Cape soccer outlasts Smyrna for important North win
A fierce battle between the Eagles and the Vikings came down to the team that could possess the ball in the last few ticks of the clock, as Cape’s Kailey McMahon scored at the 79th minute to secure a 4-3 victory over a tough Smyrna squad on the Legends Stadium pitch April 1.
The Vikings scored at the seven-minute mark on a goal by junior Ava Brown off an assist by freshman Elizabeth Downer. Eight minutes into the second half, Cape junior Lily Holodick scored unassisted. After a tally by Smyrna’s Anna Duke from teammate Emily Dunlap at the 51-minute mark, Holodick achieved her brace off a corner from Kailey McMahon at 53 minutes.
Smyrna wouldn’t go down without a fight, though, as junior Emily Dunlap scored in the 59th and 67th minutes to tie the game at 3-3.
With just one minute left in regulation, McMahon took a direct kick that flew into the upper right corner of the goal to move the Vikings to 3-0 on the season.
“This is a great win for us,” said Holodick. “I think we controlled the midfield, and we were just using each other because it was a tough game. We were picking each other up, and that’s what our team does the best, keeping our heads up and helping each other out. We are definitely a young team, but that’s great for the future of the team.”
Cape sophomore keeper Brynn Fox had a clean sheet in the first half, making four saves, while freshman Jordan Willey faced a barrage of Smyrna shots and tallied eight saves in the second.
Smyrna goalie Josslyn Solomon stopped 22 scoring attempts.
“We’re going to have our learning curve,” said Cape coach Patrick Kilby. “At one point, we had three sophomores and five freshmen on the field at the same time. Eight of our 11 on the field were underclassmen. That’s pretty cool. We controlled the majority of the match with our youth. In some cases, we have 14-year-old girls facing 18-year-old women. That’s a physical battle that we are trying to navigate. Our girls are learning the physicality of it, speed of play and getting acclimated, which is good.”
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.
