matthew Clarke went wide in the final seconds.
Despite a wind chill that made it feel more like winter than fall, the Pates played loose but intense.
“There were more goals to be had, and we brought them,” said Deluhery, who scored off a corner by Tichy in the 51st minute.
“It was a shot I wouldn’t normally take- with my left foot,” Deluhery said.
Seconds later, Garces scored on an assist by Tichy, but arguably the sweetest goal came in the 61st minute when Rosete nailed a penalty kick, the first career goal by the senior defender.
“PJ (Tichy) let me take it. Everyone’s on the score sheet but me,” Rosete said. “Everyone’s just happy for me for putting one in the back of the net. It feels good to be a senior on my home turf. It feels good to score.”
Freedom will take on Allentown Central Catholic in a semifinal match on Wednesday, but at the conclusion of Monday’s match, the Patriots didn’t know whether they would face Central or East Stroudsburg South.
“We had the privilege to play first, so we’re gonna wait to see who we have. If it’s Central, we know what we’re expecting,” said Coach Reightler. “I think we’re playing really good soccer, and I’m content with whoever shows up.”