Sussex Academy shuts out Woodbridge 4-0 on Senior Night
The recently crowned Henlopen South champion Sussex Academy soccer team clinched its fourth clean sheet in a row Oct. 24 with a 4-0 victory over Woodbridge on Senior Night.
A pregame ceremony honored seniors Ethan Boladas, Andree Mendoza-Martinez, Ethan Couch, Joseph Herrera Gomez and Johnson Ventura Lopez. The group has made the Division II state tournament each year and reached the semifinals their freshman year.
“It’s fun to watch how they develop, how they grow over time, and see everything that they set goal-wise come to fruition. They set goals years ago about being the best team in the Henlopen South and being the best team in Division II,” said coach RJ Dina.
In addition to its conference championship appearance, Sussex Academy has the most wins in all of Division II and is tied with Cape Henlopen for the second-most wins overall. The Seahawks’ only two losses came against Cape and Milford. They have outscored their opponents 9-0 during their current four-game win streak.
In the game against Woodbridge, junior Andres Romero-Nieto opened the scoring in the 17th minute off a pass from sophomore George Sapna. About 13 minutes later, Mendoza-Martinez used an inside-the-foot finish that stayed on the ground and wrapped around the near post.
Romero-Nieto scored his second goal in the 72nd minute off an assist from sophomore Noah Benz. Romero-Nieto collected his third point of the game when he assisted Sapna for the Seahawks’ fourth and final goal. Although the Seahawks outshot Woodbridge 18-4, the Blue Raiders generated quite a few quality chances. One surefire goal was headed out of the net by junior Esteban Lara Nieto to preserve the clean sheet.
The Seahawks’ 2024 class was all business following the win.
“We dominated pretty much every team we’ve played in the midfield,” said Couch. “It’s just putting the ball in the back of the net has been a problem. I’m focused on that and our attitudes going into the playoffs.”
The captain is hoping to have his team in the best possible form and thinks the seniors’ careers have been building toward a successful finish.
“We’re out here playing before any other team in the state,” he said, noting they practice at 5:30 a.m. on Saturdays. “I’m definitely going to miss it, and it's something I’ll definitely remember for the rest of my life.”
Couch is hopeful that his greatest memory is yet to come. Like the rest of his team, the captain wants to secure a Henlopen Conference championship and move on to win a Division II state championship.
The Seahawks will welcome Delaware Military Academy at 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 28, before traveling to Odessa Monday, Oct. 30, to finish the regular season. Sussex Academy will host the Henlopen Conference Championship Saturday, Nov. 4.
