For The Dialog
BEAR – The most anticipated soccer match of the year in Delaware took place Saturday night at Bob Peoples Stadium at Caravel Academy as Salesianum, ranked sixth in the country, met No. 7 St. Benedict’s Prep of New Jersey. The teams put on a spirited effort, but after 100 minutes neither could come away with the win as they battled to a 1-1 tie.
Starting in rain, the game started with the teams feeling each other out and not taking too many risks. Salesianum had the first good chance, as Gavin Ford was tackled just outside the box, setting up a 33-yard free kick in the eighth minute. Jason Blackwell tried to bend the free kick into the far post, but he missed just wide.
The Prep had a couple of early corner kicks, but missed on one with a shot that went high. Salesianum broke through in the 34th minute as Jack Leonard sprinted down the left side of the field and sent a cross that Bryce Wallace buried in the back of the net.
The Sals took that 1-0 lead into the second half, with St. Benedict’s controlling the early play. Sals keeper Gavin Campbell made a couple of key saves to preserve the lead. The first was a shot by Celio Pompeu in the 45th minute, then a diving grab on a header by Facundo Frascolla in the 63rd.
Salesianum believed it had an insurance tally in the 68th minute when they scored off a corner kick, but it was waved off because of a foul.
The Prep took advantage in the 73rd, finally solving Campbell. Salesianum had a few late opportunities to steal the win, one of which was a shot by Ford that hit the post.
The first overtime was evenly played. St. Benedict’s nearly won the match in the final minute of that extra session, but Campbell made a diving save on Mickey George. Both teams failed to convert corner kicks in the second 10-minute OT, and time expired on the hard-fought contest.
Salesianum coach Scott Mosier said his team was disappointed with the tie, but he was proud of the effort.
“I feel for the seniors, but we tied the seventh-ranked team in the nation, and our effort was strong,” Mosier said.
The Sals (7-1-1) outshot St. Benedict’s, 10-7, and had a 7-4 advantage on corner kicks. They host archrival St. Mark’s on Thursday night at Baynard Stadium at 7 p.m.
