BEAR – Salesianum posted two goals in each half, and their defense kept Delcastle away from goalkeeper Andrew Scott most of the night in a 4-1 victory in the DIAA Division I semifinals on Nov. 14 at Bob Peoples Stadium at Caravel Academy. The win puts the Sals in the state championship game for the 13th consecutive year.
They will play the top seed, Cape Henlopen. The Vikings defeated Wilmington Charter, 3-1, on Tuesday night to reach their first final. Until this year, in fact, Caesar Rodney had been the lone team from the Henlopen North to ever play in the final. Sallies has not played Cape since 2012, whey they wrapped up a four-year run of games.
A large crowd turned out at Caravel to watch the Sals, seeded third, and the No. 2 Cougars. Delcastle had gone 13-1-1 in the regular season and shut out St. Georges Tech in the quarterfinals to reach the semis.
The Cougars met their match in the Sals, whose season included tests from a number of nationally ranked teams. The Sals did not lose a game to a Delaware opponent, although some stuck close. Salesianum was in control from the beginning against Delcastle.
They sent a few shots high and wide in the opening 10 minutes, and they refused to let the Cougars get anything set up offensively. Finally, the Sals broke through in the 13th minute. A Delcastle goal kick was intercepted near midfield and sent to a streaking Aiden Gonzalez. With a teammate next to him as an option, Gonzalez fired a show along the turf to the right of Cougars goalkeeper Alan Trujillo to put the Sals ahead, 1-0.
Sean Duffy got the action started on the sequence that led to the next goal, which came in the 16th minute. Duffy sent the ball ahead to Tyler Cifa, who tapped it back to an onrushing Duffy. Duffy’s next pass was the Gonzalez in the middle of the field some 22 yards from Trujillo, and, with a defender providing a screen, Gonzalez let go of a laser that beat the diving keeper about chest high to his right.
Gianluca Marroni added a pair of goals in the second half. The first, in the 50th minute, came after a long outlet pass from one of the Sals’ defenders deep in his own territory. Marroni took a pass in the middle of the field near the top of the 18-yard box and fired a shot that Trujillo stopped at point-blank range. The keeper could not hang on to the ball, however, and Marroni was there to deposit the loose change.
He scored again in the 66th. Another midfield turnover for the Cougars proved costly. Marroni stayed onside while waiting to chase down a home-run pass after a steal. Marroni got some space to Trujillo’s left and scored short side.
Delcastle spoiled Andrew Scott’s shutout just two minutes later. This time, the Cougars took possession in the midfield and got the ball up to Bradley Zavala near the edge of the box to Scott’s left. Zavala sent a left-footed laser that Scott stopped, but the ball bounced out of his hands and straight into the path of the head of the oncoming Cristofer Torres.
Final statistics were not available late Tuesday night. Salesianum improved to 13-3-1. Delcastle finished 14-2-1.
The championship will begin at approxiately 2 p.m. on Saturday at Dover High School. Tickets must be purchased online.
All photos by Mike Lang.
