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If Sussex Central has mastered anything the past two years, it's how to break Cape Henlopen's heart in overtime.
Last year, the Golden Knights handed Cape its only conference field hockey loss of the season, winning 1-0 despite getting just one shot on goal the entire game.
On Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1998, Central again got the best of its archrival, scoring a pair of goals in overtime to outlast the Vikings 4-2 and keep its conference title hopes alive.
Sarah Timmons scored 2:30 into the extra period to break a 2-2 tie and Laura Bausch iced the game with another goal six minutes later as Central improved to 8-2 in the conference, 9-2 overall. Cape fell to 5-1-3, 6-2-3.
"It took a lot of heart and a lot of intensity for the girls to come back not just once but twice, and then to step it up in overtime and take two in overtime," said Central coach Jill Young, whose team rallied from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits. "This year the character of our team so far has been that we strike first and score first. The two games that we were scored upon first we lost, the CR game and the Dover game."
The Knights trailed 2-1 early in the second half but scored three goals in the game's final 32 minutes to earn a thrilling victory on a picture-perfect fall afternoon.
With the score tied 2-2 in overtime, Timmons, stationed in front of the cage, poked a loose ball past Cape goalie Zina Hense to give the Knights a 3-2 lead with 7:30 remaining.
"The goalie was getting ready to kick it and I just stuck by stick in there and it went in," said Timmons, who had two goals and an assist in the game. "I was so happy. I was just glad we scored."
Bausch sealed the victory by scoring Central's second goal of the extra period with 1:20 remaining. The Knights outshot the Vikings 25-13 in the game and held a 16-7 advantage in penalty corners.
"We practice a lot on our offensive attack and we have been in the circle a lot and we've been scoring on quite a few on teams this year," Young said. "You win the game by scoring."
Timmons also scored a clutch goal early in the second half to tie the game. With Central trailing 2-1, Timmons took a crossing pass from Jaime Lester off a penalty corner and stuffed the ball into the left side of the cage.
"That was a nice corner," Timmons said. "I saw it go past Bausch and she was the third person over so ... I had to get it."
Cape took a 1-0 lead just 4:12 into the game when Amanda Hopkins scored from the left side shortly after a penalty corner. But the momentum swung Central's way midway through the half and soon the Knights were peppering Hense with shots. It paid off when Staci Wyatt scored off an assist from Timmons with 8:56 remaining.
Hense had 14 saves in the first half and 18 for the game.
Cape grabbed a 2-1 lead 4:28 into the second half on a goal by Billie Jo Brittingham but Timmons needed just three minutes to tie the score and eventually force overtime.
Young noted playing from behind should be a good learning experience for her team during the stretch drive of the regular season and the state tournament.
"It was probably one of the best things for us even though it happened to be against Cape. The girls now can realize that even if we end up being down by one we do have the capability of coming back and taking the game away," she said.
For Cape, the loss was a major setback in the quest for a fourth consecutive Henlopen Conference title. The Vikings now trail Central, Dover, Caesar Rodney and Delmar in the overall conference standings and Central, CR and Dover in the Northern Division.
"I felt that we'd do okay in overtime, I'm just disappointed at the final outcome," Cape coach Mike Eisenhour said. "I think both teams played with a lot of intensity that's typical of these types of games."
Tuesday was Cape's fifth overtime game of the season. Three of those games ended in ties.
"It's understanding on what level we have to play hockey all the time and the kids understand that everyone's coming out gunning for us and we need to play our best. We're dealing with that pressure and we're going to keep dealing with it," Eisenhour said. "It's been a tough season but it's expected. We understand this is how we play hockey and how everyone else plays hockey against us."
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