Pio, Strath Haven get in gear, outpace Marple Newtown

NETHER PROVIDENCE — Through two quarters and most of a third Wednesday night, Ibo Pio found mostly frustration on the offensive end. The Strath Haven junior midfielder had two assists, but as the Panthers monopolized possession and strafed the Marple Newtown net with shots, Pio hadn’t yet found a groove.

A running back in the fall, the shifty and speedy midfielder does his best work off the dodge, running by a defender to create space, for a shot or pass. With Marple Newtown clogging up the middle of the field in its zone defense, blocking passing lanes and deflecting goal-bound shots, the space Pio prizes was at a premium. So he knew he had to create it.

“In the first half, it was a little difficult to really realize what they were doing with it,” Pio said. “But in the second half, we realized we have the faster and more athletic guys, and with me sitting behind and letting them come out and press out on the other guys, we can run by them all day. It was easy.”

Pio scored twice in a minute and a half in the third quarter, turning the momentum in Strath Haven’s favor in an 8-6 win over the Tigers in the first round of the District 1 Class 2A tournament.

The second-seeded Panthers (12-7) advance to Monday’s semifinal against No. 3 Springfield-Montco, which downed Interboro, 8-6. The winner advances to the district final and the state tournament.

In the opening half, Pio excelled as the distributor, with Nicky Palermo finding enough space on the crease to fire home three goals and stake Strath Haven to a 4-3 lead. In the third, with Marple Newtown adjusting by compacting into the zone, those spaces closed up.

Pio was tasked with finding a new way through. The method he settled on was dragging a defender wide, then running by him. He did it with 2:27 left in the third and the Panthers on one of nine man-up chances. Then, 1:15 later, he pulled the same move, sweeping in from the right behind goalie Liam Ferry’s cage, changing his shot angle several times in a succession of head fakes and bouncing the ball home.

“I see how I got there and beat him again,” Pio said. “Just do it until they stop me.”

Those goals cemented a dominant quarter. The Panthers outshot seventh-seeded Marple Newtown (8-11) by a 44-25 margin for the game. It was 15-3 in the third, with Christian Mazur winning all four of the frame’s draws and the Panthers holding the ball for roughly 10 minutes. Ethan Belville widened the lead with a rip from distance at 9:18, but Marple’s defense held steady until Pio turned on the after-burners.

Given how much work they were forced into, it was a resolute performance from Marple’s defense. They sacrificed bodies to block 10 shots. They disrupted the Panthers’ passing with active sticks. And they got 11 combined saves from Dominic Mandell and Ferry in their goaltending timeshare, Mandell’s six first-half saves keeping them in touch.

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Strath Haven’s Ethan Belville, left, congratulates Ibo Pio on his goal in the third quarter of Wednesday’s 8-6 win over Marple Newtown in the District 1 Class 2A playoffs. (Pete Bannan/Digital First Media)