Sussex Academy boys’ soccer impresses in Bayside/Henlopen Classic

The place to be for soccer fans in Sussex County Aug. 28 was Sussex Academy, as the campus played host to the Bayside/Henlopen Classic preseason play day.

In addition to the hosts, Cape and Sussex Tech formed the Delaware trio, while Parkside, Colonel Richardson and Easton repped Maryland. 

Sussex Academy senior Chase Ballinger opened the scoring four minutes into the Seahawks’ battle with Colonel Richardson. Two minutes later, senior George Sapna doubled the lead when he blazed past the back line and tickled the twine with a fast roller. Ballinger rounded out the first-half scoring with a little over 10 minutes to go when he rose above the pack at the six on a Bodhi Williams corner for a 3-0 lead.

In the second half, some new faces on the varsity squad were tasked with maintaining the advantage. Generating some early chances, it looked like the fourth goal was inevitable, but Colonel Richardson refused to go down quietly, striking twice before the final whistle gave Sussex Academy the 3-2 win.

“It's good that a lot of the younger guys have been stepping up, but I think there’s still things that we need to work on and build on,” Ballinger said.

Dominating possession in the second game against a talented Parkside squad, it appeared Sussex Academy would open up the scoring, but a quick counter caught the defense off guard and an own goal gave the visiting Rams a 1-0 edge. Ten minutes later, in the 23rd minute, Ballinger scored his third goal of the day when he breezed through the Parkside backline with a little help from his friend.

“Liam [Stegall] slipped me in twice,” Ballinger said, referencing a Colonel Richardson goal as well. “He's an exceptional player, so I think him being able to play me through is a goal every time.”

Sapna broke the 1-1 tie five minutes into the second half. His celebration with his teammates said it all, as this was a game the team wanted to win against a quality opponent.

“Coach said they're kind of like an [Indian River] kind of team, and we know a lot of the players on that team; we've played with them in travel, so it's a good experience,” Sapna said. “I think that shows where our level is; it's not exactly where we want to be, especially preparing for a team like Sallies, but I think in the next few weeks we'll step that up.” 

His coach also sees room to improve.

“It's a group that is very talented, but very young, so a lot of pieces still need to be fixed and gel together,” said coach RJ Dina. “I think we took a big step today, but nowhere close to where we want to be, but they know that.”