For the second year in a row the Sussex Academy varsity boys’ soccer team went to penalty kicks before winning the Division II state championship, this time defeating St. Andrew’s, 2-1, last Saturday at Dover High School. The two teams played to a 1-1 tie through regulation and two 10 minute overtime periods before the Seahawks topped the Saints, 3-2, in penalty kicks.
“Last year it was a dream. This year there was so much pressure on this group to repeat,” said head coach R.J. Dina, who commended his team for its resilience to keep playing, with some players who never played before making appearances due to injuries. “It’s unbelievable. One was just a dream. To win this one and do it in the fashion we did.”
The Sussex Academy boys’ soccer team celebrates its 2-1 win over St. Andrew’s to win its second straight state championship. Photo by Mike McClure
“We’ve had our ups and downs this season,” said senior goalkeeper C.J. Norton, who said the team had four starters out of the lineup at one point during the season. “It speaks volumes about our character. We have a great team thanks to Mr. Dina.”
The penalty kicks began with Norton making a save on a shot by St. Andrew’s Gabriel Musa, who scored his team’s lone goal in regulation on a penalty kick. Sussex Academy’s Aleksander Danilenko scored on his team’s first penalty kick for a 1-0 advantage.
St. Andrew’s Mateo Conrado Carballo scored on his team’s second PK to even things up. The Seahawks’ Aiden Villar made it 2-1, then the Saints’ William Bido made it 2-2. Following the play Norton was given a green card, meaning he could not man the net on the next St. Andrew’s penalty kick.
In the meantime, Sussex Academy’s Liam Stegall knocked in his penalty kick to make it 3-2. In came junior backup goalie Austin Taylor who moved to his left and made the save.
“I was pretty nervous at first but I knew I had to step up for the team and do what’s best,” Taylor said. “I dove one way and it turned out to be the right way.”
The Seahawks’ Bodhin Williams was unable to connect on his penalty kick, but Norton made a save to seal the win.
“The guys that stepped up to take the pens, we were prepared,” said Dina, adding that his team works on penalty kicks during practice.
The game remained scoreless through the first half. The Saints had a corner kick early on, Sussex Academy added a corner, Stegall took a shot on goal, and Norton made a stop on a St. Andrew’s header.
Sussex Academy tallied another corner in the second half before Chase Ballinger scored on a header off a feed from Ruendi Ortiz-Santos with 25:33 left. Musa answered the score with his goal on a penalty kick 16 seconds later to knot the score.
In the first overtime, the St. Andrew’s goalie made a pair of saves including one on a header by Villar off a kick by Norton. Norton made a save on a shot by the Saints’ Mingqi Xie.
In the second overtime period, Sussex Academy’s Keenan Williams fired a shot off the goalie, which led to a corner, but the score remained tied at 1-1, leading to penalty kicks to determine the winner. The Seahawks won their first state championship last year with a 2-1 win over St. Mark’s on penalty kicks (5-4) following overtime.
“They (St. Andrew’s) have a great side and I have the utmost respect for their team,” Norton said. “This was a great battle.”