For The Dialog
BEAR – Two halves of soccer weren’t enough. Two overtime periods solved nothing. Archmere, the top-seeded team in the Division II girls soccer tournament, needed penalty kicks to outlast Wilmington Friends in a semifinal-round match Friday night at Caravel Academy. The final score was 1-1 (4-2 PK).
The Auks (16-1) will meet Caravel, which shut out St. Georges, 2-0, Friday night in Dover. The game will be Monday at 5 p.m. at Smyrna High School. That will be followed by the Division I final, which pits second-seeded Padua against No. 4 Caesar Rodney. The Pandas defeated Sussex Tech, 6-0, Friday night in Dover.
Archmere senior goalkeeper Anna D’Eramo scored the game-winning goal on Friday in the fourth round of penalty kicks. This came after she made a huge save on the first penalty kick, off the foot of Friends junior Shannon Skibicki. D’Eramo said she “liked the save better than the goal because it was the first one and it was pretty sweet.”
The first half was cautious and scoreless, although Archmere controlled play most of the time. The Auks continued the pressure into the second half and eventually capitalized on a goal by junior Kassidy McVey in the 50th minute.
Attempts by Archmere to extend the lead were turned away by the Quakers’ defense and keeper. Friends rebounded with the game-tying tally in the 59th minute when senior Elena Veale found the net.
The two 10-minute overtime periods were the “golden goal” format, but neither team could take advantage. D’Eramo made a good save in the first OT to keep the Auks’ dreams alive.
McVey scored the Auks’ third goal in penalty kicks and said she preferred that to the one in regulation. “The pressure was on and you had to make it.”
Tickets to the girls championship doubleheader are $8 and available at diaa.ticketleap.com. One ticket is good for both games.
