Sussex Academy scores first, Newark Charter tallies four unanswered

Despite scoring first and reaching an in-season milestone during the match, the Sussex Academy field hockey team was defeated 4-1 by a strong Newark Charter squad.

While the two teams had yet to play a common opponent, they each had winning records and were gaining attention across the state, setting the stage for quite the showdown.

“I think that was a good battle out there in both circles. They were a good team,” said Sussex Academy coach Leah Hunsinger.

Following a scoreless first quarter, Seahawks senior Callie Short gained possession shortly after a corner early in the second and cranked a shot into the Patriots’ cage to give the Seahawks a 1-0 lead. 

With just over four minutes to go before the half, Patriots junior Amanda Rattay found sophomore Audrey Nelson to tie the game 1-1.

“I think it was definitely more of a midfield game; they just finished on their shots,” Hunsinger said.

Newark Charter took the lead when senior Sophia Orlando found Rattay for a score more than halfway into the third quarter.  About two-and-a-half minutes later, Rattay scored an unassisted goal. She completed the hat trick at the start of the fourth quarter on her second unassisted tally.

Down 4-1, the Seahawks battled through the deficit and generated chances down the stretch. The girls earned a few penalty corners with less than 10 minutes to go and came close to shrinking Newark Charter’s three-goal lead. An outstanding effort from junior goalie Riley Redding and fellow junior Colleen Anson stopped a number of balls headed for the back of the cage. Redding had seven saves, while Anson recorded two defensive saves to keep the Seahawks off the board.

“I think that our girls fought hard. There were a lot of corners,” Hunsinger said.

Sussex Academy had just as many shots (12) as Newark Charter, but the Patriots had double the amount of penalty corners.

Sophomore goalie Kacie Rawlings recorded eight saves for Academy and in the third period achieved a single-season milestone with her sixth save of the match – 100 saves. 

The Seahawks will travel to Dover Thursday, Oct. 19, to take on the Senators before heading to Newark to play in the Turf Bowl Saturday, Oct. 21, against Woodbridge.

“It’s always exciting, especially under the lights at UD, so it’ll be a good game,” Hunsinger said.