| DISCLAIMER: This is NOT an official website of the Eastern Region and its member schools, this tournament and its organizers, or the Virginia High School League. The purpose of this independent, not for profit site is to inform soccer fans in our community and high schools with the latest news, statistics, and other relevant information regarding this tournament. WEBSITE CREATED AND MAINTAINED BY DOUG RIPLEY - 2007 |
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| Familiar sides, new faces square off in Norfolk Upper-80 temps await competitors for Tuesday's quarterfinal round Doug Ripley - May 26, 2008 NORFOLK, Va. - Four unforgettable district competitions in 2008 have produced eight boys and eight girls teams now set to compete in the 2008 Eastern Region Soccer Championships. The action begins Tuesday afternoon with a pair of quarterfinal quadruple-headers starting at 2pm, continuing with a couple semifinal doubleheaders Wednesday at 5:30pm, and concluding with the finals Friday at 5:30pm for the girls and 7:30pm for the boys. The championships return to two first class facilities in the heart of the Eastern Region for the second consecutive season. The Old Dominion University Soccer Stadium will play host to Tuesday's boys quarterfinals beginning at 2pm and Wednesday's boys semifinals beginning at 5:30pm. Powhatan Field will be the site for Tuesday's girls quarterfinals, Wednesday's girls semifinals, and Friday's championship doubleheader. ABOUT THE 2008 SCHEDULE ALIGNMENT With the two sites within hundreds of yards of each other, the Championship schedules have been formatted to accommodate the schools with dual representation. Cox, Hickory, and Maury locked up their respective district's regular season championships and #1 seeds while Churchland has two Eastern District #2 seeds. The official 2008 pairings, year-wide for the Eastern Region based on an 8-team bracket, has the following quarterfinal setup (from top-to-bottom): Game 1 - Southeastern I vs Peninsula II Game 2 - Beach I vs Eastern -II Game 3 -Peninsula I vs Southeastern II Game 4 - Beach II vs Eastern I (teams from gms 1 & 2 and teams from gms 3 & 4 will face in semifinal round) To best accommodate all the fans, the Eastern Region first swapped the order of the schedule for the girls into the opposite order, then made an order switch for a pair of boys matches. The result is the following order that will help fans be able to see all their favorite teams compete Tuesday and Wednesday. Not only will fans from the dually-represented schools be able to see both their teams play, but they'll get to see them play within the same time period. The adjustments to the schedule benefits Hickory fans as they'll be able to see their Hawk boys face Warwick at 6pm and the girls take on Denbigh at 8pm. For Cox and Churchland, they'll see their boys teams square off at 4pm and their girls at 6pm. As for Maury, the Commodore fans will get a two hour break between their 4pm girls match versus First Colonial and their 8pm boys tilt against Landstown. The pairing changes also allows for no further adjustment in the semifinal round except for the fact that, in the boys bracket, teams from matches 2 and 3 will face off in semifinal #1 with matches 1 and 4 winners squarting off in the nightcap in keeping consistent with the 2008 alignment. THE 2008 QUARTERFINAL PAIRINGS (in order of their bracket position) BOYS QUARTERFINALS (@ ODU Soccer Stadium): Warwick Raiders (12-2-0, Peninsula #2) vs. Hickory Hawks (12-5-0, Southeastern #1) - 6pm This matchup features two sides with alot to prove. With the Eastern Region's best scoring offense (5.071 goals per match), scoring defense (0.500), and goal differential (+64), Warwick enters this week's championships on the momentum from a Peninsula District Tournament title and co-champion finish in the regular season. With the exception of their two victories over Menchville and their close defeats at the hands of Kecoughtan, the Raiders have yet to truly prove themselves outside the Peninsula. Their only non-district opponent on the southside this season was Wilson who ended up fifth in the Eastern District. In a season where they've done plenty to prove their worth as a team, Warwick has a great opportunity to earn some respect among the Eastern Region as a whole should they perform well or even beat the Hawks Tuesday night. Hickory challenged itself in its non-conference, managing a 2-4-0 non-district record and suffering some tough beats early including a 4-0 loss to Kellam and a 3-0 defeat to Maury at the Maury Invitational. The Hawks took advantage of the licks they received and rolled through the Southeastern District, only losing 1-0 to Grassfield on April 17. After winning their fifth consecutive regular season title, Hickory persevered 4-3 in their rematch with Grassfield, then tore apart Western Branch by a 4-1 count in Friday's final. Hickory averages 3.235 goals per match while allowing 1.353. Churchland Truckers (12-5-1, Eastern #2) vs. Cox Falcons (15-2-1, Beach #1) - 4pm Last year, it was the incredible efforts of Churchland goalkeeper Jay Coble that helped his Truckers advance to the semifinal round as they defeated Menchville in penalties. This year, the Truckers have proven they can hang with the best again, beating Grassfield 4-1. dropping competitive one-goal matches to Maury, losing a 4-2 result to Kellam, and earning a 3-0 win over Granby, while also showing strong against Oscar Smith (L, 3-2) and Western Branch (L, 2-0). The Truckers, featuring a potent set of forwards led by Adrian Bravo (16 goals) and a competitive defense, will have to show very well in the midfield should they stand a chance of beating the Falcons who return eight of their 11 starters from their state semifinalist team a year ago. The Falcons, led by the timely scoring of Ryan Oakes (15 goals) and the Martin brothers, and the consistent midfield play of Caleb Thomas and Stephen Mein, have helped keep Cox near the top of all statistical categories including scoring offense (6th, 3.389 per match), scoring defense (3rd, 0.611), goal differential (4th, +50), and shutouts (3rd, 10). Cox began their 2008 season in impressive fashion, going unbeaten in non-district play with an 8-1 blitz of Kecoughtan and a 3-0 road win over Maury. In the Beach, a district who has a history of putting at least six contenders together, all capable of winning at any level in the state, the Falcons only suffered a 2-0 home loss to Co-Regular Season Champion Princess Anne and a 1-1 draw to Kellam. While Cox was unable to sweep the Beach like every other regular season champion back to 1999, they enter with scoring weapons all over the pitch and a defense and goalkeeper that continue to improve by the match. Western Branch Bruins (11-4-3, Southeastern #2) vs. Kecoughtan Warriors (12-6-0, Peninsula #1) - 2pm This match is very similar to the other Peninsula/Southeastern quarterfinal matchup with two teams who still have much to prove to the Region in their quest to compete at the highest level. Western Branch, similar to Warwick, has burst onto the scene this year with wins against Lafayette (4-2), Great Bridge (2-1), Churchland (2-0), and Indian River, solid draws with Granby and Grassfield, and showed well against Ocean Lakes (L, 1-2). Four matches, on the other hand, sit uneasy with the Bruins including a scoreless draw with Green Run, a 4-0 home loss to Oscar Smith, and a pair of lop-sided defeats to Hickory. While the Bruins have redeemed themselves with a 3-0 pasting of Oscar Smith in the Southeastern District semifinals, their consistency and ability to play physical soccer will be tested against the Peninsula District regular season champion Warriors. Kecoughtan enters on an upswing after working through a difficult non-district schedule that included wins over Grafton (2-1), First Colonial (4-0), and twice over Warwick. The Warriors showed very well against Princess Anne, falling 1-0, and fell short against Tabb 3-2, but a 3-0 loss to York, an 8-1 loss to Cox, and a 1-0 defeat at the hands of an improved Bethel squad are what they'll need to avoid doing in the quarterfinals. Landstown Eagles (11-6-1, Beach #2) vs. Maury Commodores (13-1-3, Eastern #1) - 8pm The three preceding matches should prove competitive but none might be as exciting as the last game of the day. The Eagles are a team that entered 2008 with many returnees and lofted expectations for success after falling short in the Beach District quarterfinals a year ago. Landstown fell short of those expectations through much of the first half of this year's campaign, opening the season 2-5-0 including dropping their first two Beach District outings to First Colonial (0-1) and Kellam (0-2). Responding since then with a 9-1-1 stretch, the Eagles are in strong tournament form following their first Beach District Tournament title in the seven-year history of the school. That run included an amazing late-regulation comeback on Kellam that resulted in a 4-3 overtime win. The Eagles followed that two nights later by avenging their lone loss in that stretch with a 1-0 win over Cox in the semifinals. The Eagles' tie in that stretch was also impressive: a 1-1 draw with Co-Regular Season champ Princess Anne. Landstown, led by 22 goals off the feet of John McKenzie, face one of the most technically skilled midfielders ever to play high school soccer in this area, Tony Tchani. whose intangible ability to make players around him much better, benefits the Commodores as a whole. Under the impressive efforts of the Cameroonian, the Commodores have shown very strong both in and out of the Eastern District with their lone loss coming against Cox (3-0) on April 17. Their strong wins include a 3-2 overtime win over Kellam and a 3-2 victory over Hickory. On the other hand, the Commodores managed only 1-0 wins over Churchland and tied Granby in a match that originally was decided in the Comets favor via shootout. Shortly before postseason play began, the district discovered their in-season tiebreaker system was discussed but never officially approved by its principals. As a result, Maury claimed the regular season crown with Churchland finishing second and Granby third. Tchani (17 goals) and his Commodore attack will need to be on top of their game to surpass what could be the tournament's most organized defenses. Combined with the acrobatic Allen Turner in goal, the Eagles are a different animal than the team Maury blanked by three goals in early April. GIRLS QUARTERFINALS (@ Powhatan Field): Great Bridge Wildcats (15-2-1, Southeastern #2) vs. Gloucester Dukes (14-3-0, Peninsula #1) - 2pm The first match of the girls soccer quarters might prove to be the most competitive and exciting tomorrow. Great Bridge boasts the region's third best scoring offense, averaging nearly four goals a match. On the flip, the Wildcats defense enters ranked fourth in the area, allowing 0.667 goals per match with 12 team shutouts and a goal differential of +59 (fourth).. The Wildcats' notable results include 1-0 over James River, 1-1 against Norfolk Academy, 1-0 over Ocean Lakes, and a Southeastern District Tournament championship win over Hickory, 1-0. Gloucester took their licks in non-district play with losses to Bay Rivers powers Grafton, Lafayette, and Jamestown, and have reeled off 12 straight victories since then including a perfect record against the Peninsula District, allowing only three goals in district play. Gloucester's team ranks include fifth in scoring offense (3.647 goals per match) and seventh in scoring defense (0.824) with 11 clean sheets and a +48 goal differential. First Colonial Patriots (17-3-0, Beach #2) vs. Maury Commodores (12-5-0, Eastern #1) - 4pm This matchup pits the region's two most dangerous offenses in Maury and FC who rank #1 and #2 in scoring offense with 5.471 and 4.150 averages, respectfully. The Patriots, unlike the Commodores, have fought their way through a solid Beach District to maintain #2 rankings for scoring defense (0.450) and shutouts (12), and the area's top goal differential +74). Aside from their three close losses to Cox, First Colonial has run through its schedule to date. Maury also breezed its way through the Eastern District, outscoring their district opponents 74-0 over seven regular season and two postseason matches. The matchups to watch here will be how Patriot defenders Meagan Simeone and Sarah Scheurich handle Maury's talented forward Mary Morgan and midfielder Raechel White, and the opposite with the speedy Lizzy Callahan, the Dullea sisters, and Nicole Abuhamad who provided the match-winner over Kellam in the Beach District semifinals.. Churchland Truckers (9-9-0, Eastern #2) vs. Cox Falcons (16-3-0, Beach #1) - 6pm With 14 team shutouts in 19 matches, a region-best 0.368 GAA, and a goal scoring average of 3.895, there's no question the Beach District champion Falcons enter this year's event as the team to beat. Cox has allowed only two goals against Eastern Region Opponents: a late goal to Maury and an early goal to Kellam. On the other side of the ball, Kelly Morrison has assumed goal-scoring responsibilities, leading the Falcons with 16 goals entering Tuesday's play. The Falcons face a Churchland squad who battled their way into the Eastern Region Championships after bad beats at the hands of Bishop Sullivan Catholic (9-2), Grassfield (3-0), Norfolk Collegiate (3-0), King's Fork (1-0), and Western Branch (6-0). The Truckers battled their way out of a 4-8-0 start (1-2-0 Eastern District) and ran a five-match win streak into the Eastern District final where their streak came to an abrupt end by Maury, 8-0. Denbigh Patriots (12-4-1, Peninsula #2) vs. Hickory Hawks (11-5-1, Southeastern #1) - 8pm Denbigh makes its first ever appearance in the Eastern Region Soccer Championships after finishing runner up in the Peninsula District regular season and tournament tables. The Patriots are a team that knows how to compete, as evidenced by their tight games against Gloucester. They will face a HIckory side that has been building momentum since taking on a tough non-district, and settling for a draw against Grassfield, winning eight straight matches before suffering a hic-cup in the Southeastern Final. The Hawks are fifth in the Eastern Region in scoring defense at 0.765 and ninth in scoring offense (3.059) with nine shutouts and a +39 goal differential. |
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