WILMINGTON — Salesianum won the ball-control battle all night on their way to a 3-0 soccer win over Wilmington Charter under the lights at Abessinio Stadium on Oct. 7. It was the Sals’ third straight shutout win.
The Sals put the pressure on the Force from the start, earning a corner kick in the third minute, and sending a few shots wide over the next few minutes. Charter goalkeeper Scott Honisch also came up with a nice save about 10 minutes in.
Honisch and his counterpart for Salesianum, Thomas DeRosa, kept zeroes on the board in the middle of the half. Honisch ended a flurry of Sallies activity with a save at one end, and shortly thereafter, DeRosa made his best stop of the night, a diving save on a hard shot by the Force’s Michael Capretto. Capretto also rung a shot off a post earlier in the half. Honisch then punched a corner kick out of harm’s way as the Sals kept the pressure on.
Finally, in the 28th, the Sals broke through. Elijah Asiyo intercepted a Charter pass and pushed it to Joseph Turturo. He sent a pass across the field to an open Brady Esser, whose shot may have deflected off a Force player before finding the far left corner.
Honisch made a spectacular save on another Esser chance, and the Sals had a goal disallowed because they were offside. The lead was one heading into halftime.
Chase Esser scored the second goal of the evening three minutes into the second half, and again, it was set up by the Salesianum defense. Dominic Ciriaco stepped in front of a Charter pass and quickly sent the ball up to Daniel Matthews, who, in turn, threaded the ball skillfully between two Force defenders. Esser took the pass and deked his way around a Force player before sending the shot into the far right side of the net.
Sawyer Valle closed out the scoring in the 65th. His low shot from about 30 yards out eluded Honisch, who had little chance to stop it.
Salesianum (5-2) is home on Friday against Northern Burlington (N.J.) at 5 p.m. The game will be played on Fusco Field next to the school, not Abessinio Stadium. Wilmington Charter (4-2-3) will host Delaware Military Academy on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
