Mariner caps eight-win season with 2-1 victory over Sussex Academy

Seeds continue to be planted as the soccer rivalry between Cape and Sussex Academy grows into the premier battle for supremacy in southern Delaware.

It was the Vikings from Mariner squaring up against the middle school academy Nov. 5 in Georgetown. Despite jeers from the hosts, Mariner claimed a 2-1 victory, with both goals coming on set pieces.

“We knew what we were up against,” said Mariner coach Alan Marin-Quiroz. “I also knew what we had. I think it came down to almost a professional game plan, so I couldn't be any happier.”

Seventh-grader Juan Panuceno Rodriguez broke the ice when he cranked one from about 40 yards out on a free kick to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead. The strike was a thing of beauty, sailing with the perfect amount of velocity to reach the frame quickly, but descend just before the crossbar, making it nearly impossible to save.

“I've been practicing a lot on my free kicks and set pieces,” Panuceno Rodriguez said.

Despite the early goal and a few more scoring chances from both teams, the ball remained in the middle third for the most part, keeping the first-half scoring to the lone strike.

“They had a really good midfield,” said eighth-grader Liam Tyndall. “I was matched up against a couple really good guys, but overall we played well.”

“We've been working together on passing and everything, so we were good,” Panuceno Rodriguez said.

Sussex Academy kept plugging away and started bringing the backline up higher and higher. Eighth-grader Carson Figueroa was stellar on defense all night, but showcased his offensive prowess when he jolted down the right wing and unleashed what looked like a cross from the corner, but it was indeed a shot destined for the far post.

Each team refused to yield after the Figueroa finish, and the game appeared to be settling into a stalemate before Tyndall earned a free kick from about 25 yards out with less than 10 minutes to go. The eighth-grader’s work rate had already been getting attention from the student section.

“I've got a lot of people talking and saying stuff, so I'm going through my mind thinking, ‘I've got to make this,’” Tyndall said. “If I don't, I'm gonna get talked trash to. So, in my mind, I'm like, ‘I'm making this.’”

Tyndall came through for his team, and himself, producing the game-winner on the kick before hushing the Sussex Academy crowd.

“They were all telling me I suck and stuff, so I just gotta tell them to calm down with that,” Tyndall said.

With the 2-1 victory, Mariner ends its year 8-2-1. The eighth-graders move on after winning 23 games over their three years.