Cape soccer ties Delmar 0-0 in season opener
The Cape boys’ soccer squad started its 2024 season with a scoreless tie against Delmar Sept. 3 at Legends Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Wildcats 1-0 in a highly contested match last season, and this season’s nil-nil draw was no different.
The Vikings dominated play in the field, outshooting the Wildcats 23-6, and took 11 corners to Delmar’s three, but the difference in Cape’s attack was Delmar senior goalie Caleb Ritchey, who stopped 23 scoring attempts.
Cape keeper Jake Hutchison also earned the shutout, stopping six Delmar shots.
The score remained the same after 80 minutes and two 10-minute overtime periods.
“I felt as a collective we played pretty well,” said Cape head coach Patrick Kilby. “I thought we were the better team on the field and created far more chances than our opposition. We need to be cleaner in the attacking third, especially on set pieces. We need our initial ball to clear their first defender, and we need to be opportunistic as well. We generated 11 corners and didn’t score any of them, and with our height and physical advantage, that shouldn’t be the case.”
“We need to start transitioning the ball faster and scoring our chances,” said senior Cardin Benjamin. “It was an unfortunate game for us, but we can’t hang our heads for long, as we need to turn around and play Appo Thursday.”
In junior varsity action, the Vikings downed Delmar 4-0. Kihara Ngido scored twice, while Pierce Conway and Anthoni Jimenez each tallied one goal. Brooks Whaley and Cesar Gomez were each credited with an assist.
The Vikings outshot Delmar 14-1 and held a 4-0 advantage with corner kicks. Jacob Panyko had one save in the cage.
Cape will travel to Indian River Tuesday, Sept. 10.
