Cape soccer clinches North, heads to conference championship
Cape junior goalkeeper Anton Schierenberg stopped a pair of Sussex Central penalty kicks in the second half to lead the Vikings to a 4-3 victory over the Golden Knights Oct. 27 in Georgetown.
“You always want to try to get into their head,” said the German exchange student. “You just stare him down, see where he’s looking, his facial expressions and if he’s secure or not. On the second one, I knew he was struggling.”
The Vikings got off to a quick start when Jackson Hess scored an unassisted goal just 26 seconds into the game.
Jefferson Soto got Sussex Central on the scoreboard 13 minutes later on a pass from Calab Perez. The Knights’ excitement was short lived, as Schierenberg hit a 50 yard direct kick that got past Central keeper to give the Vikings the lead at 2-1 at the halftime break.
Jeffrey Lopez and Perez gave the Knights a 3-2 lead in the first seven minutes of the second half off passes from Richard Ortiz and Soto.
Brenner Short tied the game in the 54th minute off a pass from Carter Matarazzi, but a foul in the box gave the Knights their second chance at a penalty kick to take the lead.
Schierenberg had stopped one in the first half, so fans had hope as he awaited the second with just a few minutes left in the game. He dove to his right and crushed the kick for his second PK save.
The Vikings’ Short-to-Whaley combination clicked with three minutes left on the clock, as Short’s throw in and found the head of Whaley for the game-winning goal to clinch the Henlopen North and guarantee a place in the Henlopen Conference Championship Saturday, Nov. 1.
Cape’s opponent will either be Indian River or Sussex Academy, who are set to play each other at 5:45 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 29, in Dagsboro.
Dan has worked for the Cape Gazette for more than 30 years as a photographer and reporter, covering high school sports and happenings around eastern Sussex County. He won a photography award from the National Newspaper Association, and numerous awards from the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association. A Delaware native, Dan graduated from Cape in 1972 and returned as a teacher and coach in the 1980s. He retired from the classroom in 2016. He was inducted into Cape High’s Legends Stadium in 2016. In his spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons, grandchildren and dogs.
