Eastern Region Soccer Online - 2009 District Tournament Previews

YOUR STARTING POINT FOR HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER IN VIRGINIA'S GROUP AAA EASTERN REGION

Final bids to Regionals up for grabs
What to watch out for at all four district tourneys this week

Doug Ripley - May 17, 2009

We began in early March with 39 teams in each gender all looking to accomplish their goals for the season. Some of those goals were modest, others are lofty but attainable.

Many of those teams aiming high have a big week ahead of them. Entering Monday�s play, 10 of the 16 bids to this year�s Eastern Region Soccer Championships have been secured.

Eight are the top seeds for each gender which are awarded as a result of a team winning its respective district�s regular season championship. Cox (Beach), Maury (Eastern), Kecoughtan (Peninsula), and Hickory (Southeastern) have earned those distinctions for the boys while Cox (Beach), Maury (Eastern), Denbigh (Peninsula), and Hickory (Southeastern) took the top seeds for the girls.

Two of the #2 seeds have already been assigned, both coming from the Eastern District who will be playing their finals on Tuesday at Powhatan Field in Norfolk: the Churchland girls and the Lake Taylor boys, both of whom draw Maury in their next matches.

The 2008-2009 8 team Eastern Regional draw is:

Southeastern #1 vs. Eastern #2
Peninsula #1 vs. Beach #2
Eastern #1 vs. Southeastern #2
Beach #1 vs. Peninsula #2

So, Hickory knows their boys will face Lake Taylor and their girls will take on Churchland on Tuesday, May 26, but we�ll find out who the rest of the #1 seeds will draw in the quarterfinal round. Once the remaining #2 seeds are deciphered, we will have the brackets and match times for you on Eastern Region Soccer Online.

One other piece of information that leaked this past week that was very encouraging but also very eye-opening that I would like to share and add my commentary.

We knew that it�s the boys turn to play at Powhatan Field this year for the quarterfinals and semifinals of regionals, but we did not know where the girls were to play this year.

For the past two years, the Eastern Region has utilized the Old Dominion University Soccer Stadium for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of one of the brackets.

This season, with school systems all re-evaluating their appropriation of funding during tough economic times locally and nationally, it was a concern of many that the price tag to reserve the ODU Soccer Stadium, believed to be in the neighborhood of $2,500, was too much to undertake when other school-run facilities were also available.

While the Region charges admission to each site and session ($7 adults, $3 children 6-11 in 2008), the low numbers generated in attendance for soccer would beg the question for the second site change at the most recent Eastern Region Principals Association meeting.

The most attractive alternative site in Norfolk is Lake Taylor High School�s stadium, which is a facility that has been kept in great condition compared to many of our facilities in the area but is not an ideal site for soccer. Lake Taylor�s field dimensions are small with a track surrounding the pitch and contains narrower than normal goal posts for soccer.

Thankfully, we have received word from two sources within the Region that the Association agreed to secure the ODU Soccer Stadium for this year�s girls soccer quarterfinals and semifinals which is wonderful news and deserves many thanks to the Association and its members.

And that brings me to my point.

While I could spend all day posting the e-mail addresses for you to send your thanks to members of the ERPA, the proportional response is getting the fans out to Norfolk the final week of May to witness what should be a pair of very competitive tournaments.

So what do you do? Well, that�s easy, especially if your team has qualified for next week. Whether you�re a player, coach, parent, or fan of the game, find three or four people who genuinely didn�t know about the tournament or their school qualifying, and encourage them to come out to support these athletes.

Try to find three or four unique people and just plant the seed. By unique, I mean don�t ask the same three or four people that your friend already asked or someone who already knows about it, but just start generating the word of mouth.

Will all the people you tell about the tournament take you up on your offer? No, but if you can get one or even two of those people to turn around and drag their friends along, maybe we can fill up these sites, especially as we get deeper into the week, and give this event the atmosphere and turnout it deserves.

If you don�t have a team in the fight, that�s okay. Pick your favorites and come support the game you love as we find out who are the best in 2009.

Let�s come together as high school and soccer communities to show our support of the Region�s decision to let us utilize two first class facilities to best determine our champions.

Ok, off my soap box now. I try to keep my opinions to a minimum as this site is for the players, coaches and fans.

It�s time to get you set for the great play coming this week. Below are brief previews of this week�s district tournament play with, what we hope, is enough interesting pieces of information for you to digest and take with you to the sites to formulate your own opinion.

MONDAY, MAY 18
Beach District Quarterfinals (@ Top 4 Girls Seeds � in order of bracket and site)
at Cox High School
GIRLS: #8 Bayside (3-9-2) vs. #1 Cox (13-1-2) � 5:15pm
BOYS: #8 Kempsville (3-11-2) vs. #1 Cox (14-1-1) � 7:15pm
Bayside qualified for the tournament largely because they tied Landstown 1-1 on April 24. With those qualifications comes a direct rematch with the Falcons who won in a 9-0 rout last Thursday. Did the Marlins take anything away from its recent meeting that can help gain them an edge on Cox or will the Falcons cruise into the semifinals? The boys game should be much more competitive than the regular season meeting between the Falcons and Chiefs where Cox jumped out to a 4-0 halftime lead. Kempsville has gained confidence with a pair of Denny Arinello hat tricks and by going 2-1-1 over its past four tilts. Can they catch the Falcons on a week where they may be looking ahead to the Eastern Region Tournament?

at Kellam High School
GIRLS: #5 Princess Anne (9-6-1) vs. #4 Kellam (10-2-2) � 5:15pm
BOYS: #5 Princess Anne (9-5-2) vs. #4 Ocean Lakes (9-4-3) � 7:15pm
The regular season meetings should be fresh in the minds of all teams involved at this site as they were ties which, in a Beach District as wide-open as the 2009 edition, should make for some dramatic football. The girls match features a pair of up-and-coming programs in the Beach. Princess Anne just completed its best season under head coach Jenn Denkler and, with the help of talents like midfielder Chelsea Hill and forwards Torrie Jackson and Caitlyn Bishop, has a chance to make it 10 wins on her third season at the helm. To do that, the Cavaliers must find a way to score the first goal and do it early against a Kellam side that has returned to its roots, the same that led them to a state title. If the Knights get a 1-0 lead in any match they play in the upcoming week(s), look out. While they may not score another in that match, they enter the 2009 postseason as the defensively toughest team in the area, a valuable commodity to have at this stage, and they are capable of sitting on a one goal lead, if necessary. Kellam has allowed four goals in its last 11 matches while picking up eight shutouts. The boys match will also have an �edge of your seat� feel to it. What facet will prevail at Kellam? The Cavaliers and their high scoring capability now that Aden Weeks is healthy, or the Dolphins� defense-oriented plan combined with the help of Devin Pierce, Taylor Brittan and company?

at Kempsville High School
GIRLS: #6 Landstown (8-6-1) vs. #3 Kempsville (8-3-2) � 5:15pm
BOYS: #6 Salem (7-4-2) vs. #3 Kellam (12-1-2) � 7:15pm
Can Kempsville continue its impressive run into the playoffs now that they are no longer under the radar? After all, the Chiefs have won six straight including overtime wins at First Colonial and Kellam and have allowed two goals in their past six matches. One team that will not take the Chiefs lightly at all will be their Monday opposition from Landstown. Kempsville thumped the Eagles on their home pitch 5-0 back on April 28, and Landstown have shown signs of turning their misfortunes around as of late, as they led Ocean Lakes at the half last Thursday and only lost at home to Cox 2-0. Still, the Eagles have dropped four of its last six, and will need to bring their best at Kempsville to come out of Chief territory with a win. The boys match is yet another rematch between Beach sides that tied in the regular season. Kellam features a multi-faceted attack led by Beach District leading scorer Jordan Grumney as well as Hector Arellano and Rohen Gresalfi, but Salem is defensively sound and features a dangerous keeper in Kyle LaCroix not as much for his ability in goal but for his dangerous foot on a set piece at midfield. Last time out, the SunDevils prevailed in this chess match, 0-0. Can Salem get a repeat performance, or will Kellam prevail early and often? After all, the only game Kellam surrendered this season came as a result of an Ocean Lakes header off a corner kick.

at Ocean Lakes High School
GIRLS: #7 First Colonial (9-6-0) vs. #2 Ocean Lakes (11-4-2) � 5:15pm
BOYS: #7 Landstown (6-7-2) vs. #2 First Colonial (11-1-3) � 7:15pm
These 2-7 matchups could be the closest in Beach District tournament history given the capabilities of this year�s 7-seeds. The regular season meeting between First Colonial and Ocean Lakes was early last week, 1-0 to the Dolphins. While Ocean Lakes has silenced everyone in the Beach except Cox with its solid play across the pitch, First Colonial has proven it can score often against the best, with three goals on Kellam, two on Cox, and two on Princess Anne thanks largely to the play of senior striker Lizzy Callahan. The boys match will probably be even tighter than the girls as both teams are defensively sound and have the horses to come up with great goals given the opportunity � Alex Gylfason and Mike Mugler for First Colonial, and Clay Newton and Koffi Soklou for Landstown. Luck hasn�t been on the side of Andrew Blackmore�s side this season as they�ve suffered many narrow and heart-breaking defeats. Can the Eagles turn the beat around against Kevin Denson�s first edition of the Patriots?

The quarterfinal winners from the Cox and Kellam pods will meet at similar times Tuesday while the winners from the Kempsville and Ocean Lakes pods will play each other Wednesday in the semifinal round, and the finals are scheduled for Thursday at the same starting times.

All semifinals and finals in the Beach will again be at Ocean Lakes.

Peninsula District Girls Semifinals (@ Gloucester High School)
Semifinal 1: #3 Menchville (9-5-2) vs. #2 Gloucester (11-3-0) � 5:00pm
Semifinal 2: #4 Woodside (9-5-2) vs. #1 Denbigh (12-2-0) � 7:00pm
Gloucester went 8-1-0 in the Peninsula District to finish second behind Denbigh. The Dukes have a three-headed monster on the attack in Linsey Snavely, Elisabeth Drake, and Shelby Milks. Menchville, who has won two straight after going winless in a prior three game stretch, must find a way to keep those three off the board. How did it go the first time the two sides met? 5-0 to Gloucester. It may be a tough task the Monarchs are preparing to undertake. The same exists in the nightcap between the Wolverines and Patriots. Woodside needed 20 extra minutes and PK�s to advance past Kecoughtan and end a three match winless slide of its own. The Wolverines, who were shut out by the Patriots 4-0 on March 31, must find a way to slow down Dani Gunderson and company who have scored three or more goals in their past 10 matches.

The semifinal winners will meet on Thursday for the PD final at 5:00pm

TUESDAY, MAY 19
Eastern District Finals (@ Powhatan Field)
GIRLS: #3 Churchland (8-4-1) vs. #1 Maury (9-5-2) � 5:30pm
BOYS: #3 Lake Taylor (7-7-0) vs. #1 Maury (11-4-2) � 7:30pm
Mother Nature intervened the last time Maury and Churchland had met in girls soccer. That game was called at halftime with the Commodores comfortably in front, 4-1. Had that match drifted into the second, would Maury have taken the Truckers to the mercy rule like they have against all their other ED opponents in 2009? We�ll find out of Churchland can shake things up on Tuesday. The story is somewhat similar on the boys final. Can Lake Taylor find a way to collectively keep Marshall Stewart, Earl Floyd, Will Grimes, and Ryan Lee off the board? Patrick Thompson will need to put the Titans on his back early and often if Lake Taylor is to have any chance of upsetting Maury.

Peninsula District Boys Semifinals (@ Gloucester High School)
Semifinal 1: #3 Warwick (9-3-3) vs. #2 Menchville (10-5-0) � 5:00pm
Semifinal 2: #4 Gloucester (9-5-1) vs. #1 Kecoughtan (10-5-0) � 7:00pm
The Peninsula semifinals may turn out to be more entertaining affairs than the final, especially from a support standpoint. Gloucester has the indirect privilege of playing on their home turf against Kecoughtan who last faced one of the other semifinalists over a month ago after the Warriors beat all of them by 3-1 margins. Can Robert Alberti, Karl Kummer, and the Warriors pick up where they left off against the best of the PD? The Dukes, who have won three of four, present a formidable challenge. The second semifinal should be the most captivating of the night as a rivalry renews between Menchville and Warwick. The Monarchs took the first meeting in an entertaining affair at CNU, 1-0. Warwick who struggled early on in PD play, found themselves near the bottom of the table before climbing up to third with five straight wins entering Tuesday�s semifinals. Menchville has picked apart its last four opponents including Gloucester and Woodside, so something must give when the Raiders square off with the Monarchs in front of what will probably be another supportive crowd at Gloucester.

The semifinal winners will also meet Thursday at Gloucester in a 7:00pm final.

Southeastern District Boys Semifinals (@ Grassfield High School)
Semifinal 1: #3 Grassfield (12-3-1) vs. #2 Western Branch (9-4-2) � 5:30pm
Semifinal 2: #4 Indian River (9-6-1) vs. #1 Hickory (10-4-1) � 7:30pm
In recent years, the Southeastern District Tournament has been more like the Hickory victory parade than a tight tournament, with a few competitive games here and there. This year could be vastly different in a district that really should have six teams competing in its tournament, not four. The first match between Grassfield and Western Branch could go 1-0 or 5-4. Either way, it�ll be a tight tilt between the Grizzlies, who have won five straight and six of seven with the best defense in the district, and the Bruins, who are coming off a big win over Hickory and are 6-0-1 in their last seven. It�ll also be intriguing to see how Indian River comes out and battles Hickory in the second semifinal. The Braves had slowly started to find its form after falling quickly behind at Hickory until a severe thunderstorm slammed the area, halting play in the 45th minute. Aside from that blemish, the Braves have won three and tied a memorable one with Western Branch coming into their semifinal, but can they pull off a win in their biggest game of the season? Hickory finds itself in unfamiliar territory � winless in its last two. Can the Hawks regain its dominant form over the SED at Grassfield?

The semifinal winners in the SED meet Thursday at Grassfield for the 7:30pm final.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20
Southeastern District Girls Semifinals (@ Grassfield High School)
Semifinal 1: #3 Grassfield (9-6-1) vs. #2 Great Bridge (11-3-1) � 5:30pm
Semifinal 2: #4 Indian River (7-4-0) vs. #1 Hickory (13-3-0) � 7:30pm
Throw out the regular season results across the board. Blowout games will be few and far between in this set of matches at Grassfield. The Wildcats defeated the Grizzlies in its first meeting of the season May 5, 1-0 with an Amanda Holmes goal in overtime. Great Bridge has shown well all season long with Holmes anchoring the offense. Grassfield has won six of its last eight. Can Samantha Phillips and the Grizzlies overcome the Wildcats and make it to the finals? As for the nightcap, Indian River has had its way with everyone but the other semifinalists in the SED this season. Can Sheena Regan and the Braves score early and keep Samantha Hinson and the Hawks off the board? Hickory has won 11 straight and have only allowed more than a goal in a match once � when the Hawks beat Great Bridge a second time, 4-2.

The semifinal winners will play their final the next night at 5:30pm.

I try to see as much soccer as I can this week but can�t and won�t be everywhere at once, so I would love to hear your feedback from the matches you attend. Send us your match reports or commentary to [email protected].