Cape soccer comes back to defeat Knights 3-2
The Cape soccer team came back from a 2-1 deficit to tie the game with just four minutes remaining and send it into overtime in a must-win match Oct. 24 in Lewes.
The win sets up a Henlopen North-deciding match against Caesar Rodney, slated for 6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 30, at Milford High School.
Brady Spiegel scored just 39 seconds into overtime to secure the come-from-behind win and give the Vikings a boost toward a state tournament berth.
It was a typical Cape-Central match where records don’t matter except on paper.
After 34 minutes of scoreless back-and-forth action, the Vikings found a chink in the Knights’ armor as Central had to foul Cape’s Austin Tyndall in the box. Cardin Benjamin pounded a penalty kick past Central keeper Justin Glasco to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
The second half saw Central’s Escobar Gonzalez scoring unassisted at the 60-minute mark. An own goal gave the Knights a 2-1 lead and the momentum to waste the clock. With just four minutes left, Spiegel put a free kick on Cardin Benjamin’s foot. Benjamin passed across the front of the goal to Austin Tyndall, who pounded the ball into the twine to tie the game.
“Brady put the perfect weight on the ball and it was meant to be,” said an ecstatic Benjamin. “Austin, what can I say, was in perfect position. All he had to do was tap it in the goal. He had a contribution in every goal tonight. He’s brilliant out there. He gets on the pitch and he does his job.”
The Vikings aren’t strangers to overtime games, as this was their third of the season.
Less than a minute into sudden-death overtime, Tyndall worked his magic again, drawing the defense just outside the box, then kicking the ball out to Spiegel who bent the ball into the right side of the twine to give the Vikings the win.
“I feel amazing right now,” said Spiegel. “We really needed that goal and this win for our chances for the state tournament. I hope this will boost us in.”
“It feels wonderful,” said Tyndall. “Scoring that goal and supporting our seniors means a lot to me.”
“Pure joy is what I’m feeling,” said Cape head coach Patrick Kilby. “I’ve told these boys all season that they’ve been lacking that big-game moment against a big team. We’ve lost every game that could get us tournament-ready. It took us until the 15th match of the regular season to take care of business against a quality opponent, and we had to do it with our backs against the wall. I’m super proud of them. We turned this into an in-season tournament, and Central was our in-season championship. I think this gets us tournament-ready.”
If the Vikings defeat CR Oct. 30, they will play Sussex Academy in the Henlopen Conference Championship game Saturday, Nov. 2.
