BEAR – Rain on May 21 forced Saint Mark’s to move its girls soccer quarterfinal-round matchup from the green, green grass of home to Caravel’s turf, but the change seemed to suit the Spartans just fine. The second-seeded Spartans were in control throughout the game and shut out No. 7 Delmar, 5-0, to advance to the semifinal round.
The precipitation ranged from a light drizzle to a steady rain during the contest, but that didn’t stop the Saint Mark’s offense. The Spartans kept the ball in their offensive end most of the day, and five different girls got on the scoreboard.
The Wildcats had the game’s first corner kick, but the Spartans’ defense erased any threat. Over an 11-minute span, Saint Mark’s came close a few times. A shot by Whitney Evancho was punched over the crossbar by Delmar keeper Lily Baker, resulting in the first of three corner kicks during this stretch. The Spartans also had a free kick from about 30 yards, but Baker was there to make the save.
Giana DiFebbo got the Spartans on the board in the 20th minute. She was approximately 30 yards from the net to the keeper’s left, and her rising shot skipped through Baker’s gloves and into the net.
Saint Mark’s kept the pressure on, sending pass after pass deep into Delmar territory, but Baker kept them in the game with some big saves. There was little she could do in the 34th, however, when Evancho finished a Spartans counter with a long shot to the lower right corner.
Delmar did get a shot in the closing minutes, with Emma Gibbons coming up with the save for Saint Mark’s. Another shot from the Wildcats just before the halftime whistle was deflected out of play.
Lily Phillips got on the board early in the second half, helping the Spartans put the game out of reach. A steal by the Spartans ended up with DiFebbo, whose through ball found Phillips all alone to redirect past the keeper. Saint Mark’s kept possession for almost all of the second half, and they added two goals in the last 14 minutes, one each from Ava Danese and Sophia Karch (St. John the Beloved Parish).
Final statistics were not available Thursday afternoon. Saint Mark’s improved to 12-2 and will meet the winner of No. 6 Newark Charter-No. 3 Sussex Academy in the semifinals on May 28 at a site and time to be determined. The Patriots and Seahawks will play Thursday night in Georgetown.
Delmar finished with a record of 13-3-1.
Photos by Mike Lang.
