10 standouts from Delaware girls Division 1 final
Wilmington, Delaware-based Padua Academy captured state title No. 12 in girls soccer on Friday night at Delaware State University in Dover in thrilling penalty kick fashion after an entertaining 3-3 draw with Middletown High School. It was the fourth straight…
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Continue ReadingWilmington, Delaware-based Padua Academy captured state title No. 12 in girls soccer on Friday night at Delaware State University in Dover in thrilling penalty kick fashion after an entertaining 3-3 draw with Middletown High School. It was the fourth straight title for the Pandas and ninth in the past 10. Middletown won in 2017 and was trying to repeat the feat but came up just short in the penalty shootout.
Here’s a look at 10 players who impressed on the night, five from each team since it was such an evenly contested final.
Madelyn Galbus, Senior, Forward, Padua Academy
The UNC-bound senior was class all evening, scoring a pair of goals in regulation, nearly setting up a couple off the pass and burying one of three kicks made by Padua in the title-clinching penalty shootout. Camped out mostly by the left touchline, Galbus was a constant threat with the ball and her lasered finish on the second goal and on the penalty showed she is on another level with her finishing ability.
Haley Dougherty, Senior, Forward, Padua Academy
The Alvernia-bound senior wasn’t able to find the back of the net on a couple of big chances set up by Galbus, in part because of the play of Coryn Archie for Middletown, but she was able to play provider, setting up all three goals on the night.
Gabriella Riley, Sophomore, Midfielder, Middletown
Riley didn’t end up on the scoresheet on the night but her creativity on the ball and playmaking skills were on full display. Shifty on the ball and strong going forward, Riley set the tone for the Middletown attack and created a number of chances off the ball and on through balls.
Coryn Archie, Junior, Defender, Middletown
I lost count of the number of blocked shots, clearances and tackles Coryn Archie made mid-way through the first half. Her presence on the back line was the difference between a Padua blowout and a nail-biting 3-3 draw that had to be decided by penalties. While the attacking prowess of both teams may have been the story of regulation and the keepers the story in the shootout, Coryn was consistently the most noticeable player on the field for her defensive effort.
Madison Moser, Junior, Midfielder, Padua Academy
One of the things that made this such a fun game to watch as a neutral was how it pitted Padua’s attacking prowess against Middletown’s rugged defensive play. Moser was one of the weapons on the night for Padua that stretched that defense and made the game entertaining. When she was lying deeper in the midfield she was spraying through balls to the wings to Galbus and Dougherty and when she pushed further into the attack she was creating off the ball. Her well-hit shot on the third goal looked like it might be the winner but in the end it was her penalty shot that clinched it for the Pandas.
Claire Campbell, Senior, Goalkeeper, Padua Academy
Campbell didn’t have her best game during regulation and will certainly want the first and third goals for Middletown back, but none of that mattered with a championship on the line in the penalty shootout. Though Middletown could’ve done better to make things harder for her with some of their attempts, Campbell stepped up with a pair of saves to deliver Padua’s 12th state title.
Rhiannon Bosco, Junior, Midfielder, Middletown
Bosco set up the second goal with a great cross to Cara Cimo after getting the ball back from a short corner and kept Middletown’s title hopes alive when she took advantage of an empty net and delivered the equalizer with a well-taken angled shot. As empty-net goals go, it wasn’t a gimme and was deserved for a strong performance on the night in the final third.
Ava Ripanti, Junior, Goalkeeper, Middletown
Ripanti had the better of the play in regulation and overtime than her Padua counterpart and appeared to be the more confident of the two in her body language but despite making two really good saves in the shootout she wasn’t able to keep Padua at bay in the end. Make no mistake though, Ripanti is a gamer and did everything she could to keep the trophy within Middletown’s reach.
Emma Minzer, Senior, Forward, Middletown
Minzer scored Middletown’s first goal when she cleaned up a rebound from Tyla Walker’s free kick, giving the Cavaliers just the response they need minutes after conceding the opener. Minzer’s toughness with show throughout the match as she battled Padua defenders and made some tough runs to create opportunities for her teammates.
Sophia Holgado, Sophomore, Midfielder, Padua Academy
With the likes of Galbus, Dougherty and Moser as teammates, it’s easy to get a little overshadowed on a team as talented as Padua but Holgado also did a lot of things that stood out on the night. Playing more as a defensive midfielder through much a regulation, she was given some room to push up and run forward as the night grew later and she impressed on both accounts.