Seahawks slip past Senators 1-0 in Henlopen battle

The Dover boys’ soccer team came into Georgetown Oct. 2 with a very clear game plan: pack the box. Sussex Academy, however, broke through in the second half for a 1-0 victory.

“They made it very difficult for us to break down, and when you're faced with those kinds of challenges, it takes a lot of character and a lot of stuff that we prepare for and practice with to figure that out,” said coach R.J. Dina. “Took maybe longer than we wanted ... but I'm proud of the boys for how they figured that out.” 

The Seahawks were without one of their seniors, Liam Stegall, and had some pretty big shoes to fill. Sophomore Bodhi Williams was moved inside for the contest, while senior Reundi Ortiz-Santos was tasked with more responsibilities. Both teams entered the break without conceding a goal, but possession and scoring chances were in favor of Sussex Academy.

“Without having Liam was a struggle, but we definitely adjusted,” Ortiz-Santos said. “In the first half, we were struggling a bit, but once we got the momentum, we kept it going.”

Senior Chase Ballinger scored the lone goal early in the second half after the Seahawks pressed the issue in their final third.

With the lead in hand, Sussex Academy kept the pressure up, opting to progress forward toward the goal as their time-killing strategy. It nearly resulted in a few more goals, but junior Aidan Cook made clutch saves. His counterpart Austin Taylor played it cool in the net for the Seahawks, and his backline was quick to snuff out anything that broke through the midfield.

The 1-0 victory was the Seahawks’ sixth win of the year, half coming against Henlopen opponents.

“Even if the score is 1-0, it's always a big win to come out with a dub,” Ballinger said.

Newark Charter

As the top teams in Division II and Division I continue to play against one another, Sussex Academy and Newark Charter did their part to showcase why Oct. 4. Come selection time, the Seahawks will hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over Newark Charter following a 2-1 victory over the Patriots over the weekend.

Sussex Academy will next travel to 8-1 Cape for a rematch of the 2024 Henlopen Conference Championship game with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Legends Stadium.