CLARKS SUMMIT — John McGarry’s hustle was evident from the outset and his determination led to the first goal of the match and helped Abington Heights to a 2-0 win over Delaware Valley in a Lackawanna League Division I-II crossover on Tuesday.

“Johnny works really hard and never stops,” Abington Heights head coach Steve Klingman said. “Today was a good effort. I thought, overall, we had a real nice effort and everybody worked hard.”

After briefly exiting the game with a bruised knee, McGarry fired a hard, low shot that Delaware Valley goalkeeper Neil Roche stopped but Lorran Rodrigues was able to tap in the rebound with 16:54 remaining in the first half to give Abington Heights a 1-0 advantage.

“I was just in the right spot and was lucky enough to get there and knock the ball in,” Rodrigues said. “I thought we played very well. Our team hustled a lot and everyone came together to get this win.”

Steve Klingman was pleased with the play of his reserves, including Rodrigues, and believes the team’s depth played a role in the victory.

“I thought in the last 20 minutes of the first half we didn’t let down at all,” he said. “If anything, we picked up (our play). We were able to get 22 or 23 players in the game and have good players coming off the bench.”

Delaware Valley (3-3-1) had two quality scoring chances in the first seven minutes of the game off a header from Fox Wihlborg and a corner kick on goal from Abrar Shamim, but Abington Heights goalkeeper Jackson Danzig came through with two of his six saves to keep the Warriors scoreless.

Abington Heights (6-1) registered 11 of the next 13 shots in the first half, including a free kick from Colin Klingman that went just of the top of the crossbar, and held possession of the ball for the majority of the match. The Comets outshot the Warriors, 12-4, in the first half and 20-8 for the game.

“We possessed midfield for the most part and I think that was the key,” Steve Klingman said. “If you control midfield, you can control the game and defensively we’re not giving up a lot of shots either which is nice. We’ve had six or seven shutouts and that takes a team effort.”

The Comets added to their lead early in the second half when Colin Klingman scored off a cross from Spencer Atkins with 37:29 left in the match.

Abington Heights will travel to play North Pocono in a Lackawanna League Division I-II crossover match at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 1 in Covington Township.

Abington Heights midfielder Colin Klingman plays a ball during the Comets 2-0 win over Delaware Valley in a Lackawanna League crossover match on Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Clarks Summit.
http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_ABJ-AH-Soccer-Klingman.jpg.optimal.jpgAbington Heights midfielder Colin Klingman plays a ball during the Comets 2-0 win over Delaware Valley in a Lackawanna League crossover match on Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Clarks Summit. Stephanie Walkowski | For Abington Journal

Abington Heights forward Lorran Rodrigues scored a goal for the Comets in the first half of a Lackawanna League boys soccer crossover match on Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Clarks Summit.
http://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_ABJ-AH-Soccer-Rodrigues.jpg.optimal.jpgAbington Heights forward Lorran Rodrigues scored a goal for the Comets in the first half of a Lackawanna League boys soccer crossover match on Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Clarks Summit. Stephanie Walkowski | For Abington Journal

By Robert Tomkavage

rtomkavage@timesleader.com

Reach Robert Tomkavage at 570-704-3941 or on Twitter @rtomkavage.