Odessa, Wilmington Friends seeking first state titles in girls soccer

Two newcomers to the final weekend of the Delaware High School girls soccer season are thinking upset entering Sunday’s DIAA Division I and Division II finals at Newark Charter.

Fifth-seeded Wilmington Friends will take on perennial power St. Mark’s, a second seed, in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the Division II championship.

It’s the Quakers’ first appearance in the state final while St. Mark’s is looking for their 7th state title and first since 2022. Wilmington Friends defeated Sanford School 2-1 to advance while St. Mark’s knocked off Archmere Academy 2-0 in semifinals played on Wednesday in Dover.

Second-seeded Odessa joined Wilmington Friends in Sunday’s finals with a penalty kick shootout victory over top seed Middletown on Wednesday to also advance to the program’s first state final. Middletown was seeking their fourth straight final and had won two of the last three state title matches but the Ducks were able to keep the game scoreless and outlast the Cavaliers in the shootout.

Odessa takes on defending champions and top-seeded Appoquinimink in Sunday’s final, which is slated for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Newark Charter.

Both finals will be streaming live on the NFHS Network.

Matthew Ralph

Matthew Ralph is the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now. He's covered soccer at all levels for a decade in the Philadelphia region and has also written for TheCup.us, NPSL, PrepSoccer and other publications. He lives with his wife and two young children in Broomall, Pa., but grew up in South Jersey and is originally from Kansas.

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