Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON – Indian River brought its girls soccer team north on May 18 to battle Ursuline, and the Indians wasted little time showing the northern half of the state why they are the top-ranked team in Division II. A goal seconds into the contest propelled the visitors to a 4-0 win with the playoffs scheduled to begin this weekend.
Indian River took the opening tap and raced toward the Ursuline goal. Samantha Whelen fired and scored, giving the Indians a 1-0 lead before much of the crowd realized the game had even started.
Whelen’s goal began a game in which IR controlled much of the possession, but the Raiders had some excellent chances to score.
Shortly after Whelen’s tally, Megan Ogden was stopped on a free kick by Indian River keeper Fabrea McCray. McCray’s two best saves, however, came on dives, one in each half. Allison Olmstead took a crossing pass in stride in the 21st minute and, heading to her right, shot back to the left, but McCray went airborne to make the save. The victim in the second half was Alisha Lewis, who was stopped in the 53rd minute.
In between, the Indians showcased their ballhandling, passing and shooting skills, led by Whelen and senior Brooke Beam, who will be playing at the University of Richmond next season. Their persistence paid off in the 17th minute, when Beam dribbled in and crushed a left-footer over the right shoulder of Lewis, who manned the net in the first half for the Raiders.
Lewis kept Ursuline in the game with some nice stops, including one off Beam’s right foot toward the end of the first half. Whelen, however, split two UA defenders in the 39th minute of the half and hit the far post to make it 3-0 at intermission. Whelen missed a few shots just high, including one with a few seconds to go.
Beam displayed her powerful left foot again just after halftime, sending one over the left shoulder of Dominique Kendus, who was in goal for the second half.
Ursuline finished the regular season at 7-6-2. The Raiders earned the 11th seed in the 12-team Division II bracket; they will meet No. 6 Sanford at 7 p.m. Saturday at Caravel Academy. Ursuline and the Warriors tied at 2 in their regular-season matchup. The winner meets third-seeded Archmere in the second round either May 25 or 26.
Indian River finished the regular season 14-1 and is the top seed in Division II. The Indians will meet the winner of No. 8 Tower Hill and No. 9 Woodbridge.
In the Division I tournament, Padua is the top seed. The Pandas will meet No. 8 Sussex Tech on May 25 or 26 at Dover High School.
