Cape soccer defeats Smyrna on penalty kick
The Cape girls’ soccer team outlasted Smyrna 1-0 April 7, with the lone goal coming on an Ava Brown penalty kick at the 52-minute mark.
Cape outshot the Eagles 10-7 and held a 4-2 edge in corners.
Cape junior keeper Brianna Burrell made seven saves, while Eagles goalie Halle Geiger stopped nine scoring attempts.
“It was a big win for our girls,” said Cape coach Patrick Kilby. “Smyrna is a very strong program. Our girls implemented a game plan that included a new formation that put girls like Ava Brown, a freshman, in a new role for us; she played the majority of the match at holding mid. Collectively, we were able to shift between two formations, which proved we are growing in IQ and overall ability. I am super proud of the girls and the growth they have shown over the last two matches.”
It was a scoreless game with back-and-forth action until a Smyrna foul in the penalty area gave the Vikings a penalty kick attempt. Brown hit the twine just out of the reach of Geiger to give the Vikings the precarious 1-0 lead that held up until the final whistle.
Cape moves to 3-3, while the Eagles are 2-3.
Dan has worked for the Cape Gazette for more than 30 years as a photographer and reporter, covering high school sports and happenings around eastern Sussex County. He won a photography award from the National Newspaper Association, and numerous awards from the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association. A Delaware native, Dan graduated from Cape in 1972 and returned as a teacher and coach in the 1980s. He retired from the classroom in 2016. He was inducted into Cape High’s Legends Stadium in 2016. In his spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons, grandchildren and dogs.
