| YOUR STARTING POINT FOR HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER IN VIRGINIA'S GROUP AAA EASTERN REGION |
| Virginia Group AAA Soccer Semifinal Notes On the (wet) road to Westfield Doug Ripley - June 5, 2009 CHANTILLY - After driving through over three hours worth of rain Thursday night, Eastern Region Soccer Online is here on the eve of the 2009 Virginia High School League Group AAA Soccer Championships. This is the eighth State Championship this writer has witnessed but my first that all four Eastern Region entries made it through to the State Semifinal round. That is a wonderful accomplishment when you consider the following facts: Hickory had never been to a State Soccer Championship until this season, but the Hawks were able to escape Roanoke a winner over Patrick Henry and make here to Chantilly... a visit that's a long time coming for their successful program. Very few, if any, thought Kempsville could get out of the tough Beach District, much less to the State Semifinals. The season of destiny has brought Lauren Tucei's squad here, a tremendous accomplishment for an up-and-coming side. As for Cox, they bring not only both their boys and girls soccer teams to the state semifinals for the first time since 2007 and for the third time this decade, but they also travel their baseball team to Westfield this year. Plenty of reason to see some green and gold in the stands this weekend. While I have been doing some research over the years, it's not complete enough for me to definitively say this has or hasn't ever happened before. In recent years, I've seen the region put three teams through a couple times but never four. The most recent period that the ER advanced three teams was 2005 when the Kellam girls shocked the Commonwealth by shutting out two straight Northern Region opponents to win the Region's first ever girls soccer state title. The Princess Anne girls also made it to the semifinals where they fell to Kellam's final victim, Lake Braddock, and the Cox boys fell in overtime during the semifinals to W.T. Woodson who featured 2009 MLS Super Draft first round pick and former Wake Forest striker Michael Lahoud. Getting back to this year, the four teams out of the Eastern Region make up half of a seemingly wide-open race for a pair of state championships, giving our region its best chance of sweeping the state maybe ever. To get you ready for this weekend's play, here are some news and notes from Chantilly: Updating the conditions at Westfield The rain has gently pitter-pattered throughout the day, and the blanket encompassing the northern-half of the Commonwealth should continue to slowly move off to the northeast throughout the day, slowly dumping another inch or so of precipitation. How does this affect the conditions on the pitch at Westfield? In most instances, it would be hard to tell at this point. Fortunately, Westfield has some prestine athletic facilities, and their soccer/football/lacrosse stadium is in immaculate condition again this season. Having briefly walked the pitch, the crowned surface is a little water-logged and has a couple minute trouble areas where it could be a tad slick but should be ready to go for tomorrow's semifinals. Putting the ticket cost in perspective Admission to a session of this year�s Group AAA Spring Sports Jubilee is $10.00, which I would imagine will leave many coming to Westfield scratching their heads. Why, in a down economy, has the price to see high school athletics gone up? After all, admission to state events was a few bucks less not too long ago. Keep in mind a couple things. First of all, your admission will help the VHSL continue to produce championship events at the best facilities in Virginia like Westfield�s (if you are making your first trip up to the school, you are in for a treat. Westfield�s athletic facilties are nicer than some college facilities). You will also get a chance to not only see the best in the state play soccer this year, but also get a chance to see the best in baseball, softball, and lacrosse (which is a VHSL-sanctioned sport up here) duke it out for the top prizes. Compare this to the seasons that Newport News hosted the Jubilee, where you had to pay to get into each individual site and, in the case of soccer, for two separate semifinal sessions at $7.00 a session on the same site. Pair this with the food and festivities surrounding this year�s Jubilee and, if the folks at Westfield match the first class effort displayed in putting on this event last year, the $10 ticket is quite a bargain. So� who's bringing the fans? The Central Region is known for traveling their fans in bunches to state events, and I would anticipate Mills Godwin will do the same for their state semifinal soccer matches Saturday. But, of course, the best support may come from the two local semifinalists situated here in Chantilly. The Chantilly girls and the Westfield boys should be flanked with fans in their Saturday semifinals, making it truly road tests for the Kempsville girls and the Cox boys. In other words, it should make for a fun atmosphere during all semifinals. But how will the Eastern Region teams travel? Well, I�m not one for making predictions. After all, my philosophy with this site is to give you the information and let you make an informed decision. I will just hope is that as many of the team�s supporters from back home travel to Chantilly. Enough of the peripherals, let�s talk football. Wild ride for Kempsville comes to fruition in Chantilly When the Kempsville Chiefs began their season winless in its first three matches, did it envision an eventual journey to the State Semifinals? Maybe. After all, the Chiefs (13-5-2) fell just short to Southeastern District runner-up Great Bridge, tied a very solid Grassfield side, and had Cox on the ropes after a half before the Falcons put them away in their Beach District opener. Since then, the Chiefs have continuously turned heads as time has progressed. With its first win over Princess Anne, a tie with a strong Emmaus squad from Pennsylvania, and overtime wins over First Colonial and Kellam, Kempsville managed to solidify the third seed in the Beach District by proceeding to win its final six regular season fixtures. Aside from a pair of multi-goal losses to Cox coming off hard-fought previous wins, Kempsville has hung tough, as evidenced by their ability to withstand tough opponents Hickory and Riverbend. The Chiefs will need to produce its best match of the season to get past Chantilly (18-2-1), the Northern Region Champions who have won 10 straight matches including three wins over regional runner-up Oakton, and a Concorde District championship win over defending state champ Robinson, 1-0. Cox girls look to seal the deal in 2009 Making its fourth consecutive appearance in the State Semifinals, Cox has again produced a 20 win season but has its sights set on claiming the crown. The Falcons came within fractions of winning crowns in 2006 and 2007, falling in both state title matches to Lake Braddock. Last season, Cox found itself ahead early but couldn�t hang on as Battlefield ousted them 2-1. This season, the Falcons are reloaded with youthful talent mixed with solid returnees. Since losing their lone time of the season to Kellam May 8, Cox (20-1-2) has reeled off 10 straight wins while outscoring opponents 48-2 in that span and gaining eight shutouts. The Falcons earn a second chance with Mills Godwin, a team they tried to open the season with back March at the Virginia Beach Soccer Showcase. The Falcons and Eagles battled to a scoreless draw in a very rainy first half before play was called. The Eagles (17-3-1), under first year coach and MGHS grad Ali Toole, are also making their fourth straight showing in the State Tournament from the Central Region and have won eight straight following their own hiccup on May 7 against Deep Run. Hickory: Spreadin� the wealth in goals Eric Blackmore�s side has seen 16 different players enter the scoresheet, which could present problems for Mills Godwin when they face the Hawks Saturday at 6pm. Hickory (15-5-1), with the exception of a pair of three goal losses to Cox, has shown very well against the best in its region this season thanks, in large part, to their multi-faceted attack. The Hawks will need to be able to bang to be able to create chances Saturday as Godwin features one of the state�s more physical presences on the pitch. With Caleb Baker back in the Hawks lineup after sitting out his mandatory match from his red card in the Regional Finals, and other sizeable hawks Jake Jones and Jordan Griggs on the attack, Hickory can try to get an ER team to the final for the first time since Kempsville and Cox met in 1997. Young Falcon boys ready for Westfield Cox (19-2-1), who is making its third straight showing in the State Tournament and 19th all time, have a different feel than some of its past teams. Getting the proverbial �Monkey off its back� by beating Gar-Field 1-0 seemed to give the Falcons confidence heading into its next match at Westfield (16-3-0). With the best of the best remaining, it can sometimes be as close and unpredictable as a coin flip. With only three senior starters, the Falcons may be just young enough to not take into account the magnitude of Saturday�s match and continue playing loose. This has been a quality that has greatly benefited Cox in many of their 2009 victories under first year head coach Scott Mead. The Falcons will try to improve upon a three match shutout streak set by goalkeeper Jon Harris and the Cox defense. From an offensive standpoint, Cox finally played a match with all of its starters for the first time this postseason in Tuesday�s win at Powhatan. Can the Falcons keep it going at Westfield in front what should be a tough environment loaded with Bulldog fans? We�ll find out late Saturday night. |
 |
| LINKS |