By Andy Walter

CAMDEN — Madelyn Reed likes being one of the last lines of defense.

The Caesar Rodney High senior has always been a defender — whether in field hockey or soccer.

“I like the pressure,” said Reed. “I don’t know, I just like to be the person that everyone depends on. If I get beat, we’re in trouble.”

Of course, Reed and her Riders’ girls’ soccer teammates are used to the pressure of big games. As the perennial Henlopen North champion, CR plays a lot of them.

On Wednesday, second-seeded CR (13-3) will face its biggest game of the season when it hosts No. 3 Padua (11-4) at 7 p.m. in the DIAA Division I state semifinals.

The Riders haven’t had any success against the 11-time state champion Pandas over the years. That includes a 3-1 loss to Padua on April 11.

But CR’s players know they can’t change the past so they’re only worried about the future.

“I just think about what’s going to happen in this game,” said senior forward Elle Davis.

“We need to play each minute of each game as hard as we can — every single person,” she said.

“I think we think about what happened last time,” said senior midfielder Olivia Hudson. “But we know that we can do it this time. Last time we missed a lot of opportunities. I feel like we’re a different team than we were last time.”

With eight seniors, this is a veteran Riders’ squad. They also faced Padua in the semifinals as freshmen, losing 6-0.
Coach Dwayne Lavender said these players have grown up a lot since then.

And while they may not have any superstars, he said he’d put this team’s overall ability up against anybody.

“It’s a great group,” said Lavender. “Four of the eight seniors have played varsity since they were freshmen. It was kind of their year to show that it’s their team. I think they took a lot of pride in that.

“I feel like we kind of slid under the radar this year a little bit. I don’t know, the girls don’t feel quite as appreciated as I think they should. That’s kind of the mentality. This team is as good as any CR team we’ve had but you don’t seem to hear the same buzz about it. There’s some really good players on this team.”

Davis has netted a team-high 32 goals in CR’s 16 games with Hudson adding 13 goals and 21 assists. The Riders have scored 65 goals this spring while giving up only 12.

Some of CR’s veterans have been playing soccer together since they were little, with CDSA and Delaware Union. The rest of CR’s seniors are Hannah Anderson, Sarah Cummings, Gabrielle DiBartola, Erin Hirvela and Taylor McBarron.

“I’ve been playing with some of the girls since I was 10 years old — and even younger,” said Reed. “Usually when you play with each other for such a long time, you get the feel for how each other plays.”

Of course, those seniors know that the next game could be their last one in high school. They were aware of that finality before they beat St. Georges, 6-0, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night.

“It was definitely more sentimental,” said Davis. “That could have been our last game with this group. It’s just a good feeling that we get to play again at home.”

“It’s a lot more nerve-wracking,” Hudson said about being a senior. “It’s your last time and I’ve been with these people for so long. I never want it to be my last game.”

Sports editor Andy Walter can be reached at 741-8227 or walter@iniusa.org.
Follow on Twitter at @DSNSports.