WILMINGTON – Archmere took the driver’s seat in the Diamond State Athletic Conference with a 16-2 win over Wilmington Charter on a warm, sunny April 12 afternoon. Drew Duncan led the Auks with six goals.
Archmere did not waste much time taking control against the Force. Charter won the draw, but the Auks knocked the ball loose. It was picked up by Conor Udovich, who found Duncan in front of Force goalkeeper Robert Cutrona. Duncan did not miss, and the Auks took a 1-0 lead 16 seconds in.
Turnovers hurt the Force throughout the game. Archmere’s pressing defense led to several ground balls, and one was scooped up at midfield by Cole Fenice, who ran half the length of the field and bounced one in for a 2-0 advantage. A fumbled pass with 5:25 to go led to a goal by Jack O’Neill.
The Force scored their lone goal of the first on a man-up situation. Nicholas Duncan whipped a low shot past Conor France, but that was it for the quarter. Cutrona made a few saves in the closing minutes of the first, but the Auks added two more to make it 5-1 after one.
The second quarter began on a good note for Archmere. O’Neill won the draw, and Drew Duncan raced in for a goal after only nine seconds elapsed. Alex Starnes made their next possession count, hitting just 27 seconds later. Duncan scored twice before the half, and Fenice had another, while Charter got its lone goal of the second, and last of the game, on a nice move from behind the net by Domenick Paoli.
Duncan added one more goal in the third quarter following a save by France, but the final five Auks goals were scored by five different players as everyone got significant playing time.
O’Neill and Fenice each had a pair of goals. Archmere outshot Charter, 37-15. France had four saves, and backup keeper Gianni Bifferato added three. The Auks improved to 4-1 and return to the field on April 23 at West Chester Rustin (Pa.). Game time is noon.
Cutrona had nine saves for the Force. Charter (3-2) will visit Delaware Military on Thursday at 3:45 p.m.
All photos by Mike Lang.
