The Sussex Academy girls' soccer team gave no breaks in its out-of-conference schedule, as evidenced by the Senior Night game against Appoquinimink May 13.

The Seahawks honored the impressive careers of Debora Williams and Yuvia Velasquez-Juarez before they took on a Jaguars team that hasn’t lost a regular-season game in more than 25 months. 

Appoquinimink struck twice in the first half, despite strong play from Sussex Academy. The hosts were hanging tight with the visitors, but a team like the Jaguars seems to just look for that sliver of a chance in order to strike. The first goal came just when it looked like the Seahawks were going to clear the ball, but Kelsey Beatie slipped in and blasted a shot to the upper 90, a spot that few keepers, if any, stand a chance at stopping. 

A free kick awarded in a favorable position following what looked like a 50-50 battle gave Avery Holland the opportune moment to double the Jaguars' lead. Despite the deficit, Sussex Academy was a few bounces away from making the game a contest and came out in the second half determined to crack the Jaguars’ code. A few runs from Velasquez-Juarez, Williams and eighth-grader Garrity Cox gave the Seahawks some chances, but the Appoquinimink defense held strong.

As the game came to a close, Beatie struck again, giving the captain a brace and the Jaguars a 3-0 victory.

While it was the largest margin of defeat in the Seahawks' 10-win season, it was also proof they can run with the best team in the state. They just needed to fire a few more shots on frame and have a few bounces go their way.

Sussex Academy ends the season 10-3-2 and will finish tied with Indian River atop the Henlopen South. However, it is likely IR has done enough to win the tie-breaker. The Seahawks should have one of the higher seeds in the Division II tournament.