Hockessin Community News
6/8/00
Dilworth lifts Spartans to title
St. Mark's first school to win boys' and girls' soccer titles in the same year.
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Alexis I. duPont had won the Delaware High School Girls' Soccer championship four straight years. On Saturday, the Tiger's faced St. Mark's High School in hopes of winning their fifth straight title.
It was not to be.
St. Mark's became the first Delaware opponent to defeat the Tigers in 87 games and in the process they gained revenge for losing the title game to them last year.
The Spartans won the championship at Newark High School in dramatic fashion. Ashley Dilworth, who scred 100 goals in four years, highlighted her career by scoring the decisive goal in the final minute of play to give St. Mark's a 3-2 victory.
A.I. (18-2) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first 3-1/2 minutes of play. Kristin Goldrick's unassited goal and Kristin Hanna, with an assist from Tracey Withrow, provided the cushion. But St. Mark's came roaring back to tie the game on goals by Dilworth, with an assist by Michelle Huynh-Ba, and by Huynh-Ba, on a corner kick from Shannon Bradbury.
St. Mark's (19-1) became the first high school to win boys and girls soccer titles in the same school year. Both teams were coached by Tom DeMatteis.
DeMatteis said the deciding factor was falling behind 2-0 at the beginning of the game and then battling back.
He praised his starting players and the substitutes who he cretided with giving support whenever he called on them.
DeMatteis praised the play of Dilworth, who was a co-captain, and also discussed the other players who played key roles this season:
-Megan O'Donnell - she was the other co-captain who DeMatteis described as the vocal leader of the team.
-Shannon Bradbury - a center halfback who became "an exceptional player."
-Michelle Huynh-Ba - "her speed and skill at forward was an important factor to our success."
-Katie Quigley - "playing on the front line, she made several key plays for us during the season."
-Carley Falgowski and Joanna O'Donnell - "These outside fullbacks stabilized our defense."
-Sherry Smith - the team's sweeper, "developed exceptionally well."
-Kerry Falgowski - "a powerful player" throughout the season at outside halfback.
-Lauren Lewandowski - "she stepped into the key position of goalie as a freshman."