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Caesar Rodney’s Jessie Prillaman (9) had a goal and an assist as the Riders advanced to the DIAA Division I championship match Wednesday.
SMYRNA – Caesar Rodney freshman Jessie Prillaman played beyond her years the semifinals of the DIAA Division I state tournament Wednesday night at Smyrna High School.
Prillaman scored once and assisted on another as the top-seeded Riders jumped out to an early lead before holding off third-seeded Middletown 2-1 to earn berth in the state title game.
“She’s amazing. She gets better every single game. She’s a freshman, but I thought she played like a senior,” Caesar Rodney head coach Darrell Gravatt said. “She got her chances in. She converted one. She played a couple of good through balls. She got one and got the assist on the other.”
After controlling play early, the Riders took the lead in the 14th minute when Kim Glasser crossed it to Prillaman, who saw the Cavalier goalkeeper come out and kicked it behind her for the goal.
Caesar Rodney made it 2-0 in 56th minute when Prillaman sprung Lynsy Gruwell for a breakaway goal.
Perfect Pandas return to Division I championship game
Middletown cut its deficit to 2-1 when Rachel Finelli scored in the 65th minute, but the Cavaliers could not get the equalizer in the final 25 minutes as the Riders withstood any challenge.
With the win, Caesar Rodney plays Padua in the state champion game for fifth straight season Friday night, and the Riders believe the reason they are back in the title game is due to chemistry.
“It feels good. It wouldn’t happen without my teammates,” Prillaman said. “This whole team connects so well, and I’m just so proud to be a part of this team.”
“It feels amazing,” said Gruwell. “We wouldn’t be there without every single person on this team whether they played in the game or not. Everyone’s support is just amazing. Our team is just one family.”
