DMA tops Newark Charter on penalty kicks

Delaware Military’s Elise Buonopane (left) scored the game-tying goal in regulation and one of the Seahawks’ four penalty kicks in DMA’s playoff win over Newark Charter on Wednesday.

GLASGOW – Delaware Military Academy faced an early roadblock and a difficult trip back into contention Wednesday night at Caravel’s Peoples Stadium, but the Seahawks arrived at their desired destination.

They’ve landed in the DIAA Division II Girls Soccer semifinals.

DMA needed a penalty-kick shootout to do it, after they played Newark Charter to a 1-1 tie.

But the Seahawks ruled from the 12-yard spot as as Melayna Immediato, Elise Buonopane, Michaela Kelly and Julia Zych delivered to give DMA a decisive 4-2 edge before Newark Charter could even take its final kick.

No. 5-seeded DMA (13-3-1) advanced to next Wednesday’s semifinals to play the winner of Thursday night’s Indian River-Tower Hill game at Dover. DMA prevailed 2-0 over Newark Charter in a regular-season matchup between the Diamond State Conference rivals on May 4 and the rematch was as competitive as could be.

“These girls have been playing tough all year,” DMA coach Wayne Cox said, “and they were ready for us. We knew we might play overtime and the girls had practiced their PKs and were ready to go.”

No. 4-seeded Newark Charter (11-5), which had won five straight, got PK goals from Alexandra Narvaez and Lawson Schultz.

The teams played to a 1-1 tie through 80 minutes of regulation and 20 more of overtime.

Buonopane, stationed about 12 yards out, blasted in the goal that made it 1-1 in the 47th minute on a ball slotted in from her right.

Newark Charter had scored a seventh-minute goal when a ball crossed from the right side by Danielle Ferris deflected off a DMA player. Two first-half near misses off corner kicks followed for Newark Charter, including Narvaez’ blast off the crossbar in the 29th minute and a ball that trickled off the post in the final seconds.

DMA came out determined in the second half. Buonopane had an early second-half volley sail over the crossbar off a corner kick, as did a subsequent set piece by Narvaez from just outside the penalty area.

Newark Charter nearly scored with seven minutes left when Ferris’ free kick from the right side bounced through the penalty area and skimmed the left post. Soon after, Patriots goalie Claire Reader, an eighth-grader, came out to thwart Michaela Kelley as she blazed in toward the left post. And just after that, DMA keeper Julia Emerich needed to smother a ball bouncing dangerously around the goal with Patriot predators honing in.

In the first of two 10-minute golden-goal overtimes, Reader dashed off her line to thwart another perilous threat while making a sliding stop and cradling the ball. Buonopane had a free kick from 33 yards out fly just wide in the second OT, and Emerich had to pounce on two dangerous balls that landed in her vicinity.

Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @kevintresolini.