Cape soccer right on time in 6-0 shutout of Woodbridge

The Cape soccer team arrived on time at Woodbridge Road for the Sept. 11 opening soccer game at the new Blue Raiders' field and stream and eventual school complex. Most parents got lost, which is often the case when verbal directions include the phrase, “'Lectric Company, railroad tracks and can’t miss it.”

What Cape couldn’t miss was open cutters getting behind the Woodbridge defense, scoring three goals in the first and another three in the second for a 6-0 win over an athletic and aggressive Woodbridge team.

Cape goalie Griffin Kammerer faced some turbulence on a few occasions but didn’t have to make any acrobatic saves.

That was not the case for Woodbridge goaltender Abraham Leon, a defensive tackle-sized aggressive kid who had the game in his face for 80 minutes and made some phenomenal airborne saves but wasn’t as effective picking up shots off the floor.

Cape coach Gary Montalto was his usual insightful, professorial self after the game talking to his players.

“I am very proud of how you moved the ball the entire game," Montalto said. “A good athletic team like Woodbridge will chase, but after 65 minutes of chasing they get frustrated and stop chasing; that creates more space and that’s what happened. If you all keep buying into what we’re teaching, we are going to be fine.”

Cape's three goals in the first half came from David Cespedes with two, and Miguel Marino-Sanchez.

In the second half Cape continued to pressure with Kai Vitella beating goalie  Leon to a ball, getting behind the defense and scoring his first goal of the season. Cespedes followed with a left-footed boomer giving him the hat trick for the game. Marino-Sanchez then went low on goalie Leon for his second goal and the 6-0 Cape victory.

“When the goalie had his arms and hands out in front of him and you've put it on the floor, there’s nothing he can do, and you're going to score,” Montalto said.

Captains for this year’s team are David Cespedes, Michael Johnson and Eduardo Santos-Cruz.

“We’re all one group here and we’re just gonna work hard,” said Johnson, coming off ACL surgery his junior year. "We have a great chance to go to the playoffs; we just need to keep our heads.”

“I think we [captains] will try our best to lead the team to states. Last year we had Sam [McMillon] and that’s hard to cover for, ”said Santos-Cruz.

“I feel like we move the ball better this year; we move it around on the way to the goal," said Cespedes, who has been a starter since freshman year.

Cape hosted Laurel Thursday, Sept.13, before jumping into the fire facing Dover, Smyrna and Indian River in succession.