Expectations remain high for the Sussex Academy girls soccer team, which won 8-0 against Laurel on March 27th.
When the game began with rain pouring down on the Seahawks' field, the girls decided they needed to take advantage of the slippery conditions and make some rain themselves.
“Soccer is an outdoor sport. You play in all kinds of weather: rain, snow, sleet,” senior Taylor Flaherty said. “It's important to adapt to it and know that it can be slippery, especially on the grass. All you have to do is take the shot. You took the shot and you scored. Even if you didn't have the perfect chance. I knew the ball was going to slip, so I still took it, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Deborah Williams opened the scoring for Sussex Academy in the 9th minute, with Flaherty scoring the first goal in the 11th minute. Both were unassisted. Kate Brown entered the game just a minute later after receiving a pass from Sienna Serpico. Flaherty then scored his second goal in the same minute. Brown got her second assist 60 seconds later when Addison Brielle finished her serve. 4 minutes. 5 goals.
“We look at the little things, like how we create goals for our team to break lines, get as many touches as possible from different players in the final third and create opportunities for quality finishing. “We focused on that,” coach RJ Dina said.
The older players were given a well-deserved break, and Seahawks fans got a glimpse of the future in the final 20 minutes of each half.
Serpico resumed their onslaught in the 27th minute from about 27 yards out from their own half. Paige Ballinger scored two minutes later, and the Seahawks took a 7-0 lead into halftime.
Holding the ball cleanly for most of the second half, the young Seahawks showcased their evolving skill set. Ballinger, an eighth-grader, found freshman Riley Moriarty in the 75th minute and put the finishing touches on Sussex Academy's 8-0 victory.
“We are seeing so much young talent competing, playing, earning minutes and earning spots,” Dina said. “The first year I was here, we didn't have any eighth graders. Now we have five.”