WILMINGTON — Salesianum scored two late goals, then withstood a spirited comeback attempt by Tower Hill in a thrilling 3-2 soccer victory on Oct. 8 at Tower’s DeGroat Field.
The teams battled through a scoreless first half, although it did not lack for opportunity. The Sals had a free kick in the fifth minute, and the attempt was headed off a post, with the rebound sent over the net. Another long free kick followed, and Hillers goalkeeper Liam Lempole was able to snatch the loose ball and keep the game scoreless.
Salesianum had a very good chance about halfway through the half, but Lempole stopped a Sals attempt from point-blank range. This time, the rebound was sent toward the net, but a Hillers defender was able to get in front of the shot a few feet from the goal line. The Hillers nearly got on the board late in the half, sending a shot off a post to the right of Sals keeper Thomas DeRosa.
The second half brought more Salesianum pressure, but Lempole and his defense were equal to the task. Lempole had a diving save in the 44th minute, and a few minutes later, he made a leaping one-handed stop on a blast by Sawyer Valle.
Tower Hill energized the big home crowd, stunning the Sals with a goal in the 49th. A long pass down the right side of the pitch was crossed into the 18-yard box by Sam Perry. There, Chase McDonald awaited, and he sent a shot into the upper-left corner of the net to put the hosts on top.
After some errant shots, the Sals leveled the score in the 59th minute. A turnover by the Hillers deep in their defensive zone proved costly as Perez-Herrera took a pass and found an open net.
The Sals followed with a bunch of shots that missed just wide, and Lempole made a few more saves as the game moved into its final minutes. With overtime looming, Salesianum decided 80 minutes was plenty of soccer.
With five minutes left on the clock, the Sals again moved down the right side. In what seemed like a repeat of the first goal, a crossing pass into the middle found Brady Esser, who finished with the eventual game-winner. A minute later, Salesianum added insurance when Kellen MacMillan picked a pass out of the air with a short windmill kick and beat Lempole to increase the lead to two.
That goal proved necessary with the Hillers found their own success with a cross. Tower got the ball down along the goal line far to the right of DeRosa, and the pass toward the middle was converted by Chip Dennis. Tower Hill had a long free kick and a corner kick before time expired, but they could not get the equalizer.
The Sals improved to 7-1 and will meet St. Benedict’s Prep on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Riverfront Park in Newark, N.J. The Hillers (7-2) are on the road at St. Andrew’s on Oct. 15 at 4 p.m.
