Gold teams sweep annual senior all-star soccer games at Cape

Senior soccer players from across the Blue Hen state gathered together at Cape June 8, for the final game of their high school careers.

This year’s annual Blue-Gold soccer games kicked off with a reminder of why Salesianum took home the Division I title and just how good All-American and DIAA Player of the Year Aiden Gonzalez is. While the Gold team mostly included players from northern schools, Sussex Tech’s Brian Morales and Sussex Central’s Alvin Perez Perez were also on the roster that sailed to a 10-0 victory over a Blue squad that featured players from across Delaware. 

Sussex Academy’s Ethan Couch, a DIAA Division II champion and first-team all-state member, was joined by Sussex Central’s Justin Glasco on the Blue team.

The girls’ game was decided by the slimmest of margins after Delaware Military Academy’s Sidney Ziegler scored in the 67th minute to give the Gold a 1-0 victory. Cape was represented by recent graduates Cadence McMahon and Shannon Rath.

“It was really just fun because there wasn't really any pressure or anything, kind of like we experienced toward the end of the regular season,” McMahon said. “The competition level was high, which always makes it a lot better just because it's easier to play off of everybody else.”

A higher collective IQ was needed considering the circumstances.

“I had to learn all their names right before we warmed up together for about 30 minutes,” Rath said. “We just all went out and played, and it was kind of like we've been playing with each other for a while – it seemed to click.”

McMahon and Rath were joined on the Gold team by Sussex Tech’s Brianna Pacheco-Quillen, Sussex Central’s Sury Cruz Soler and Lake Forest’s Lillian Wood as the team’s Henlopen Conference representatives. McMahon said she was able to play with some of the girls she plays club with up north, while Rath said she will remember the game because she never thought, as a freshman, she would be at the level required to participate.

Although the Blue team lost, Tayler Flaherty was named team MVP for her in-game performance. While she didn’t score, she did threaten a few times and soaked up a lot of attention from the defense. She quickly noted that her teammates' hustle put her in good positions around the pitch and was grateful for the award.

“It was a game where we could have fun and not have to compete and go all the way,” she said. “Though, at the same time, we were able to compete against good competition and just have a fun last hurrah.”

The nature of the game allowed the girls to pick their spots to push the pace and pick up the intensity. While some rivalries persisted, others were paused to join forces against the opposition.

“It was fun because you get to see their strengths and weaknesses,” Flaherty said. “You get to make new friends and meet other people. It’s just a great environment here.”

Flaherty was joined by Dover’s Josselyn Ventura and Indian River’s Alexandra Davidson as the Henlopen Conference representatives on the Blue team.