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Field hockey collisions: Delmar beats Milford, Cape escapes IR

Showdowns about to go down for downstate powers
October 21, 2016

The downstate week of reckoning in school field hockey began at 4 p.m., Oct. 18, with undefeated Delmar at unbeaten Milford. Defending state champion Cape Henlopen waits in the wings, hosting Delmar at 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22, and Milford at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 25. And Cape still had to deal with Polytech Oct. 20 [after deadline] in a rematch of the 2014 state title game.

Delmar in bright orange with dark glasses got after Milford from the opening ball drop, scoring twice in the first seven minutes on goals by freshman Logan Walls. The Wildcats scored four times total in the first half, with Peyton Kemp adding two, for an 4-0 lead at intermission.  

The game mysteriously slowed in the second half, as Milford’s Ketelyn Melvin scored with 9:21 to play to set up the final of 4-1.

The Wildcats outshot the Bucs 16-7, with a 9-8 advantage in corners.

Indian River played at Cape at 6 p.m. the same day. It was a trap game. The Indians were waiting to exploit a favorite after starting the season 8-2, with only Polytech and Delmar hanging losses on them coming into Cape.

The game was scoreless at halftime, the word flat best described Cape’s first half, while the Indians put Champions Stadium on upset alert. 

“I have such nice kids on my team; there is lots of skill, but at times I think they are just happy to be out there playing together,” said coach Kate Austin. Assistant coach Debbie Windett added, “I think I’ll have to go bad cop more often.”

Freshman Cami Smith, a junkyard dog who smiles a lot, scored the first goal of the game on an assist from Annie Judge with 16:20 left on the clock to back down the pressure. Cape scored four more times in the second half on goals by Lindsay Monigle, Alia Marshall, Judge and Jackie Cannon.

Delmar has started eight games by scoring in the first 5:40 of the contest; in three games, they scored in under two minutes. The Wildcats hit the ground running; a team that starts slow will be chasing them the entire game. 

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