Sussex Academy soccer welcomes Newark Charter to the jungle
Nine times. It’s not just the number of days Ferris Bueller missed school, but also the number of times Sussex Academy boys’ soccer has shut out their opponent. In the Homecoming episode of the season-long saga, the Seahawks blanked Newark Charter 2-0.
“It's everything that a soccer player could ask for, honestly,” said Seahawks goalkeeper CJ Norton. “This environment was great, probably even better than last year. I had a lot of fun. I didn't get to do too much, save-wise, but I was playing with my feet and staying involved, so [it was] still a lot of fun for me.”
Things were played close to the chest during the opening 20 minutes of the first half, but the game began to open up when Ruendi Ortiz-Santos found George Sapna waiting to launch a ball just outside the 18-yard box. Striking it with conviction, Sapna’s goal served as the opening signal to get the party started.
“It's been a while since I scored; I was on a dry streak,” Sapna said. “Scoring in front of most of our school felt good; I'm glad it happened today.”
With the student section filled to capacity, the Seahawks continued their dominant display on defense. The fellas took the 1-0 lead into half, but picked up another score during the Homecoming Court announcements. With several of the soccer players named as nominees, it was one of their own, McKenna Danahy, named as Homecoming king. Joining him as Homecoming queen was Carson Gesuero, a pitcher on the softball team.
“It’s a great atmosphere when you play here at the school, and when you don't have a football team, the Homecoming game means a lot to the school, the program and to the boys,” Seahawks coach RJ Dina said. “This is the biggest game for them, crowd-wise, that they get to see.”
Sussex Academy controlled possession for most of the second half, although Newark Charter almost had a scoring chance until junior Ben Steimel made sure nothing went on frame.
With just 18 minutes left in the game, Ortiz-Santos got the Seahawks on the board again, this time firing an unassisted shot into the back of the net and sending the animals in the student section into a frenzy.
“Not every school can do this, and having this little school get these many fans out here for a soccer game – knowing other schools can't get that and that we can have this amazing atmosphere – it's unreal,” Norton said.
The 2-0 clean sheet makes the Seahawks the first Division II team to reach 11 wins and one of two teams (Conrad School) with only one loss. They are allowing 0.3 goals per game.
“They pick and choose the right moments to drive the energy within themselves on the field,” Dina said. “It's fun to watch, because you got a group of guys that have played and competed at the highest level a year ago and are trying to do it again. It's fun to watch them compete and continue to do the same things that they did a year ago.”
