MILLTOWN – Nick Rocco and Dan Otlowski each scored twice, once in each half, to lead Saint Mark’s to a 4-0 victory over Archmere in the first round of the DIAA Division II soccer state tournament on Nov. 7 at the Graveyard.
The sixth-seeded Spartans came out with a lot of vigor, sending one shot over the net and earning a corner kick in the fourth minute after Archmere goalkeeper Ryan Smith got a hand on a blast by Otlowski. The Auks, the No. 11 seed, had a corner of their own a few minutes later, but the game remained scoreless. That would not last.
In the eighth minute, Rocco broke free down the middle and took a long through ball. He went in on Smith and sent a shot low and to the keeper’s right for the early 1-0 lead.
The Auks got some momentum, but they were unable to convert on a pair of corner kicks. In the 13th minute, a free kick from 39 yards out was knocked out of bounds, Back and forth the teams went until the 21st minute. Another home-run pass by the Spartans landed on the foot of Otlowski. He dribbled down toward the right corner, deked around an oncoming Smith and sent the ball into the open net.
Archmere spent the rest of the first half pressuring the Spartans’ defense. They forced Betts to make a few stops, and two more corner kicks were unsuccessful.
The Spartans came out on the offensive in the second half, looking for the knockout goal. One throw-in was headed wide. A corner kick was cleared, and Smith made at least two quality saves, with one resulting in another corner.
Save for a flurry of offensive activity for the Auks, much of the action after that took place in the middle section of the field for a long stretch of the second half. Otlowski turned a steal into the third goal in the 63rd, and Rocco added the final marker, working his way in front of the net and hitting his target.
Final statistics were not available early Wednesday morning. Saint Mark’s (10-5-1) will travel to Caravel to take on the No. 3 Buccaneers on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Spartans defeated the Bucs, 2-0, during the regular season. The Auks finished the season with a record of 8=8.
All photos by Jason Winchell.
