WILMINGTON – Newark Charter gave Saint Mark’s all it could handle in one DIAA Division II girls soccer semifinal, but the Spartans’ Whitney Evancho scored in the 55th minute, and that held up in a 1-0 win on May 29. Saint Mark’s advances to the state championship match for the fourth time in the past five years, and for the third time, they will battle Caravel for all the marbles.
The second-seeded Spartans and No. 6 Newark Charter met at Delaware Military Academy after the game had been postponed from the day before because of persistent rain. The teams played under mostly sunny skies, and the outcome wasn’t certain until the referee’s final whistle.
Newark Charter, a team dominated by youth, kept the Spartans off their game in the early going. The Patriots spent much of the first 12 minutes on offense, and they had a corner kick in the eighth minute. Saint Mark’s found its footing, and they nearly scored in the 14th. Lily Phillips forced Patriots goalkeeper Regina Miller to make a diving save, but the rebound bounced toward Evancho. She got a bit under the ball and sent it over the net, and as the game progressed, scoring opportunities were at a premium.
The Spartans sent a shot off the crossbar midway through the first, and both teams came close on a free kick. Both Miller and Spartans keeper Emma Gibbons stopped the few shots on goal.
The second half began much the same as the first. The Patriots stuffed the middle of the field and prevented Saint Mark’s from advancing the ball downfield. A steal by the Spartans changed the momentum.
After the steal, Evancho got behind the Patriots’ defense and caught up to a through ball. She sent a shot over a leaping Addison Townsend to give the Spartans the lead.
“The ball got played in behind, and I just decided I missed a couple in the first half, I and just needed to finish it,” she said.
“They’ll eat you alive,” Evancho said of the missed opportunities. “Then when you put one away, it’s all worth it.”
Saint Mark’s, however, had to hold that lead for the next 25 minutes. Newark Charter had three consecutive corner kick opportunities minutes after the Spartans scored, but the Saint Mark’s defense held.
Townsend kept the Patriots within one with several impressive saves, including one diving stop in the 64th minute. That led to a Spartans corner kick, but after that, the Patriots had nearly all of the pressure for the remainder of the contest. Saint Mark’s, however, was able to hold on to pick up their second one-goal win over Newark Charter of the season.
Final statistics were not available early Friday morning. Saint Mark’s improved to 13-2. Caravel and Archmere were still playing when the Spartans’ game ended, so the final had not been set. Evancho, however, said the Spartans would be ready for either team, having played both during the regular season.
Caravel ended up defeating Archmere, 2-1, in overtime. The Auks finished the season 12-5.
The championship game is scheduled for June 1 at 1 p.m. at Caravel. The Buccaneers, the No. 1 seed, defeated the Spartans, 2-1, on April 3. Tickets are available at www.gofan.co/app/school/DIAA.
Caravel and Saint Mark’s also played in the final in 2021 and 2022, with each school winning once. The Spartans also played in the 2023 championship against Archmere, when Evancho was a freshman, but she’s ready for new memories.
“The first championship game, I didn’t really play too much because I got hurt really early in the game,” she said. “So, I’m excited to get at it.”
Photos by Mike Lang.
