Ella Shockley’s two goals propel Delmar past Cape 2-0
Field hockey players from Delmar and Cape, who can run like the wind, faced off on the Champions Stadium turf Nov. 2 with gusts from the northwest at 40 mph.
“Any time Delmar and Cape play, you know it’s going to be a good game,'' said veteran Wildcats coach Jodi Hollamon. “I felt before the game that Cape is overall more athletic than us; all our players would have to be at their best for us to win.”
Delmar put more shots on goal, 13-4, finally cracking the defense of goalie Julie Heffernan when Ella Shockey poked home a goal in a frenzied, unsettled situation at 13:26 of the third period.
“We were digging for the loose ball while Cape was trying to knock it clear. I just got my stick on it,” Shockley said.
Eight minutes later, Maci Bradford sent a backhanded pass/shot to Shockley close to the end line and the redirect from a flat angle found the far post for an insurance goal, as Delmar won the battle of behemoths 2-0.
“I told our players after the game that I had nothing but positive things to say about our overall team effort. They all laughed, because I always talk about where we need to improve,” Hollamon said.
Delmar goalie Kelly Davis had three saves in the game. She was aided by a crucial defensive save by Josie Hollamon off a first-quarter penalty corner that kept the Vikings off the scoreboard. Cape’s prolific offense managed just four shots on goal for the game and four penalty corners.
Cape and Delmar have played 17 times over the last decade, with the Wildcats winning the last five. Prior to that, Cape won a dozen in a row, including four in the state championship. The teams have since been split into different divisions and do not meet in the postseason.
Delmar has won four state titles in a row, including the Division I championship in 2016 and three Division II titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Cape has won eight state titles since 2011 along with championships in 1979 (coach Carolyn Ivins) and 1995 (coach Ruth Skoglund).
There is talk about another North versus South Henlopen Conference Championship – won last year by Delmar 2-1 over Cape – but with a shortened season, nothing has been finalized.
Cape coach Kate Austin reflected on her team’s performance: “In the first half, we were composed and controlling the pace of the game. And in the second half, we lost sight of the things that made us successful. Delmar’s a great team, and we can’t have off days against a great team and expect to win. Grace Wiggins stepped up and had a good game. Molly Mendes was strong off the bench and made some good things happen. And Julie had some amazing saves.”
