Soccer

MIDDLETOWN – 80 minutes of soccer was not enough in Friday night’s battle between Appoquinimink and Caravel’s girls teams.

As it turned out, neither was 20 minutes of overtime and with no penalty kicks in the regular season, the Jaguars and Buccaneers would have to settle for a scoreless tie, which was just fine with Caravel coach Tom Brackin.

“We’re missing two players with long-term injuries and another player couldn’t be here tonight, so we were playing with just 12 players,” Brackin explained.  “We were a little undermanned, but I was proud of their effort to get out of here with a tie.”

“Appo’s a great team,” added freshman goalkeeper Sydney Keld, who came up big with nine saves in goal, including two on penalty kicks. “We prepared really well for this game and both teams played hard. Neither one of us could score, though.”

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The Buccaneers, defending Division II champions, started out with plenty of runs to the net with shots that were either just missing or the net or falling into the hands of Kiyanna Gill, who stopped seven shots of her own.  Jaguars coach Wes Kendle was pleased with the defensive effort.

“I think we recognized that we gave them too much room in the first half,” Kendle said, citing Rachel Cressler, Hannah Broomall, Elena Hilario and Ashley Hickman as defensive standouts. “We had a discussion about that halftime and cleaned it up.”

After a scoreless regulation period, the best chances for both sides came in the first overtime, when Keld stopped Erica Seiben cold on a penalty kick during injury time. Shortly after that, Caravel’s Macie Pennington fired a shot low and to the left side, but Gill dove and swiped it out of bounds to end the first overtime. Neither team came close in the second overtime and were happy to call it even.

“We were really fatigued at the end of the second overtime and it showed,” Brackin said.

“Caravel’s a great team and it was a great game on both sides,” Kendle said.

Polytech’s Grace Stang (right), tries to stop a shot from Cape Henlopen’s Alison Palmer last Wednesday. Cape edged No. 2 Polytech 12-10 to remain No. 1 in girls lacrosse.

BASEBALL

1. St. Mark’s (10-1) Prev. 2

2. Cape Henlopen (7-1) 4

3. Salesianum (6-2) 1

4. Middletown (8-2) NR

5. Caravel (7-3) NR

SOFTBALL

1. Caravel (8-1) 1

2. Sussex Tech (7-1) 4

3. Appoquinimink (7-1) 5

4. Smyrna (8-0) NR

5. Padua (7-0) NR

BOYS LACROSSE

1. Salesianum (8-2) 1

2. Appoquinimink (6-1) 5

3. Archmere (7-2) 2

4. Cape Henlopen (6-3) 3

5. Tower Hill (5-2) 4

GIRLS LACROSSE

1. Cape Henlopen (9-1) 1

2. Polytech (7-1) 2

3. Charter of Wilmington (8-0) 3

4. Caravel (7-1) 5

5. Archmere (5-1) NR

GIRLS SOCCER

DIVISION I

1. Padua (10-0) 1

2. Caesar Rodney (6-1) 2

3. Charter of Wilmington (3-2) 3

4. Appoquinimink (6-1-1) 4

5. Middletown (7-0-1) 5

DIVISION II

1. Indian River (7-0) 1

2. Archmere (6-0-1) 2

3. Caravel (5-1-1) 3

4. Delaware Military Academy (6-2-1) 4

5. Newark Charter (5-1) NR

GOLF

1. Salesianum (3-0-1) 1

2. Tower Hill (6-0-1) 2

3. Caesar Rodney (9-0) 3

4. Caravel (9-1) 4

5. Appoquinimink (7-0) 5

BOYS TENNIS

1. Caesar Rodney (11-0) 1

2. Tower Hill (6-1) 2

3. Charter of Wilmington (8-0) 3

4. St. Andrew’s (4-3) 4

5. Archmere (7-1) NR

GIRLS TENNIS

1. Tower Hill (8-0) 1

2. Caesar Rodney (11-0) 2

3. Archmere (7-0) 3

4. St. Andrew’s (4-2) 4

5. Dover (8-1) NR

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

MACKENZIE SCULLY, senior, Padua soccer

THE WEEK: Had two goals and an assist in a 7-0 victory at Smyrna last Tuesday, then scored another goal in the top-ranked Pandas’ 3-0 win over third-ranked Charter of Wilmington on Friday.

THE ROLE: Scully is an outside midfielder, an important position in the Padua attack. “We use our outside mids a lot,” she said. “They always play the through balls, and we have to beat our one-on-one defenders and we’ve got to get it past the front post. Usually, we’ve got to count on other teammates to score the goals.”

THE COACH SAYS: “We’re going to always attack on the flanks, and Mackenzie is the one who’s going to get behind the defender,” Padua coach Joe Brown said. “She’s great on crosses. She’s great on getting behind them and going to goal. I actually want her to go to goal more when she gets that first touch.”

THE TEAMMATE SAYS: “She always wins her 1 v 1 battles and manages to put in great balls in the box when she has two or three players on her,” junior Emilia Ryjewski said. “Her work rate is awesome. She gets back on defense, and then next thing you know you turn around and she’s up on the attack, just grinding the other team’s back line.”

THE SETUP: Scully has been playing soccer since age 4. She enjoys her position on the Pandas, which usually results in more assists than goals. “It feels good,” she said. “It’s like all of your hard work paid off. Even though you didn’t get the goal, you’re the one who created the goal. It’s a great feeling.”

THE MATURITY: “She’s a very good student-athlete,” Brown said. “She was a guard in basketball, and she’s an All-State Top XI [soccer] player from last year. She’s just gotten better and more mature each year. She just gives us a lot, and she’s one of our go-to people.”

THE CLASSROOM: “I like Math,” Scully said. “I just like that there is always a solution.”

THE FUTURE: Scully plans to attend the University of Delaware, where she may play club soccer but will keep her primary focus on studying athletic training.

Send Athlete of the Week nominations to bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

Padua Academy soccer player, Mackenzie Scully, is the Athlete of the Week.

Padua Academy soccer player, Mackenzie Scully, is the Athlete of the Week.

Padua Academy soccer player, Mackenzie Scully, is the Athlete of the Week.

Senior Mackenzie Scully plays a key role as an outside midfielder for the top-ranked Padua soccer team.

Sheyenne Allen (8) of Charter drives the ball past Mary Warren (22) of Middletown in a Charter at Middletown girls soccer game on Wednesday.

Sam Peters (1) of Charter tries to settle the ball as Alexandra Rodriguez (11) of Middletown approaches in a Charter at Middletown girls soccer game on Wednesday.

Taylor Mitchell (18) of Charter and Kelsey Hott compete for control of the ball in a Charter at Middletown girls soccer game on Wednesday.

Leigh Willis (8) of Middletown and Leah Frerichs (22) of Charter collide in the air in Charter at Middletown girls soccer game on Wednesday.

Taylor Wolf (9) makes a save for Middletown as Charter;s Felicia Flores (26) and Alli Munro (25) avoid contacting her in a Charter at Middletown girls soccer game on Wednesday.

MIDDLETOWN – It looked like the Charter School of Wilmington girls soccer team was on their way to pulling ahead of host Middletown in the Flight A championship race.

Sophomore forward Rachel Finelli changed all of that with one quick burst to the net and forced a 1-1 tie that kept the Cavaliers unbeaten and even with Charter and cross-town rival Appoquinimink for first place in Flight A.

“Being down 1-0 with 14, 15 minutes in the game, a lot of teams don’t come back from that,” Cavaliers coach Brian Derrickson said. “This was a huge step forward for our program.”

“They were undefeated coming in, so we definitely knew this would be a tough game,” Force head coach Jon Gillespie said. “I think we’re disappointed that we kept them in the game the way we did.”

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It didn’t look like the Force (4-2-1 overall, 3-0-1 Flight A) would have too much trouble as freshman Sheyanne Allen banged home a rebound with just over eight minutes left in the first half to give Charter a 1-0 advantage. The score remained that way for another 37 minutes until Finelli booted a shot by oncoming Charter goalie Jenna Lussier that rolled into the net to even the game up.

“I really didn’t think she was going to do that,” Finelli said of Lussier coming out to challenge her. “Megan Jolikko gave me a great ball and I saw that it was a big opportunity to score for my team.”

After that goal, there were some close calls on both sides, but neither team could find the net again and the Cavs (now 8-0-1, 5-0-1 in Flight A) are feeling better about their chances to win their conference and make the state tournament.

“I think this gives our girls confidence,” Derrickson said. “We know we’re a good team with hungry seniors and talented underclassmen.”

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“This is a building block for us,” Rachel Finelli added. “We’re only going to go up from here.”

Sussex Tech’s Jenna Calloway (left) forces out a Sussex Central runner on March 22. The Ravens are 10-1 and ranked No. 2 in the state.

BASEBALL

1. St. Mark’s (11-2) 1

2. Caravel (9-3) 5

3. Middletown (10-2) 4

4. Smyrna (9-2) NR

5. Dover (11-2) NR

SOFTBALL

1. Appoquinimink (9-1) 3

2. Sussex Tech (10-1) 2

3. Caravel (8-2) 1

4. Smyrna (9-0) 4

5. Padua (9-0) 5

BOYS LACROSSE

1. Salesianum (10-2) 1

2. Cape Henlopen (7-3) 4

3. Tower Hill (7-2) 5

4. Archmere (8-3) 3

5. DMA (7-2) NR

GIRLS LACROSSE

1. Cape Henlopen (10-1) 1

2. Polytech (9-2) 2

3. Charter of Wilmington (10-0) 3

4. Caravel (8-2) 4

5. Tower Hill (8-2) NR

GIRLS SOCCER

DIVISION I

1. Padua (12-0) 1

2. Caesar Rodney (8-1) 2

3. Charter of Wilmington (4-2-1) 3

4. Appoquinimink (7-1-1) 4

5. Middletown (9-0-2) 5

DIVISION II

1. Indian River (8-0) 1

2. Archmere (8-0-1) 2

3. Caravel (6-2-1) 3

4. Delaware Military Academy (8-2-1) 4

5. Newark Charter (6-2) 5

GOLF

1. Tower Hill (7-0-1) 2

2. Salesianum (5-1-1) 1

3. Caesar Rodney (12-0) 3

4. Appoquinimink (10-0) 5

5. Caravel (10-2) 4

BOYS TENNIS

1. Caesar Rodney (13-0) 1

2. Tower Hill (7-1) 2

3. Charter of Wilmington (9-0) 3

4. St. Andrew’s (7-3) 4

5. Archmere (8-1) 5

GIRLS TENNIS

1. Tower Hill (9-0) 1

2. Caesar Rodney (13-0) 2

3. Archmere (9-0) 3

4. Dover (9-2) 5

5. Middletown (8-1) NR

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

Smyrna’s Ryan Seymour follows the flight of a fly ball in his team’s 4-3 win over top-ranked St. Mark’s on Saturday.

Smyrna baseball coach Mike Henderson knows his Eagles are about to go down a tough road. Five of their last seven games are against Henlopen North opponents.

“I’m biased, but personally I think it’s the toughest conference in the state, by far,” Henderson said.

The fourth-ranked Eagles (9-2, 1-0) earned a 4-3 home win over No. 1 St. Mark’s on Saturday, good preparation for what awaits around the corner. The seven Henlopen North teams are a combined 54-24 this season, an even more impressive 41-11 against non-conference foes.

“It’s good for us, because we’re going to see all of those teams in the [state] tournament,” said Smyrna pitcher John Barkley, who held off St. Mark’s over the final 1⅔ innings. “It’s all quality baseball. I think it’s going to help us in the long run.”

Smyrna has a win over defending state champion Appoquinimink. Cape Henlopen (8-2, 3-1) has a win over third-ranked Middletown. Dover (11-2, 3-2) has outscored its last five opponents 51-3, including a 10-0 romp over Cape.

Sussex Tech (8-4, 2-1) has won six straight after a 2-4 start, including wins over Dover, William Penn and Salesianum. Sussex Central (5-5) is 0-4 in the conference, but stunned Sallies 3-2 on April 23. Polytech (8-3, 2-2) and Caesar Rodney (5-6, 2-3) are dangerous, too.

And Smyrna will face one of the hottest teams in the state at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday when the Eagles travel to Henlopen South leader Lake Forest (9-3, 5-1). The Spartans have won nine straight after an 0-3 start.

“I always think there are some southern teams that should be in [the state tournament] that aren’t,” Henderson said. “A lot of our South teams get beat up by the bigger schools, but they’re very good, quality programs.”

Soccer scramble

After struggling to a 7-7-1 record last season, the Middletown girls soccer team has jumped to 9-0-2 overall and 5-0-1 in Blue Hen Flight A going into a home showdown against Appoquinimink (7-2-1, 5-1) at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Charter of Wilmington (5-2-1, 4-0-1) took a big step in the conference race with a 3-1 win at Appoquinimink on Monday night. But the Force tied Middletown 1-1 on April 27, so both teams will share the Flight A title if they sweep the rest of their conference games.

Softball unbeatens

Smyrna (9-0) and Padua (9-0) have quietly won all of their softball games so far, but a couple of big tests await this week.

The Eagles travel to Lake Forest (10-3), which has been ranked as high as second in the state this year, at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday.

The Pandas held off Delaware Military Academy 3-2 on Saturday and next play at Milford at 4:15 Thursday. The Buccaneers are 3-7, but only lost to Smyrna 1-0 on April 21.

Rounding it up

— The Blue Hen Conference track and field meet will be held Saturday at Appoquinimink, with field events and track prelims starting at 10 a.m. and running finals beginning at 11:30.

— The Delaware Military Academy boys lacrosse team (7-2) moved into the state rankings at No. 5 after the Seahawks knocked off then-No. 3 Archmere 13-12 and then-No. 2 Appoquinimink 11-10 last week.

— Polytech’s Whitney DeMora went 3 for 3 with three home runs and two walks in a 12-6 victory at Cape Henlopen last Friday. One of the homers was a grand slam, as DeMora finished with eight RBI and four runs scored. The senior also hit three homers in the Panthers’ season opener at Indian River.

— Senior attacker Lizzie Frederick scored her 100th career goal in Cape Henlopen’s 16-5 win over Caesar Rodney last Wednesday.

— The 1976 Salesianum baseball team will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its state championship with a reunion before the current Sals’ home game against Lake Forest at 2 p.m. Saturday. Former umpires and opponents from that era are also invited to attend and reminisce.

— St. Elizabeth is seeking an assistant coach for field hockey. Mail a resume and letter of interest to St. Elizabeth High School, or submit via email to jcorradin@sehs.org.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

ABOVE: Aleya Cummings (No 3) of CR and Samantha Whelen (No 10) compete for the ball in an Indian River at CR girls soccer game on Saturday.

Caesar Rodney’s Lynsy Gruwell (left) celebrates with Aleya Cummings after the first of Cummings’ two goals on Friday night. No. 2 CR edged No. 3 Charter of Wilmington 2-1 in a Division I matchup.

CAMDEN—Caesar Rodney did not match Indian River’s intensity in the first half of the teams’ non-divisional Henlopen Conference girls’ soccer clash Monday night, allowing the Indians to dictate the tempo.

The Riders played with more emotion in the second half, and that allowed them control the action and power past Indian River for a 4-3 victory behind Aleya Cummings’ hat trick.

“For whatever reason, we did not have a good first half. We came out flat and stayed flat. Indian River played well. I thought we didn’t play near as well, and we needed to play to win this game. To our girls’ credit, they played very well as a team in the second half,” Caesar Rodney head coach Darrell Gravatt said.

Entering the second half tied at 1-1, the Riders, ranked 2nd in Division I, opened the second half with a flurry of offense and took six shots in the ten minutes, and on the fourth shot, Cummings scored the go-ahead goal in the 48th minute.

The lead was short-lived as the Indians equalized on the counterattack just five minutes later when Emma-Lee Merrick won a foot race to the ball and crossed it into the box to Madison Hogsten, who directed it into the net to tie the game at 2-2.

That did not deter Caesar Rodney (9-1) as they continued to generate opportunities, and regained the lead in the 69th minute when Cummings rocketed a shot into the net after a pass from Kim Glasser.

“I was going down the sideline, and the defender was pushing me. Since I’m left-footed, I went with my left, and I kicked it as hard as I could. It went right into the side netting,” Cummings said of the go-ahead goal.

Cummings completed her hat trick seven minutes later when her shot found the upper corner of the net to make the score 4-2, but Hogsten made things interesting with her second goal of the game in the 79th minute to cut Indian River’s deficit to 4-3.

That was too late as the Riders prevented the top ranked Division II Indians (8-1) from getting a push in the final minutes to hold on the win.

Even through Indian River did not have the amount of chances in the second half as it did in the first, it capitalized on the limited chances in the second forty minutes thanks to its speed.

“We have some pace, and we were able to use that to get in and stretch out. Unfortunately, two too many goals,” Indian head coach Steve Kilby said.

Middletown’s Rachel Finelli (No. 3) makes a flying attempt at the ball in front of Appoquinimink’s Hannah Broomall in the first half of Middletown’s 1-0 win over Appoquinimink at Cavalier’s Stadium in Middletown on Wednesday evening.

Middletown players surround Meghan Jolikko after Jolikko’s free kick sailed past Appoquinimink’s goal keeper for a goal in the second half of Middletown’s 1-0 win over Appoquinimink at Cavalier’s Stadium in Middletown on Wednesday evening.

Appoquinimink’s Calista Lawrence dives overtop of Middletown keeper Taylor Wolf as Wolf makes a sliding save in the first half of Middletown’s 1-0 win over Appoquinimink at Cavalier’s Stadium in Middletown on Wednesday evening.

Middletown and Appoquinimink players collide as the ball falls between them on a corner kick in the first half of Middletown’s 1-0 win over Appoquinimink at Cavalier’s Stadium in Middletown on Wednesday evening.

Appoquinimink’s Abbe Power (left) and Middletown’s Shannon Gamble (right) jockey for position on the ball in the first half of Middletown’s 1-0 win over Appoquinimink at Cavalier’s Stadium in Middletown on Wednesday evening.

MIDDLETOWN – When the Middletown girls soccer team earned a free kick from 35 yards out with less than two minutes left, coach Brian Derrickson knew exactly who would take the shot.

Meghan Jolikko.

“That’s her zone, to shoot from 35,” Derrickson said. “She had a tough game, and what a way to end it.”

Jolikko somehow fitted a blast between the crossbar and the outstretched fingertips of Appoquinimink goalkeeper Kiyanna Gill to keep Middletown’s unbeaten streak going with a 1-0 victory on Wednesday night at Cavaliers Stadium.

Middletown’s Meghan Jolikko (No. 5) puts a free kick from 35 yards out past the outstretched hands of Appoquinimink keeper Kiyanna Gill for a goal in the second half of Middletown’s 1-0 win over Appoquinimink at Cavalier’s Stadium in Middletown on Wednesday evening.

“I knew that we didn’t have a lot of time left, so I had to put the shot on the frame and see what I could do,” Jolikko said. “I’m better with distance. I like having the big shots over the top past the keeper.”

The senior had been under heavy defensive pressure all night, but the fourth-ranked Jaguars (7-3-1, 5-2 Blue Hen Flight A) couldn’t defend her this time. Fifth-ranked Middletown (11-0-2, 6-0-1) can clinch at least a tie for the conference title with a win over William Penn next Monday.

“[Jolikko] was marked up all night, she gets a free kick, and we’re in control of the conference now,” Derrickson said.

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But the Cavaliers weren’t in control throughout this one. Both teams earned some golden scoring opportunities, none better than when Appo charged in on a breakaway in the 38th minute.

Erica Sieben played a perfect through ball to Caelan Brooks, who fired a 12-yard shot that was stopped by Middletown freshman Taylor Wolf. The rebound went right to the foot of the Jaguars’ Courtney Burtell, but Wolf got back to her feet and dove to smother a point-blank blast.

“I thought immediately after I made the first save, ‘I have to get back up,’ because I didn’t catch it in my hands,” Wolf said. “As soon as the girl took another shot, I was right back on top of that. I was fortunate to save that.”

Appoquinimink’s Courtney Burtell (left) covers her face with her hands after he attempt to put a rebound off of Middletown keeper Taylor Wolf (right) was saved by Wolf in the first half of Middletown’s 1-0 win over Appoquinimink at Cavalier’s Stadium in Middletown on Wednesday evening.

Sieben’s 20-yard free kick in the 51st minute hit the crossbar and deflected down, but didn’t go in. Two minutes later, Wolf stopped a low liner by Appo’s Kelsy Fitzgerald on a free kick from 33 yards out.

The Cavaliers earned six corner kicks, and generated their best opportunity when Fitzgerald headed a curling ball right off the line in the 67th minute. Then Middletown’s Alexa Rodriguez weaved through two defenders but shot just wide of the far post in the 72nd minute.

The teams combined for 22 shots, but the scoreless game was less than two minutes from going into overtime on an unseasonably cold night when Jolikko finally put one in the net — and on the board.

“Credit to Appo. They gave us a great game,” Derrickson said. “At the end, we just told our girls to keep fighting, keep fighting. Taylor Wolf made some phenomenal saves to keep us alive, and our defense was strong.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Kevin Turner (7) of Tower Hill carries the ball past Logan Yoder of Appoquinimink during the Hillers’ win on April 26. Tower Hill moved up to No. 2 in the boys lacrosse rankings this week.

BASEBALL

1. St. Mark’s (13-2) 1

2. Caravel (9-3) 2

3. Smyrna (11-2) 4

4. Dover (13-2) 5

5. Middletown (12-3) 3

SOFTBALL

1. Sussex Tech (10-1) 2

2. Appoquinimink (10-2) 1

3. Caravel (10-2) 3

4. Smyrna (9-1) 4

5. Padua (9-1) 5

BOYS LACROSSE

1. Salesianum (12-2) 1

2. Tower Hill (9-2) 3

3. Cape Henlopen (8-4) 2

4. DMA (8-2) 5

5. Archmere (9-4) 4

GIRLS LACROSSE

1. Cape Henlopen (11-1) 1

2. Polytech (11-2) 2

3. Caravel (10-2) 4

4. Charter of Wilmington (11-1) 3

5. Tower Hill (10-3) 5

GIRLS SOCCER

DIVISION I

1. Padua (13-0) 1

2. Caesar Rodney (11-1) 2

3. Charter of Wilmington (6-2-1) 3

4. Middletown (11-0-2) 5

5. Appoquinimink (8-3-1) 4

DIVISION II

1. Indian River (10-1) 1

2. Archmere (8-1-2) 2

3. Caravel (9-2-1) 3

4. Delaware Military Academy (10-3-1) 4

5. St. Georges (10-3-1) NR

GOLF

1. Tower Hill (10-0-1) 1

2. Salesianum (6-2-1) 2

3. Caesar Rodney (14-0) 3

4. Appoquinimink (12-0) 4

5. Caravel (12-2) 5

BOYS TENNIS

1. Caesar Rodney (14-0) 1

2. Tower Hill (8-2) 2

3. Charter of Wilmington (9-1) 3

4. St. Andrew’s (8-3) 4

5. Archmere (10-1) 5

GIRLS TENNIS

1. Caesar Rodney (14-0) 2

2. Archmere (10-0) 3

3. Charter of Wilmington (8-2) NR

4. Tower Hill (11-1) 1

5. Middletown (9-1) 5

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Appoquinimink’s Courtney Burtell (left) shows her frustration after sprawling Middletown goalkeeper Taylor Wolf made two huge saves in the Cavaliers’ 1-0 win last Wednesday.

Middletown girls soccer coach Brian Derrickson hoped an influx of young talent and a change in training methods would lead to a better record this season.

But the Cavaliers have exceeded his highest hopes.

“I would have never expected us to be 11-0-2,” Derrickson said after Middletown’s 1-0 victory over Appoquinimink last Wednesday. “I throw credit to the players, responding to whatever they’re being asked to do and the competitive nature they bring.”

The fourth-ranked Cavaliers added another win to that total Monday, clinching at least a tie for the Blue Hen Flight A title with an 8-0 victory at William Penn. Charter of Wilmington can still tie Middletown atop the conference with a win at Mount Pleasant next Monday, but the Cavaliers have taken an amazing leap from last year’s 7-7-1 season.

“Everyone is really connecting,” freshman goalkeeper Taylor Wolf said. “No matter how they play, everyone is supporting each other. Every time something happens, we’re all there for each other. That’s how we get through every game.”

The only blemishes have been a scoreless tie against St. Georges on April 22 and a 1-1 draw with Charter on April 27. But the Cavaliers lost to the Force 4-0 last season, so a tie was a major step forward. Meghan Jolikko assisted on Rachel Finelli’s goal in the 67th minute to pull Middletown even.

“We have a tight bond. We never fight,” Jolikko said. “It’s just really different this year. We’re all a huge family.”

Derrickson and assistant coaches Rob Jamieson, Pat Williams and Joseph Sesay split the team into four groups each day and work on fundamentals.

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“We’re evolving as coaches and we’re doing some different things with them,” Derrickson said. “We’re training the girls every day, different coaches with different teams, so the girls feel very involved.”

Middletown has outscored opponents 58-7. Wolf has been a big part of that, including late in the first half against Appo when the freshman stopped two golden opportunities by the Jaguars. Then Jolikko scored the game’s only goal on a 35-yard free kick in the 78th minute.

“Some games in the beginning, she would bobble it just because she was so nervous, a freshman coming in,” Jolikko said of Wolf. “But she has definitely improved in every game, and we can definitely rely on her.”

The Cavaliers will finish the regular season at Delmar on Thursday, then prepare for their first DIAA Division I tournament appearance since 2014, when they lost to Sussex Tech 2-1 in the first round.

“We’re very excited to make the tournament this year,” Jolikko said. “We just want to do the best we can for our last time together.”

Baseball changes

The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association’s plan to begin the state baseball tournament with four doubleheaders has been undone by Mother Nature.

Persistent rain over the last couple of weeks has prompted DIAA to extend the regular season to May 20. That will push the four opening-round tournament games – involving the eight lowest seeds in the expanded 20-team field – to May 23 at the home field of each higher seed. The eight second-round games will be played the following day.

The quarterfinals are now scheduled for May 26, with two games at Frawley Stadium and two at higher-seeded teams’ home fields. The semifinals will follow on May 28 and the championship will be May 31 – all at Frawley.

DIAA had planned to complete the regular season on May 18, then start the postseason on May 21 with the lowest eight seeds playing first-round games at the home fields of the four highest seeds, then following with second-round games the same day.

Rounding it up

— Four of the state’s top-five ranked softball teams will be in action against each other on Thursday. No. 4 Smyrna will play host to No. 1 Sussex Tech in a Henlopen North showdown at 4:15, and No. 5 Padua will travel to No. 2 Appoquinimink at 4:30.

— Macie Pennington totaled eight goals and an assist as Caravel (9-2-1), ranked third in Division II girls soccer, won three games last week. The junior had three goals in a 6-0 victory over St. Elizabeth, four goals in a 6-0 win over Wilmington Christian and a goal and an assist in a 2-1 victory over Delaware Military Academy.

— Four-time defending state champion Padua (13-0) jumped from 11th to sixth in the latest USA Today/NSCAA Super 25 national girls soccer rankings.

— The New Castle County track and field championships will be held Friday and Saturday at Baynard Stadium. Field events will begin at 2:30 p.m. Friday, with track events starting at 3:30. On Saturday, field events will begin at 8:30 a.m. and track events will start at noon.

— The Henlopen Conference track and field championships will be held Thursday and Friday at Lake Forest, with action starting at 4 p.m. each day.

— Lake Forest’s Austin Aguilar reached 100 career goals in the Spartans’ 18-16 victory over Indian River last Wednesday, quite a feat since the school only started a boys lacrosse program last year.

— Fifth-ranked Middletown (13-3, 8-1) clinched the Blue Hen Flight A baseball title with a 4-3 win over Charter of Wilmington last Thursday.

— The first win of the season was huge for the Seaford baseball team (1-10), as the Blue Jays stunned Cape Henlopen 6-4 last Thursday. The Vikings (9-3) have been ranked as high as No. 2 in the state this season, but Seaford got six strong innings of pitching from Dylan Allen, two doubles and two RBIs from Justin Gray and RBI hits from Evan Nibblett, Noah Waldridge and Tyler Harris.

— No. 1 Tower Hill (10-0-1) edged No. 2 Salesianum 147-158 in golf last Thursday at Fieldstone. Eighth-graders Jennifer Cleary and Phoebe Brinker led the way with 1-over-par 36s for nine holes. Ty Brinker added a 37 and Matthew Cleary shot 38 for the Hillers. Reed Winkler led Sallies with a 36.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Soccer

WILMINGTON – Normally a midfielder on the Archmere girls soccer team, freshman Nicole Witherell got some on-the-job training as a goalkeeper Friday afternoon at Wilmington Charter.

Stepping in for the Auks’ regular keeper, who was injured, Witherell confounded the Force with 20 saves, allowing visiting Archmere, ranked third in Division II by the News Journal, to pick up a critical 1-0 win and improve to 11-1-2 on the season.

“I knew I was going to have to be the goalie today, so I was really nervous,” Witherell admitted. “But I got all of my nerves out before the game and just tried to do the very best I can. My defense did a great job in front of me.”

“Oh yeah, Nicole really stepped up today,” said junior Leah DeCosta, who scored the game’s only goal in the 65th minute to give Archmere the win. “They had a lot of chances in that first half and she denied every one of them.”

The Force, ranked third in Division I, peppered the Auks’ net with several shots, but some either were wide of the net, went over the net, or found their way into Witherell’s hands.

That allowed Archmere to find an offensive groove and with just over 15 minutes to go in the match, DeCosta corralled a pass from Kathleen Spillan and bounced a low line drive past Charter keeper Jenna Lussier for the difference-maker.

“We had some really good opportunities and our midfielders were getting good balls down the field,” DeCosta said. “I’m glad I was able to put one in and get this win for our team.”

Both DeCosta and Witherell were excited about the win, which they hope to use as a momentum boost when the Division II girls soccer tournament gets started in the next week.

“It’s a big win for us because they’re a really good DI team,” DeCosta said. “It’s a big confidence boost for us to know we can win this kind of game on the road against a really good team.”

“We want to win the whole thing,” Witherell added. “This win really means a lot to us.”

Jenna Lussier stopped five shots for Charter, who fell to 8-3-1 on the season.

Sussex Tech’s Madison Watson moves to third on a wild pitch last Thursday as Smyrna’s Sarah Miller snags a late throw. Sussex Tech is ranked No. 2 statewide in softball.

BASEBALL

1. St. Mark’s (14-2) Prev. 1

2. Smyrna (13-2) 3

3. Caravel (10-4) 2

4. Dover (15-2) 4

5. Middletown (14-3) 5

SOFTBALL

1. Appoquinimink (13-2) 2

2. Sussex Tech (12-2) 1

3. Caravel (13-2) 3

4. Padua (11-2) 5

5. Cape Henlopen (11-4) NR

BOYS LACROSSE

1. Salesianum (12-3) 1

2. Archmere (10-4) 5

3. Wilmington Friends (11-2) NR

4. Tower Hill (10-3) 2

5. DMA (9-2) 4

GIRLS LACROSSE

1. Cape Henlopen (12-1) 1

2. Polytech (13-2) 2

3. Caravel (12-2) 3

4. Charter of Wilmington (13-1) 4

5. Tower Hill (12-3) 5

GIRLS SOCCER

DIVISION I

1. Padua (14-0) 1

2. Caesar Rodney (13-1) 2

3. Middletown (13-0-2) 4

4. Charter of Wilmington (8-3-1) 3

5. Appoquinimink (11-3-1) 5

DIVISION II

1. Indian River (12-1) 1

2. Archmere (11-1-2) 2

3. Caravel (10-3-1) 3

4. Delaware Military Academy (11-3-1) 4

5. Sanford (10-3-1) NR

GOLF

1. Tower Hill (12-0-1) 1

2. Salesianum (9-2-1) 2

3. Caesar Rodney (16-1) 3

4. Appoquinimink (15-0) 4

5. Charter of Wilmington (10-2) NR

BOYS TENNIS

1. Caesar Rodney (15-0) 1

2. Tower Hill (10-2) 2

3. Charter of Wilmington (10-1) 3

4. St. Andrew’s (9-3) 4

5. Archmere (10-2) 5

GIRLS TENNIS

1. Caesar Rodney (14-0) 1

2. Archmere (12-0) 2

3. Charter of Wilmington (10-2) 3

4. Tower Hill (12-2) 4

5. St. Andrew’s (9-4) NR

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

Middletown sprinter Daija Lampkin will travel to Havana, Cuba, next week to compete for Team USA in the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational track and field meet.

The first international track and field competition for Middletown sprinter Daija Lampkin will take place in a country few Americans have been able to experience.

Cuba.

Lampkin is among 28 girls and boys nationwide who have been selected to compete in the 10th annual Caribbean Scholastic Invitational, to be held May 27-28 in Havana. The team was put together by the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation.

“They pay for my uniform, the hotel, the travel, the visa, everything,” Lampkin said. “We’re going to be Team USA competing against Cuba.”

Lampkin will leave for Havana on May 24, so she will miss the DIAA Meet of Champions on May 25. A rare chance to travel to Cuba is a good reason to skip a local event.

“Just the whole experience, meeting new people, rooming with them, getting to know them,” Lampkin said. “Going to a foreign place I’ve never been, getting that type of international experience, it’s going to be fun.”

The meet will coincide with Memorial Barrientos, a historic, elite track and field invitational that will include Olympians from Cuba and other Caribbean nations.

Lampkin, a junior, set a state record of 23.80 seconds in the 200-meter dash at the New Castle County Championships last Saturday. She swept the 55-, 200- and 400-meter dashes at the DIAA Indoor meet in February, and will be the Division I favorite in the sprints at the DIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, to be held Friday and Saturday at Dover High.

Henlopen happenings

The Henlopen Conference is reaching the end of the regular season in several sports, with three postseason events scheduled for Friday.

In girls soccer, Southern Division champion Indian River will meet Northern Division winner Caesar Rodney for the overall Henlopen title at 6 p.m. Friday at Milford. It will be a rematch of classic battle on May 2, when CR (ranked second statewide in Division I) edged IR (ranked first in Division I) 4-3. Admission will be $7.

In boys lacrosse, Northern champ Cape Henlopen will play host to Southern winner Delmar for the overall Henlopen title at 7 p.m. Friday. Admission will be $7.

In golf, Northern champion Caesar Rodney will take on Southern winner Delmar in a dual match at Baywood Greens at 3:30 p.m. Friday. That will be followed by the Henlopen Conference golf tournament, which will start at 8 a.m. May 24 at Cripple Creek Country Club in Dagsboro. Admission is free to both golf events.

Rounding it up

— Sean Gilardi struck out 11 in a no-hitter and added two doubles and an RBI as the top-ranked St. Mark’s baseball team blanked Woodbridge 6-0 on Thursday.

— Cape Henlopen and Lake Forest played an epic softball game last Thursday, with the Vikings winning 11-10. Hannah Jones hit a grand slam for Cape, and Raegan Jackson, Jordyn Virden and Sydney Ostroski also homered. Brooke Glanden hit a home run for the Spartans, and center fielder Mya Maddox ripped three doubles.

— Archmere junior Leah DaCosta played a big role in three girls soccer wins last week. DaCosta, playing her first season as a forward, scored twice in a 4-0 victory over Newark Charter on Monday, added a goal in a 4-0 win over Wilmington Christian on Wednesday, then scored the game’s only goal in a 1-0 upset of perennial Division I contender Charter of Wilmington on Friday.

— Conrad students Tara and Rose Carr, competing for the Newport Rowing Club, won their third straight U.S. Rowing Mid-Atlantic Youth Championship Women’s Varsity double title on May 8 on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. The sisters qualified for the U.S. Rowing Youth National Championships, to be held June 10-12 on the same lake. The Carr sisters finished fifth nationally last year.

Conrad students Rose (left) and Tara Carr won their third straight U.S. Rowing Mid-Atlantic Youth Championship Women’s Varsity doubles title recently.

— The boys tennis teams from Tower Hill and Archmere had to come back for a second day before the Hillers won 3-2 last week. James Fleming and Spencer Johnson won in singles for Tower Hill, Rodman Ward won in singles for Archmere and the Auks’ Spencer Lutz and Sam Wayne won the first doubles match on Tuesday. The second doubles match was suspended after two sets due to rain, but resumed Wednesday. Allan Wu and Julian Jackson took the decisive set 6-2 to give the team victory to the Hillers.

— Senior Brooke Beam became the first Indian River soccer player to score 100 career goals, reaching the milestone with a hat trick during the Indians’ 5-2 victory over Polytech on May 3.

— Senior Mesha Mosley scored her 100th career goal in the Sanford girls lacrosse team’s 20-12 victory over Westtown (Pa.) last Wednesday.

— Five Conrad athletes will continue their field hockey careers in college: Anna Fleetwood (Belmont Abbey), Wynnsome Gadson (Seton Hill), Breanne Owens (Stevenson), Xzyla Russell (King’s College) and Madison Varney (Neumann).

— A.I. du Pont hosted a Special Olympics soccer showcase before its May 9 girls soccer game against Newark. The school also capped fundraising activities by presenting $827 to Special Olympics Delaware.

— Wilmington Christian is seeking two assistant coaches for boys soccer next fall. Contact athletic director Joe Thomson at (302) 239-2121 or jthomson@wilmingtonchristian.org for details.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

Mount Pleasant’s Malachi Davis will be one of the favorites in both the long jump and triple jump at the DIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, to be held Friday and Saturday at Dover High.

It has been said that April showers bring May flowers.

But May showers bring a pain in the neck for the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association.

A forecast of a near 100 percent chance of rain on Saturday has the governing body of Delaware high school sports scrambling to adjust its schedules as postseason play begins in the spring sports.

The major event of the weekend — the DIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Dover High — had been scheduled for Friday and Saturday. After looking at the forecast on Wednesday, the DIAA track committee decided to compress the schedule and conduct the entire meet on Friday.

But several schools quickly mentioned that doing so would conflict with many proms scheduled around the state on Friday night. So DIAA has reversed course and gone back to the original Friday-Saturday track schedule. Monday will be the rain date if needed.

DIAA did move the first and second rounds of the DIAA Boys and Girls Tennis Tournaments up to Friday. The first round of the DIAA Girls Lacrosse Tournament has also been pushed up to Friday. But the opening round of the DIAA Division II Girls Soccer Tournament will remain on Saturday, with two doubleheaders to be played on artificial turf fields.

Riders outlast Jaguars in 11 innings

Girls lacrosse

Seven-time defending state champion Cape Henlopen (14-1) again earned the No. 1 seed in the 10-team DIAA Girls Lacrosse Tournament when pairings were determined Wednesday.

Two first-round games will be played at 5:30 p.m. Friday, with No. 10 Smyrna traveling to No. 7 Caesar Rodney and No. 9 St. Andrew’s taking on No. 8 Ursuline at the Raiders’ Serviam Field.

Quarterfinal games will be played Tuesday. No. 3 Tower Hill will host No. 6 Archmere and No. 4 Charter of Wilmington will host No. 5 Caravel at 5 p.m. Cape Henlopen will host the St. Andrew’s-Ursuline winner at 7, and No. 2 Polytech will host the Smyrna-Caesar Rodney winner at 7.

Semifinals will be played May 26, with the championship game on May 31. The sites and times for the final two rounds have yet to be determined.

Girls soccer

Four-time defending state champion Padua (15-0) earned the top seed in Division I, and Indian River (14-1) was the No. 1 seed in Division II when the pairings for the DIAA Girls Soccer Tournaments were determined Wednesday.

The 12-team Division II field will kick things off with four first-round games on Saturday. Milford will be the site of an early doubleheader, as No. 9 Woodbridge meets No. 8 Tower Hill at 11 a.m. and No. 10 St. Georges takes on No. 7 Delmar at 1 p.m.

Caravel will be the site of a second Saturday doubleheader, with No. 12 Lake Forest going against No. 5 Delaware Military Academy at 5 p.m. and No. 11 Ursuline meeting No. 6 Sanford at 7 p.m.

No. 1 Indian River, No. 2 Caravel, No. 3 Archmere and No. 4 Newark Charter earned first-round byes and will open against the four first-round winners on May 25 or 26 at sites to be determined. The semifinals will be June 1 at sites TBA, with the championship game scheduled for 4 p.m. June 3 or 4 at Smyrna.

The eight-team Division I field will start play with two quarterfinal doubleheaders on May 26. Dover High will host one, with No. 8 Sussex Tech meeting Padua at 6 p.m. and No. 6 Smyrna taking on No. 3 Middletown at 8. The other doubleheader will be played at Caravel, with No. 7 Dover taking on No. 2 Caesar Rodney at 6 p.m. and No. 5 Appoquinimink going against No. 4 Charter of Wilmington at 8.

Division I semifinals will be played June 1, at sites and times to be determined. The championship game will be at 7 p.m. June 3 or 4 at Smyrna.

Caravel’s Duarte reaches lacrosse milestone in win

Tennis

Colt Williamson (14-0) of Milford was named the top seed in boys first singles, and Grace Shiau (11-0) of Charter of Wilmington was named top seed in girls first singles when pairings for the DIAA Tennis Tournaments were determined Wednesday.

Other boys top seeds are Parker Barton (13-0) of Caesar Rodney in second singles, Spencer Johnson (12-0) of Tower Hill in third singles, Spencer Lutz and Sam Wayne (9-0) of Archmere in first doubles and Joseph Gravelle and Adam Ahern (15-0) of Caesar Rodney in second doubles.

Other girls top seeds are Abby Podolsky (12-0) of Archmere in second singles, Natasha Sijan (13-0) of Caesar Rodney in third singles, Katherine Tamesis and Micaela Thorogood (14-0) of Caesar Rodney in first doubles and Clare Mangubat and Caroline Pangle (8-0) of Caesar Rodney in second doubles.

The first and second rounds of both tournaments will be played Friday. The third round is scheduled for Monday, the semifinals on Tuesday and the championship matches on May 25. All of the early rounds will be played at various sites, with all of the finals to be held at the University of Delaware’s Field House courts.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

DIAA GIRLS LACROSSE TOURNAMENT

First round

Friday

No. 9 St. Andrew’s (10-5) vs. No. 8 Ursuline (9-5) at Serviam Field, 5:30

No. 10 Smyrna (9-6) at No. 7 Caesar Rodney (8-7), 5:30

Quarterfinals

Tuesday

St. Andrew’s-Ursuline winner at No. 1 Cape Henlopen (14-1), 7

No. 5 Caravel at No. 4 Charter of Wilmington, 5

Smyrna-Caesar Rodney winner at No. 2 Polytech (13-2), 7

No. 6 Archmere at No. 3 Tower Hill, 5

Semifinals

Thursday, May 26

St. Andrew’s-Ursuline-Cape Henlopen winner vs. Caravel-Charter of Wilmington winner, site and time TBA

Smyrna-CR-Polytech winner vs. Archmere-Tower Hill winner, site and time TBA

Championship

Tuesday, May 31

Semifinal winners, site and time TBA

DIAA GIRLS SOCCER TOURNAMENTS

DIVISION I

First round

Thursday, May 26

No. 8 Sussex Tech (8-7) vs. No. 1 Padua (15-0) at Dover High, 6

No. 5 Appoquinimink (11-3-1) vs. No. 4 Charter of Wilmington (10-3-1) at Caravel, 8

No. 7 Dover (9-6) vs. No. 2 Caesar Rodney (14-1) at Caravel, 6

No. 6 Smyrna (9-6) vs. No. 3 Middletown (13-0-2) at Dover High, 8

Semifinals

Wednesday, June 1

Sussex Tech-Padua winner vs. Appoquinimink-Charter of Wilmington winner, site and time TBA

Dover-Caesar Rodney winner vs. Smyrna-Middletown winner, site and time TBA

Championship

Friday, June 3 or Saturday, June 4

Semifinal winners at Smyrna, 7

DIVISION II

First round

Saturday

No. 9 Woodbridge (11-3-1) vs. No. 8 Tower Hill (11-4) at Milford, 11 a.m.

No. 10 St. Georges (10-4-1) vs. No. 7 Delmar (10-5) at Milford, 1 p.m.

No. 12 Lake Forest (8-7) vs. No. 5 Delaware Military Academy (11-3-1) at Caravel, 5

No. 11 Ursuline (7-6-2) vs. No. 6 Sanford (11-3-1) at Caravel, 7

Quarterfinals

Wednesday, May 25 or Thursday, May 26

Woodbridge-Tower Hill winner vs. No. 1 Indian River (14-1), site and time TBA

Lake Forest-DMA winner vs. No. 4 Newark Charter (11-4), site and time TBA

St. Georges-Delmar winner vs. No. 2 Caravel (11-3-1), site and time TBA

Ursuline-Sanford winner vs. No. 3 Archmere (12-1-2), site and time TBA

Semifinals

Wednesday, June 1

Woodbridge-Tower Hill-Indian River winner vs. Lake Forest-DMA-Newark Charter winner, site and time TBA

St. Georges-Delmar-Caravel winner vs. Ursuline-Sanford-Archmere winner, site and time TBA

Championship

Friday, June 3 or Saturday, June 4

Semifinal winners at Smyrna, 4

Appoquinimink’s Kelsy Fitzgerald (center) heads the ball next to Middletown’s Jasmyn Davidson (right) on May 5. Both teams are in the Division I state tournament.

GIRLS LACROSSE

First round

Friday

No. 9 St. Andrew’s (10-5) vs. No. 8 Ursuline (9-5) at Serviam Field, 5:30

No. 10 Smyrna (9-6) at No. 7 Caesar Rodney (8-7), 5:30

Quarterfinals

Tuesday

St. Andrew’s-Ursuline winner at No. 1 Cape Henlopen (14-1), 7

No. 5 Caravel at No. 4 Charter of Wilmington, 5

Smyrna-Caesar Rodney winner at No. 2 Polytech (13-2), 7

No. 6 Archmere at No. 3 Tower Hill, 5

Semifinals

Thursday, May 26

St. Andrew’s-Ursuline-Cape Henlopen winner vs. Caravel-Charter of Wilmington winner, site and time TBA

Smyrna-CR-Polytech winner vs. Archmere-Tower Hill winner, site and time TBA

Championship

Tuesday, May 31

Semifinal winners, site and time TBA

GIRLS SOCCER

DIVISION I

First round

Thursday, May 26

No. 8 Sussex Tech (8-7) vs. No. 1 Padua (15-0) at Dover High, 6

No. 5 Appoquinimink (11-3-1) vs. No. 4 Charter of Wilmington (10-3-1) at Caravel, 8

No. 7 Dover (9-6) vs. No. 2 Caesar Rodney (14-1) at Caravel, 6

No. 6 Smyrna (9-6) vs. No. 3 Middletown (13-0-2) at Dover High, 8

Semifinals

Wednesday, June 1

Sussex Tech-Padua winner vs. Appoquinimink-Charter of Wilmington winner, site and time TBA

Dover-Caesar Rodney winner vs. Smyrna-Middletown winner, site and time TBA

Championship

Friday, June 3 or Saturday, June 4

Semifinal winners at Smyrna, 7

DIVISION II

First round

Saturday

No. 9 Woodbridge (11-3-1) vs. No. 8 Tower Hill (11-4) at Milford, 11 a.m.

No. 10 St. Georges (10-4-1) vs. No. 7 Delmar (10-5) at Milford, 1 p.m.

No. 12 Lake Forest (8-7) vs. No. 5 Delaware Military Academy (11-3-1) at Caravel, 5

No. 11 Ursuline (7-6-2) vs. No. 6 Sanford (11-3-1) at Caravel, 7

Quarterfinals

Wednesday, May 25 or Thursday, May 26

Woodbridge-Tower Hill winner vs. No. 1 Indian River (14-1), site and time TBA

Lake Forest-DMA winner vs. No. 4 Newark Charter (11-4), site and time TBA

St. Georges-Delmar winner vs. No. 2 Caravel (11-3-1), site and time TBA

Ursuline-Sanford winner vs. No. 3 Archmere (12-1-2), site and time TBA

Semifinals

Wednesday, June 1

Woodbridge-Tower Hill-Indian River winner vs. Lake Forest-DMA-Newark Charter winner, site and time TBA

St. Georges-Delmar-Caravel winner vs. Ursuline-Sanford-Archmere winner, site and time TBA

Championship

Friday, June 3 or Saturday, June 4

Semifinal winners at Smyrna, 4

BOYS TENNIS

First round, Friday

All matches begin at 1 p.m.

First and second singles, at Caesar Rodney

Third singles, at St. Thomas More

First and second doubles, at Smyrna

Quarterfinals

3:30 p.m., Monday

First and second singles, at Caesar Rodney

Third singles, at St. Thomas More

First and second doubles, at Smyrna

Semifinals

3:30 p.m., Tuesday

First singles, top two brackets of second singles, at UD Field House

Bottom two brackets of second singles, third singles, at Dickinson

First and second doubles, at Sanford

Finals

1:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 25

GIRLS TENNIS

First round, Friday

All matches begin at 1 p.m.

First singles, at UD Field House

Second and third singles, at St. Andrew’s

First doubles, at Middletown

Second doubles, at Appoquinimink

Quarterfinals

3:30 p.m., Monday

First singles, at UD Field House

Second and third singles and top half of second doubles, at St. Andrew’s

First doubles and bottom half of second doubles, at Middletown

Semifinals

3:30 p.m., Tuesday

First singles, top two brackets of second singles, at UD Field House

Bottom two brackets of second singles, third singles, at Dickinson

First and second doubles, at Sanford

Finals

1:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 25

Jackie Fuentes scored three goals as St. Georges topped Delmar 3-1 in the opening round of the DIAA Division II Girls Soccer Tournament on Saturday.

MILFORD – Three minutes into its first-round game in the DIAA Division II Girls Soccer Tournament, St. Georges fell behind.

But the Hawks quickly found an equalizer, and Jackie Fuentes went on to earn a hat trick as St. Georges overcame Delmar 3-1 on Saturday at Briggs Stadium.

The 10th-seeded Hawks (11-4-1) advanced to play No. 2 Caravel in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, at a site and time to be determined.

Seventh-seeded Delmar (10-6) got off to a flying start, as a strong 45-yard free kick by Brittany Knapp slipped away from St. Georges keeper Morgan Mitchell and trickled across the line in the third minute.

“Unlucky. Freshman goalkeeper, it’s wet,” Hawks coach Bonnie Mills said. “I knew she would bounce back. I knew we would bounce back. It was just a matter of us calming down, possessing the ball.”

St. Georges tied it just five minutes later, as Fuentes made the most of a sharp assist.

“Britney Stewart sent a through ball and I just ran into it,” Fuentes said. “I had to cross it in, so I just crossed it in and it went in.”

It stayed that way until two minutes into the second half, when Mitchell earned a rare assist by a goalkeeper. The freshman rocketed a goal kick that rode a stiff tailwind all the way to the other end. Fuentes turned it into a breakaway goal.

“It went over two defenders, so I just beat them and took it,” Fuentes said.

The senior’s final goal came in the 63rd minute, as she got the best of a scrum with a defender and Delmar goalkeeper Julia Johnson.

“The goalie let go of it, and I just poked it in there,” Fuentes said.

The Hawks outshot the Wildcats 17-7, with Johnson making nine saves for Delmar. St. Georges was happy to absorb the Wildcats’ early punch and recover.

“We didn’t start as well as we should. We’re a better team,” Fuentes said. “As soon as we started possessing through the middle and playing the way we usually play, that’s when we started getting goals.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Sophomore Allison Smith scored the first goal as Tower Hill blanked Woodbridge 2-0 in the DIAA Division II Girls Soccer Tournament on Saturday.

MILFORD – At 6-foot-2, Delaware Girls Basketball Player of the Year Altia Anderson presented a formidable obstacle as Woodbridge’s goalkeeper on Saturday.

It took 14 shots and 42 minutes for Tower Hill to finally get one past her. Then the Hillers added an insurance goal and fought through a steady rain to seal a 2-0 victory over the Blue Raiders in the opening round of the DIAA Division II Girls Soccer Tournament at Briggs Stadium.

“She’s an imposing figure,” Tower Hill coach Garry Chandler said of Anderson. “She’s tall and athletic. She can get the high ball, she can get to the wide ball. We really had to work.”

The eighth-seeded Hillers (12-4) outshot ninth-seeded Woodbridge 11-1 in the first half, but Anderson kept it even. The senior punched out a 20-yard drive by Tower Hill’s Allie Salter in the 35th minute, cradled a 30-yard blast from Simi Olurin a minute later and smothered a low shot by Isabelle Pilson two minutes after that.

“We can bring attack, but we have really struggled to finish for much of the year,” Chandler said. “It showed in the first half. Once you get the first one in, you can relax a little bit. But as minutes tick by, it gets tighter and tighter.”

The Hillers finally found a way to loosen it up two minutes into the second half. Sophomore Allison Smith instantly pounced on a rebound to make it 1-0.

“Our team had a lot of opportunities and crosses, and it was all thanks to them,” Smith said. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to put it in.”

Anderson managed to stop Pilson on what appeared to be two golden opportunities, but she had no chance in the 64th minute. The ball deflected off three players and straight to the right foot of Salter for a tap-in goal.

“I was just in the right place,” Salter said. “Everyone did a really good job serving the balls to us. It was really important to get that one more goal.”

Tower Hill advanced to face top-seeded Indian River in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, at a site and time to be determined. Anderson made 13 saves for Woodbridge, which finished its season at 11-4-1.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

St. Andrew’s Louisa Belk (left) works against Ursuline’s Moira Carroll during the Saints’ 12-8 victory in the DIAA Girls Lacrosse Tournament on Friday night at Serviam Field.

DIAA GIRLS LACROSSE TOURNAMENT

First round

St. Andrew’s 12, Ursuline 8

Caesar Rodney 21, Smyrna 7

Quarterfinals

Tuesday

No. 9 St. Andrew’s (11-5) at No. 1 Cape Henlopen (14-1), 7

No. 5 Caravel (13-2) at No. 4 Charter of Wilmington (14-1), 5

No. 7 Caesar Rodney (9-7) at No. 2 Polytech (13-2), 7

No. 6 Archmere (12-3) at No. 3 Tower Hill (12-3), 5

Semifinals

Thursday

St. Andrew’s-Cape Henlopen winner vs. Caravel-Charter of Wilmington winner at Wesley College, time TBA

Caesar Rodney-Polytech winner vs. Archmere-Tower Hill winner at Westley College, time TBA

Championship

Tuesday, May 31

Semifinal winners at Wesley College, 7

DIAA GIRLS SOCCER TOURNAMENTS

DIVISION I

First round

Thursday

No. 8 Sussex Tech (8-7) vs. No. 1 Padua (15-0) at Dover High, 6

No. 5 Appoquinimink (11-3-1) vs. No. 4 Charter of Wilmington (10-3-1) at Caravel, 8

No. 7 Dover (9-6) vs. No. 2 Caesar Rodney (14-1) at Caravel, 6

No. 6 Smyrna (9-6) vs. No. 3 Middletown (13-0-2) at Dover High, 8

Semifinals

Wednesday, June 1

Sussex Tech-Padua winner vs. Appoquinimink-Charter of Wilmington winner, site and time TBA

Dover-Caesar Rodney winner vs. Smyrna-Middletown winner, site and time TBA

Championship

Friday, June 3 or Saturday, June 4

Semifinal winners at Smyrna, 7

DIVISION II

First round

Tower Hill 2, Woodbridge 0

St. Georges 3, Delmar 1

Delaware Military Academy 2, Lake Forest 1

Sanford 1, Ursuline 0

Quarterfinals

Wednesday

No. 8 Tower Hill (12-4) vs. No. 1 Indian River (14-1), site and time TBA

No. 5 Delaware Military Academy (12-3-1) vs. No. 4 Newark Charter (11-4), site and time TBA

No. 10 St. Georges (11-4-1) vs. No. 2 Caravel (11-3-1), site and time TBA

No. 6 Sanford (12-3-1) vs. No. 3 Archmere (12-1-2), site and time TBA

Semifinals

Wednesday, June 1

Tower Hill-Indian River winner vs. DMA-Newark Charter winner, site and time TBA

St. Georges-Caravel winner vs. Ursuline-Sanford-Archmere winner, site and time TBA

Championship

Friday, June 3 or Saturday, June 4

Semifinal winners at Smyrna, 4

DIAA OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Monday

At Dover High, 3

DIAA TRACK MEET OF CHAMPIONS

Wednesday

At Dover High, 5

DIAA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT

First-round games

Monday

No. 17 Newark (9-9) at No. 16 Glasgow (12-6), 4

No. 20 Milford (9-9) at No. 13 Red Lion Christian (16-2), 4

No. 18 Sussex Central (9-9) at No. 15 Sussex Tech (10-8), 4

No. 19 Wilmington Christian (10-8) at No. 14 St. Georges (13-5), 4

Second-round games

Monday

No. 12 Archmere (12-6) vs. No. 5 Appoquinimink (14-4) at Hodgson, 4

Tuesday

Newark-Glasgow winner at No. 1 St. Mark’s (16-2), 4

No. 9 Salesianum (13-5) at No. 8 Cape Henlopen (13-5), 4

Milford-Red Lion Christian winner at No. 4 Dover (16-2), 4

Sussex Central-Sussex Tech winner at No. 2 Smyrna (15-3), 4

No. 10 Delaware Military Academy (12-6) at No. 7 Middletown (14-4), 4

Wilmington Christian-St. Georges winner at No. 3 Caravel (13-4), 4

No. 11 Polytech (13-5) at No. 6 Conrad (15-3), 4

Quarterfinals

Thursday

Newark-Glasgow-St. Mark’s winner vs. Salesianum-Cape Henlopen winner, site and time TBA

Milford-Red Lion Christian-Dover winner vs. Archmere-Appoquinimink winner, site and time TBA

Sussex Central-Sussex Tech-Smyrna winner vs. DMA-Middletown winner, site and time TBA

Wilmington Christian-St. Georges-Caravel winner vs. Polytech-Conrad winner, site and time TBA

Semifinals

Saturday, May 28

Doubleheader at Frawley Stadium, times TBA

Championship

Tuesday, May 31

Semifinals winners at Frawley Stadium, 7

DIAA BOYS LACROSSE TOURNAMENT

First-round games

Tuesday

No. 16 Dover (8-7) vs. No. 1 Salesianum (12-3) at Baynard Stadium, 6

No. 9 Sussex Tech (9-6) at No. 8 Lake Forest (11-4), 7

No. 13 Delmar (10-4) vs. No. 4 Delaware Military Academy (13-2) at Tower Hill, 6

No. 15 St. Andrew’s (9-6) at No. 2 Tower Hill, 8

Wednesday

No. 12 Indian River (9-6) at No. 5 Archmere (11-4), 5

No. 10 Cape Henlopen (8-6) at No. 7 Caesar Rodney (9-6), 7

No. 14 Charter of Wilmington (9-6) at No. 3 Wilmington Friends (13-2), 5

No. 11 Red Lion Christian (11-3) at No. 6 Appoquinimink (11-4), 7

Quarterfinals

Saturday, May 28

Dover-Salesianum winner vs. Sussex Tech-Lake Forest winner, site and time TBA

Delmar-DMA winner vs. Indian River-Archmere winner, site and time TBA

St. Andrew’s-Tower Hill winner vs. Cape Henlopen-Caesar Rodney winner, site and time TBA

Charter of Wilmington-Wilmington Friends winner vs. Red Lion Christian-Appoquinimink winner, site and time TBA

Semifinals

Wednesday, June 1

Quarterfinal winners, sites and times TBA

Championship

Friday, June 3 or Saturday, June 4

Semifinal winners, site and time TBA

DIAA TENNIS TOURNAMENT

BOYS AND GIRLS

Quarterfinals

Monday

Various sites, 3:30

Semifinals

Tuesday

Various sites, 3:30

Championships

Wednesday

All finals at UD Field House courts, 1:30

DIAA GOLF TOURNAMENT

Field to be announced

Tuesday, May 31 and Wednesday, June 1

At Rehoboth Beach Country Club

DIAA SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT

Pairings, sites and times TBA

First round

Saturday, May 28

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, May 31

Semifinals

Thursday, June 2

Championship

Saturday, June 4

Delaware Military celebrates after holding on to advance past Lake Forest with a 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Lake Forest’s Kallie Moyer drives the ball upfield in front of Delaware Military’s Kylie Jones in the second half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Delaware Military’s Elise Buonopane (left) falls as Lake Forest’s Julianna Tyndall moves for the ball in the second half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Lake Forest’s Karinne Moyer (left) tries to control in front of Delaware Military’s Melayna Immediato in the second half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Delaware Military’s Melayna Immediato is dragged down by Lake Forest’s Alyssa Santore in the second half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Lake Forest’s Jocelyn Hughes (left) and Delaware Military’s Melayna Immediato work in the second half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Delaware Military’s Paige Bozeman (left) and Brooke Tucker of Lake Forest follow the ball in the second half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Delaware Military’s Melayna Immediato (left) pursues the ball as Lake Forest’s Kallie Moyer follows of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Delaware Military’s Elise Buonopane (left) drives the ball in front of Lake Forest’s Katelyn Coleman in the second half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Delaware Military’s Julia Zych defends against Lake Forest’s Hannah Fox in the second half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Lake Forest’s Julianna Tyndall (left) and Delaware Military’s Brittany Banks vie for the ball in the second half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Lake Forest’s Alyssa Santore (19) is greeted by teammates Julianna Tyndall (left) and Joy Springer after getting Lake on the board with a penalty shot in the second half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Delaware Military’s Melayna Immediato jumps on teammate Vanessa Keir in celebration after Keir’s insurance goal in the second half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Delaware Military’s Elise Buonopane (left) fights for the ball against Alyssa Santore of Lake Forest in the second half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Lake Forest goalie Alyssa Banks snags a shot in the first half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Delaware Military’s Elise Buonopane (left) moves against Lake Forest’s Kallie Moyer in the first half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Delaware Military’s Brittany Banks (left) and Paige Bozeman work against Lake Forest’s Hannah Fox in the first half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Delaware Military’s Jennifer Evans (left) follows the action as Lake Forest’s Hannah Fox plays the ball in front of teammate Bailey Dean in the first half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Delaware Military’s Michaela Kelly (left) and Lake Forest’s Hannah Fox work in the first half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Delaware Military’s Kendal Murphy (left) and Julianna Tyndall of Lake Forest fight for the ball in the first half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Lake Forest’s Joy Springer (left) pursues Delaware Military’s Melayna Immediato in the first half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

Lake Forest’s Riley Wood is left behind after contact with Delaware Military’s Paige Bozeman in the first half of DMA’s 2-1 opening round win in the DIAA high school tournament Saturday at Caravel Academy.

BEAR – Throughout the season, fifth-seeded Delaware Military Academy generated its best offense in the transition between defense to offense.

That continued in the first round of the DIAA Division II Girls Soccer tournament when the Seahawks got both of their goals off the counterattack, which propelled them to a 2-1 victory over 12th-seeded Lake Forest on Saturday afternoon at Caravel Academy.

“We are a good counter-attacking team, and both goals came off of the counterattack. Hats off to Lake. They played a good game. They played aggressive,” DMA head coach Wayne Cox said. “They pushed the game. They gave us a couple of opportunities. We took advantage of it. It’s always big when you score first. It settles the nerves because the girls were nervous early.”

After seven and a half minutes of action in which neither team could generate much in the attack, the Seahawks won the ball, passed it downfield where Melayna Immediato won a foot race to the ball and crossed it into the box, and Michaela Kelly hit a dribbler into the net to put Delaware Military Academy up 1-0.

The Seahawks (12-3-1) struck again on the counter attack just past the four minute mark of the second half when Vanessa Keir’s shot deflected off of the arms of the Lake Forest goalkeeper to give the Seahawks a 2-0 lead.

The Spartans quickly responded as they were awarded a penalty kick less than a minute after Keir’s goal, and Alyssa Santore kicked a low line drive to the left and into the net to cut the DMA lead to 2-1.

Lake Forest spent the rest of the game trying to get the equalizer as it used long passes, and each time the Spartans tried to dump the ball in deep, the unpredictable nature of the ball in the heavy rain made the Seahawks nervous.

“It was stressful over here because they started playing long balls. With this wet field and the ball skipping, anything can happen. How many times they go to play the ball and miss it? All the credit to Lake Forest, they had opportunities. My defense stood tall like they do all year. It was a really good win for us,” Cox said.

With the win, Delaware Military Academy will face Newark Charter in the quarterfinals next week.

Soccer

BEAR – With less than five minutes left in its DIAA Division II Girls Soccer State tournament game against Ursuline, the sixth-seeded Sanford School set up for a free kick deep on the Raiders’ side of the field, knowing that it was probably was its last good chance to end the game in regulation.

Carter Ayars delivered the kick to inside the box to the head of Kendal Trickey, who shot it into the net to give the Warriors the lead, and they held on from there to earn a 1-0 win over 11th-seeded Ursuline on Saturday night at Caravel Academy.

“I just knew that we had to get it in. This was going to be the last time before the overtime, and I knew I had to get a head on it,” Trickey said. “I’m pretty good with my head, and that what basically I decided to do.”

The goal capped off a strong first half by Sanford as it controlled possession and generated a couple of quality chances, which is a result of being less jittery with the ball on attack than it had been in the first half.

Fuentes nets hat trick in St. Georges win

“We were really panicking when we got into the offensive third in the first half, and we just started to settle down on the last ball through,” Warrior head coach Heather Taylor said. “It just started to pay off, and we started to get more opportunities and shots.”

After Trickey’s goal, Ursuline tried to tie the game and force overtime, but Sanford (12-3-1) possessed the ball well and, if they lost the ball, prevented any chance for an equalizer by stopping any counter before it developed.

The Raiders (7-7-2) stayed in the game in the second half despite not having much possession because they executed their game plan on defense when the Warriors got close to the net, but in the end, Trickey’s height advantage proved to be the difference inside the box.

“We went over our game plan the last week defensive, and for the most part, we executed our game plan really well,” Ursuline head coach Lance England said. “It’s tough to deal with a girl that’s about six feet in the air. It’s unfortunate to go out like that at the end, but overall, I think we executed our game plan really well.”