By Tim Mastro

DOVER — The Division I field hockey state championship trophy is returning to Lewes — the only home it has ever known.

Reagan Ciabattoni netted a pair of goals while Noelle Sabbagh and Kelly Bragg each scored once as Cape Henlopen High defeated Smyrna High 4-0 in the Division I title game on Saturday afternoon at Dover High. The top-seeded Vikings finished the season with a 17-2 overall record.

It was the fifth Division I title in a row for the Vikings — the only Division I champion in Delaware history since field hockey split into two divisions in 2017. It was also the program’s 10th state championship in the last 11 years.

“You don’t want to be the team that breaks the streak,” Sabbagh said. “The tradition and culture of this team means everything to me. It’s been my life for all of high school. To win another title as a senior is an awesome feeling.”

“We won’t win forever,” said Cape Henlopen coach Kate Austin. “But no one wants to be the first class that goes down. I think that motivates them not only during the season but in their training in the offseason.”

Smyrna, playing in its first field hockey state title game, ended the year at 14-4 overall.

This group of Vikings is no stranger to championship environments. A good amount of players are also part of Cape Henlopen’s girls lacrosse dynasty, a team which has an even longer state title streak with 12 straight championships dating back to 2009.

“As you can see with lacrosse too, we love winning some state championships,” Ciabattoni said. “The team just works hard every single day. There’s not a day where the energy is low. We all work for each other. This team is just so fun and there’s never a dull moment with us.”

Ciabattoni put the Vikings in front early thanks to an assist by Louise Rishko less than two minutes into the game.

Bragg, who came off the bench near the end of the first quarter, doubled the lead on a tap-in with six seconds left in the first.

“Kelly is usually our spark,” Austin said. “The moments she spends on the field, she really makes the most of them.”

Sabbagh added a goal in the second quarter before Ciabattoni sealed it with her second goal in the third quarter.

“This group was just super dynamic in how they attack,” Austin said. “We condition a lot but this group was in a field hockey shape that is really difficult to see at the high school level. They’re all over the field and work for each other. It was super special to watch them.”