Cape soccer advances to semis with win in PKs
Cape junior goalie Jake Hutchison stopped Dover in sudden-death penalty kicks to propel the Vikings to a 2-1 win and a spot in the semifinal round of the DIAA Division I soccer state championships.
After 100 minutes of intense competition, the Cape and Dover squads sent five players for the first round of penalty kicks. The teams remained tied. In round two, the Vikings needed to make three straight with Dover missing three straight. The soccer stars aligned as the final Dover shot was stopped by Hutchison to send the match into sudden-death kicks. After Dover missed the first one, Cape’s Evan Burris hit the back of the twine to end the Senators’ season and send the Vikings into the semifinal match.
“Penalty kicks are 90% mental – it’s a guessing game,” said Hutchison. “You guess left or right, and it’s a lot of luck. Luck was on our side today. We are super happy, but we’ve got to focus on Charter now. We’re glad we won, but this is not our goal this season. We are looking for that state championship.”
“It’s a lot of pressure in penalty kicks,” said Burris. “You just have to remain calm. The first one I missed, so I had to try to stay calm and keep my composure, and the next time I went up, I put it in the goal. After I made it and the students ran on the field, it was wild. I couldn’t speak; I was just screaming.”
“It was a tight game,” said Cape coach Patrick Kilby. “Both teams know each other very well. We knew that we had to stay compact defensively to not allow their speed to break our lines. We did a good job of this, as we did not give up a goal in flow of play.
“It takes a lot to beat Jake. Going into PKs, he stood tall and made the first save ... it set the tone, and he made himself a presence in goal. He’s been doing it all season. I aged 10 years tonight. I love these guys, and I have all the confidence in the world in them. We are going to enjoy it tonight, then get back to work tomorrow.”
Jack Schell scored the first goal 15 minutes into the game off an assist from Burris. Dover equalized at 72 minutes off a direct kick from Kaleb Nobles.
Hutchison collected nine saves, while Dover’s Lucas Price had six.
This was the second time the two teams faced each other this season. Dover won the first battle 2-1 Oct. 12.
The Vikings will take on Charter School of Wilmington at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 14, at Milford.
