The boy’s soccer team is hanging on by a thread. After a rough start to the season, the boys had won their last 4 games going into last night’s match.

This game against Central Bucks East was the most important of the year. A win would clinch their playoff spot, a loss would end their season, and a tie would leave things undecided. 

North Penn (7-6-1) tied CB East (5-4-1) in an intense battle on the turf for the Knight’s senior night with a final score of 2-2.

The game started off with a bang. Right off of the kickoff, sophomore Dimitri Orlovsky stole the ball from the Central Bucks defense and sent a through ball to sophomore Ryan Miller, who is already the star of the North Penn squad. Miller calmly slotted in the bottom corner to give the boys a 1-0 lead in the first minute of the game.

“It was the best possible way to start the game,” stated senior Kyle Mckeever. “After that, we felt much more comfortable playing since we had a lead. It was such a relief.”

From there, things slowed down as junior captain Bryan Scott, senior captain Nate Kim, and goalkeeper Cameron Pelletier held down the fort on defense, keeping the score the same through the end of the first half.

To begin the second half, the Central Bucks squad scored in the 42nd minute of the game to make it 1-1. A devastating goal, but one that only drove the North Penn squad to work harder.

In the 68th minute of the game, senior Kyle Mckeever was subbed onto the field and immediately drew a penalty after being taken down in the box.

As captain, Nate Kim went up to take the penalty. The entire stadium fell silent.

“It was a pretty long walk from center back and I had a lot going through my head…I knew I had to score to keep our playoff hopes alive,” Kim explained. “So I took my time, took a breath, and I was able to find the bottom left corner. When I saw it go in I was relieved, but also pumped because it was a really important goal and I was just really happy to help my team.”

With Kim’s goal in the 70th minute, the boys just had to hold on for ten minutes and the playoff spot was theirs.

Then, tragedy struck. After relentless pressure from the Central Bucks squad, they finally broke through with 28 seconds left on the clock to score the game-tying goal.

With an unfortunate end to regulation time, the boys went on to play two ten-minute periods in overtime, but the score remained 2-2. As the game ended, the boys hung their heads in disappointment, upset they were not able to guarantee their playoff spot as well as not winning on their senior night.

Coach Chris DePeppe, however, felt very proud of his young squad.

“We haven’t had much fortune this year,” DePeppe stated. “We’re a young team, and if we don’t continue to play, these kids have sure learned a hell of a lot”. 

As for the playoffs, it is still unknown what will happen. 

“We might get enough points from the draw. We might need another team to lose, but honestly, I couldn’t tell you”, DePeppe stated after the match ended.

It’s been a long season for the Knights. Through the many ups and downs they’ve endured, now it’s down to what could possibly be their last moments together. For now, they cross their fingers and hope they fought hard enough to earn the playoff spot they’ve been hoping for.