Sussex Academy drops a heartbreaker to CR in girls’ soccer

Caesar Rodney’s Ky’Leiah LaRue has played a role in breaking the hearts of soccer fans in the Cape Region, again.

The sophomore’s second-half goal was all the Riders needed in their 1-0 victory over Sussex Academy May 7. CR’s freshman goalie Eva Sheppard made sure of that.

The Seahawks generated looks early, particularly down the left wing as senior Cate Brown fed eighth-grader Paige Ballinger with plenty of through balls, and the two executed a give-and-go to catch the defenders off-balance. The Riders also asked questions of Sussex Academy’s defense, however, the two center backs, seniors Carmen Merrick and Grace Kilory, kept things out of the middle for the most part. LaRue managed to break through the center once, but senior keeper Grace Fiorilla made a brilliant save, parring the ball down before scooping the bouncer.

Unfortunately, Sussex Academy senior captain Tayler Flaherty suffered a serious leg injury.

“We definitely panicked once [Tayler] went down, and it was really at that point – 20 minutes left in the half – where we just needed to get out of the half and reset,” said Seahawks coach Sarah Dina. “She is such an important presence and the girls really look to her for that leadership.”

In her absence, Sussex Academy could not figure out Shepperd, who seemed to stand on her head for much of the match, particularly in the second half. 

A bit of controversy led to the Riders' game-winning goal about 15 minutes into the second half. As CR senior Kate Benson controlled the ball at the edge of the box near the end line, the Seahawks defenders stopped defending, saying the ball was out. The referees did not blow the play dead, maintaining the ball was saved from the boundary. Benson found a cutting LaRue who knocked it in for the 1-0 lead.

Sussex Academy did not dwell on the mishap and focused on getting forward. Dina thought the girls needed to challenge the freshman keeper with better-quality shots in the second half.

Brown nearly put in a few long shots and had a few corners to make the Riders uncomfortable, but she couldn’t break through. Senior Samira Zahraoui and junior Natalie Roblero Chavez pressed the issue in the closing moments, but Shepperd refused to yield to capture a clean sheet.