YOUR STARTING POINT FOR HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER IN VIRGINIA'S GROUP AAA EASTERN REGION
MAY 2009 RELEASES
May 29, 2009
Cox rules the Region... again
by Doug Ripley
CLICK HERE for the Eastern Region Boys Championship recap and box score
CLICK HERE for the Eastern Region Girls Championship recap and box score

LINKS:
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT:  Cox romps to second straight Eastern Region crown -
by Lee Tolliver
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT:  Cox downs Hickory for Eastern Region title - by Lee Tolliver

May 27, 2009
Friday's Eastern Region finals loaded with feathers
by Doug Ripley
CLICK HERE for boys semifinal recaps and box scores
CLICK HERE for girls semifinal recaps and box scores

LINKS:
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT:  Cox, Hickory reach Region boys soccer final - by Darrell Cuenca
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT:  Kempsville, Cox earn state berths in soccer -  by Larry Rubama

May 26, 2009
Beach, Southeastern teams sweep Regional quarters
by Doug Ripley
CLICK HERE for boys quarterfinal recaps and box scores
CLICK HERE for girls quarterfinal recaps and box scores

LINKS:
DAILY PRESS:  Kellam ends Kecoughtan's soccer season - by Lynn Burke
DAILY PRESS: Gunderson's goal can't prevent first round exit - by Lynn Burke
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Kempsville advances on a pair of goals from captain -
by Larry Rubama
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Eastern Region boys soccer results/highlights - by Rainer Sabin

May 25, 2009
Tough draws compose start of Regionals
2009 Eastern Region Soccer Championships Preview - by Doug Ripley

LINKS:
DAILY PRESS: Eastern Region boys soccer tournament glance
DAILY PRESS: Eastern Region girls soccer tournament glance
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: High school postseason glance

May 21, 2009
Top seeds sweep PD, SED titles; Kellam boys punch final ticket
BEACH:  Kellam wins three games in as many days to claim the Beach District Tournament
title with a 2-1 overtime victory over Ocean Lakes.  Hector Arellano scored in the first half but
the Dolphins answered early in the second on a brilliant strike from Daniel Scholz.  Arellano
would add another goal in overtime to vault the Knights to the Eastern Region Soccer
Championship.  Cox was a bit too much for Kempsville in the girls final as Chloe Russell
scored the match winner just before the halftime whistle, and Jessie Klamut scored her
fourth goal in as many matches in the second half to give the Falcons a 3-1 win over the
Chiefs.  PENINSULA:  The Denbigh girls rolled over Menchville 5-0 with another hat trick from
Dani Gunderson.  Kecoughtan needed overtime to surpass Warwick in the boys final, 1-0.  
Josh Richardson with the Warrior match winner.  SED:  Hickory swept the Southeastern
District titles Thursday at Grassfield.  The Hawk girls edged Great Bridge for the third time
this season, 3-2.  Samantha Hinson with two goals and Meghan Cozens with the third for
Hickory, while Kelsey Dill and Vinett scored for GB.  The Hickory boys shut-out Grassfield in
the boys final with second half goals from Derek Danner and Jordan Griggs.

LINKS:
DAILY PRESS: Denbigh girls, Kecoughtan boys take PD soccer crowns - by Lynn Burke
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Kellam wins Beach District title - by Jami Frankenberry
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Thursday's other soccer results/highlights

May 20, 2009
Great Bridge girls break 2-seed jinx
With 25 minutes to play in regulation in Wednesday's opening Southeastern District
semifinal at Grassfield High School, it appeared that the 2-seeds around the Eastern Region
would go winless at their district tournaments in 2009.  That was, however, until Great Bridge
tied the match at one with a Kelsey Dill goal in the 69th minute that equalized the earlier
Samantha Phillips score.  The Wildcats would end the drought in the second minute of
overtime with a goal by Tara Kerns to beat Grassfield, 2-1.  The Wildcats earn a third meeting
with Hickory for the SED tournament title as well as another trip to the Eastern Region Soccer
Championships.  The Hawks shut-out Indian River 2-0 with goals from Samantha Hinson
and Meghan Cozens... Kempsville edged First Colonial 1-0 in the Beach District girls
semifinal at Ocean Lakes, vaulting the Chiefs to today's 5:15pm final against Cox and their
first regional appearance under head coach Lauren Tucei since 2002.  Gabby Carragino with
the Chiefs match-winner.  In the boys semifinal, Kellam put away Landstown in a hurry with
two goals in the first eight minutes and an eventual 4-0 result with two more goals by Jordan
Grumney.  The Knights take on Ocean Lakes at 7:15pm with the winner earning the final bid
to Regionals.

LINKS:
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Wednesday's playoff soccer results and highlights

May 19, 2009
Ocean Lakes boys pass Cox in overtime
Higher seeds continued to tumble in District tournaments across the Eastern Region
Tuesday night, including the first top seed.  BOYS:  The Beach District boys soccer streak of
differing champions increased to 11 years as Ocean Lakes hung on for a 3-2 overtime win
over top-seeded Cox.  Ocean Lakes never trailed but withstood a barage of attacks from Cox
who put 18 of their 22 shots on goal.  The Dolphins and Falcons traded a pair of goal in
regulation but the Dolphins advanced with an own goal off a Conor Webb cross 21 seconds
into the first overtime.  Rory Mills collected 15 saves for Ocean Lakes (the 16th was a first half
team save) while David Ellis scored both goals for Cox...  Next up for the Dolphins is the
winner of tonight's semifinal between Kellam and Landstown.  The Knights advanced to the
semifinals Tuesday by putting away Salem 5-1 with all goals scored in the second half.  
Jordan Grumney with the Kellam hat trick...  Maury claimed a sweep of the Eastern District
with its 5-0 blanking of Lake Taylor at Powhatan.  Marshall Stewart with a trio of goals for the
Commodores... #2 seeds remained winless as Menchville and Western Branch both lost
their semifinals.  Warwick gained their second consecutive bid to the Eastern Region Soccer
Championships by gaining revenge on their rival Monarchs, 1-0.  Tyree Etienne with the
match winner off an Alex Verhoef assist.  Grassfield is headed to Regionals for the first time
for Robbie Gobble's two year old program as they knocked out Western Branch 1-0 on a goal
by Ian Fleming... Top seeds Hickory and Kecoughtan moved on in their respective district
tourneys.  The Hawks shut-out Indian River 1-0 while the Warriors blanked Gloucester 4-0.  
Two goals from Darien Ruffin for Kecoughtan.  GIRLS:  Kempsville needed penalty kicks to
escape a scoreless 100 minutes with Landstown in Tuesday's Beach District quarterfinal at
Kellam.  The Chiefs took the shootout 5-4 with Allie Boubouheropoulos providing the
match-winning penalty.  Kempsville next plays First Colonial in a battle of Tucei's today at
Ocean Lakes (5:15pm)... The winner of that semifinal draws Cox in Thursday's final.  The
Falcons edged Princess Anne 1-0 on a 54th minute goal from Jessie Klamut off a Molly
Jarrett assist... In the Eastern District final, Churchland held Maury to the same goal total they
accumulated in one half of their regular season meeting but were unable to match that total
on the offensive end.  Mary Morgan increased her 2009 goal total to 37 with a pair in the
Commodores' 4-0 victory over the Truckers.

LINKS:
COX BOYS SOCCER:  Mishaps cost Cox Beach semifinal
DAILY PRESS:  Warwick boys bury 2nd chance vs. Menchville - by Lynn Burke
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Tuesday's playoff soccer results and highlights

May 18, 2009
2-seeds continue dropping in district tourneys
The Beach District Soccer Tournaments got under way at three of the four quarterfinal sites
Monday with only half of the higher seeds advancing to the next round.  Ocean Lakes High
School, site of the semifinals and finals, has already seen its fair share of upsets after Day 1
as both #2 seeds fell in their quarterfinals.  Bailey Widman's 66th minute goal was enough
for First Colonial to get payback on Ocean Lakes, 1-0.  Heather Cummings with the Patriot
shutout in her second start.  The Patriot boys suffered an early exit at the hands of Clay
Newton and Landstown.  Alex Gylfason's first minute goal wasn't enough for First Colonial
who allowed multiple goals for the first time under head coach Kevin Denson, both to Newton
as the defending Beach District tournament champions advanced, 2-1... Things were also
exciting and a little surprising at Kellam Monday night.  Torrie Jackson's second half goal
broke a stale-mate for Princess Anne.  The fifth-seeded Cavaliers knocked out Kellam 1-0.  
The Ocean Lakes boys quickly responded to a PA game-tying goal by Aden Weeks in the
64th minute with a Daniel Scholz match winner in the 67th as they hung on for the 2-1 result...
Both the Cavalier girls and the Dolphin boys get much-anticipated rematches with
top-seeded Cox today at OL.  The Falcons advanced in their 1 vs. 8 matchups.  Emory
Camper scored the first of her three goals 14 seconds into Monday's quarterfinal, and
despite a spirited effort from the Marlins early on, Cox ran away with its second 9-0 win over
Bayside this season.  Camper now has 20 goals for the Falcons in her sophomore season.  
The Cox boys had a tougher time getting through to the semifinals against Kempsville.  
Playing without Ryan Oakes, the Falcons traded goals with the Chiefs through much of the
first half until Eric Bird gave them the lead for good in the 39th minute off a Chris Albiston
assist.  Will Martin added two goals and an assist for Cox... The 2-seed also fell up at the
Peninsula District Girl Soccer semifinals on Monday.  Menchville avenged a 5-0 loss to
Gloucester during the regular season with a 21st minute goal by Jordan Holt as they beat the
Dukes 1-0, only allowing Gloucester to put two shots on frame and keeping them off the
board for the first time since March 23.  Denbigh cruised in the nightcap to officially award
Menchville a #2 seed at Regionals by beating Woodside 7-0.  Dani Gunderson added three
more goals to her impressive 2009 resume while Lauren Cheatham provided two more.  The
Patriots and Monarchs meet Thursday at 5pm for the PD tournament title.  Heading back to
the Beach, the pitch at Kempsville High School didn't dry as well as the other sites so they'll
host their quarterfinal doubleheader today with Landstown taking on Kempsville in a 5:15pm
girls match and Kellam battling Salem in the 7:15pm boys fixture.

LINKS:
DAILY PRESS: Menchville gets revenge against Gloucester
                         in girls PD semifinal - by Lynn Burke
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT:  Monday's high school roundup

May 17, 2009
Final bids to Regionals up for grabs
What to watch out for at all four district tourneys this week
CLICK HERE FOR THE PREVIEW

May 15, 2009
Falcon girls take Beach playoff over Ocean Lakes
Cox assures Eastern Region bid with victory over Dolphins
CLICK HERE FOR FULL RECAP

LINKS:
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Friday's lacrosse/soccer results and highlights

May 14, 2009
Cox, Ocean Lakes to decide Beach #1 seed in playoff
GIRLS:  Ocean Lakes rebounded from a halftime deficit at Landstown with a pair of Candice
Shields goals and another from Kayla White to defeat the host Eagles Thursday in the final
day of the 2009 regular season... Ocean Lakes earns a share of the Beach District Regular
Season Championship with Cox who, an hour earlier, romped Bayside 9-0 with two goals
apiece from Lauren Muncy and Jillian Harvey.  The Dolphins and Falcons will determine who
will earn not only a #1 seed in next week's tournament, but also the BD's #1 at regionals,
today at 5:15pm in a playoff at Landstown High School... Kempsville wrapped up the third
seed with a 7-0 booting of Salem.  Gabby Carragino tallied four goals for the Chiefs who host
Landstown in Monday's quarterfinal round... Kellam will get another shot at beating Princess
Anne on Monday.  The Knights secured the fourth seed with a 6-0 decision at Green Run
(Mikaela Plansker: 2 goals) while the Cavaliers blanked Tallwood 4-0 (two goals from Kara
Natividad) to finish fifth.  First Colonial, who was on a bye, will meet the losing end of today's
playoff... Speaking of playoffs, Maury will face Churchland in Tuesday's Eastern District final.  
The Truckers beat Granby 3-2 to secure the ED #2 seed at the Eastern Region
Championships where they will face SED Champion Hickory in the quarterfinal round May 26.
BOYS:  Play began in the Peninsula District Tournament at Gloucester High and, similar to
the girls, with very little surprise.  Gloucester needed a boost after allowing a Matt Mendonca
goal early on and got it with a pair of David Pherson goals before the break.  The Dukes
would add more insurance to beat Woodside 4-1 and earn a Tuesday evening date with
Kecoughtan.  Warwick defeated Bethel in their second meeting in a row, 3-1, to set up a
much-anticipated rematch with their rivals from Menchville... Back on the Southside, Lake
Taylor qualified for regionals by beating Churchland 2-1 in overtime thanks to a goal from
Patrick Thompson.  The Titans face Maury in the ED final Tuesday at Powhatan... Cox
wrapped up its second straight Beach District Regular Season Championship and 12th in
program history but it didn't come easy Thursday.  Bayside packed 9 or 10 in the box, holding
Cox scoreless until the final six minutes of the first half where the Falcons tallied three to go
onto a 4-0 win over the Marlins... Cox will face Kempsville in the Beach District quarterfinals
Monday at the site of the winner of today's girls playoff.  The Chiefs fell 4-2 to Salem but
secured the final spot by virtue of their head-to-head tie-breaker over Tallwood.  The
SunDevils come from ninth up to sixth to draw a rematch with Kellam on Monday, a team they
tied during the regular season.  Kellam, who had already locked third, shut-out Green Run
3-0.  As for the Lions, they came up a bit short in a valiant effort at Princess Anne, 1-0.  Brent
Fitts with the match-winner for the Cavs who get another shot at Ocean Lakes.  The Dolphins
were in, undoubtedly, the most entertaining match of the evening as they needed overtime to
defeat Landstown, 3-2.  Clay Newton's 75th minute equalizer forced the extra frames, but OL
prevailed in the final minute when Devin Pierce volleyed home his third goal of the night from
15 yards.  Landstown drops to seventh in the final standings but will make for a very tough
first round draw for First Colonial who ends up second in the Beach.

LINKS:
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Thursday's lacrosse/soccer results and highlights

May 13, 2009
Tourney play begins with little surprise
The 2009 postseason began in two districts Wednesday on a beautiful day for the beautiful
game.  In Gloucester, Peninsula District girls tournament play opened with a pair of tight
results in the first round.  Woodside needed penalties to send Kecoughtan packing, *3-2.  
Sara Watson scored two goals for the Wolverines while Alexander scored her first two of the
season for the Warriors.  In the nightcap, Menchville shutout Warwick 2-0 as Jordan Snider
and Cassie Kuykendall tallied goals.  In Norfolk, the Eastern District regular season
champions from Maury both picked up where they left off against their district, with landslide
semifinal victories at Powhatan Field.  The Commodore girls beat Norview 10-0 while the
boys blanked Granby 5-0.  And cleaning up Eastern District regular season play, Norcom
won a battle of winless teams as they beat Booker T. Washington in Norfolk.  Regular
season play comes to a close tonight in the Beach District.

LINKS:
DAILY PRESS: Girls Soccer - Woodside *3, Kecoughtan 2 (WOOD advances in PK's)
DAILY PRESS: Girls Soccer - Menchville 2, Warwick 0
DAILY PRESS: 16 questions for the tournament season
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Wednesday's lacrosse/soccer results/highlights
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Soccer notebook 5/14

May 12, 2009
Bruins deny Hickory unbeaten SED slate
BOYS: Western Branch, to quote head coach Ed Velazquez, "played like champions"
Tuesday.  The Bruins locked up the #2 seed in next week's Southeastern District Tournament
by shutting out top seed Hickory 2-0 with goals from Brett Woodward and Ricardo Brown.  
Western Branch enters postseason play on a seven match unbeaten streak... Grassfield
locked up the third seed with a 3-1 win over Lakeland while Indian River cruised to the fourth
and final spot in the tourney with a 11-0 thumping of Deep Creek.  Ritchie Duffie and Heath
Saunders with a pair of goals each... Great Bridge will again come up short of qualifying for
the postseason but the Wildcats are finishing in solid form as they beat Nansemond River
5-0.  They still have yet to play Oscar Smith in a make-up game according to our records.  The
Tigers can claim fifth place in the final standings should they play after they beat King's Fork
3-0.  In the Beach District, Kellam and Princess Anne gave the nets at the Ammons Complex
a workout during the second half.  After a scoreless first half, the Knights took a 3-1 lead with
goals from Ryan Curtis, Jordan Grumney, and Cory Shoop.  Princess Anne cut the deficit in
half with a 78th minute goal from Trevor Nichols but couldn't come up with the equalizer.  The
Knights, with the 3-2 win at home, secure the #3 seed in next week's much-anticipated
Beach District Tournament... First Colonial finished its regular season strong in a 2-0 win at
Ocean Lakes behind goals from Alex Gylfason and Mike Mugler.  The Patriots will have to wait
to see if Bayside can pull off the improbable Thursday at Cox... Speaking of the Falcons, they
won at Tallwood 5-1 in a match filled with brilliant goals on both sides.  Ryan Oakes and Will
Martin scored two goals apiece for Cox who can capture the regular season title with a win
Thursday.  A tie forces a one game playoff Friday while a loss gives First Colonial the bid to
Regionals... Elsewhere in the Beach, Landstown and Salem came up with key district
victories.  The Eagles stand in sixth and are in the tournament following their 3-1 win at
Green Run while the SunDevils blanked Bayside 3-0 to leap over Kempsville and Tallwood
into seventh.  The Chiefs, who have the tiebreaker over the Lions, can grab a playoff bid with
a win over Salem Thursday.  Tallwood can qualify for the tournament with a win OR a tie and
a Kempsville loss.  Salem is in if they win or tie but a loss to Kempsville paired with a
Tallwood win drops the SunDevils below the cut.
GIRLS:  Hickory wrapped up another Southeastern District Regular Season Championship
and an Eastern Region bid with a 5-1 win at home over Western Branch.  Angela Nelms and
Megan Hept scored twice each for the Hawks who draw Indian River in the SED semifinals
next Wednesday at Grassfield.  The Braves beat Deep Creek 7-1 with a Katie Nichols hat trick
and a pair from Sheena Regan... The other Southeastern semifinal will feature Great Bridge
and Grassfield.  The Wildcats completed their regular season with a 3-0 shutout of
Nansemond River, while the Grizzlies destroyed Lakeland 13-0... Oscar Smith gets a goal
from B. Skogstad to blank King's Fork 1-0 and end a three game slide... The Beach District
appears destined for a regular season playoff game for the second straight season.  Ocean
Lakes survived a tough test at home, beating First Colonial 1-0 as Ashley Robusto provided
the match-winner... The Dolphins remained tied with Cox for first in the Beach after the
Falcons cruised over Tallwood, 6-0.  Emory Camper upped her goal total to 16 with a double
for the Falcons.  Should Ocean Lakes and Cox finish tied in the Beach District standings, they
will be declared co-champions, and a one-game playoff will determine who gets the first BD
bid to Regionals.  That playoff is tentatively scheduled for Friday evening at Landstown - more
to come as the regular season draws to a close in the Beach... Elsewhere, Kellam cemented
a home game in next week's quarterfinal round.  The Knights avenged an early Princess
Anne goal from Caitlyn Bishop with one from Mikaela Plansker as they drew the Cavaliers,
1-1.  These two sides will likely meet again Monday unless Kempsville loses to Salem on
Thursday... Landstown moved up into sixth place ahead of First Colonial after getting a clean
sheet at Green Run, 4-0... The only spot still up for grabs in next week's wide-open
tournament is the eighth spot, and not much has changed there.  Bayside remains a point
ahead of Salem in eighth position after the two sides tied 2-2.  The Marlins have the upper
hand with regard to tie-breakers as they drew Landstown earlier this season, so Salem must
beat Kempsville and hope Bayside either loses or ties at Cox in order to qualify.

LINKS:
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Tuesday's lacrosse/soccer results and highlights

May 11, 2009
Eastern District tourney seedings set
BOYS:  Akeem Matthews extended his season goal total to 26 with five in Norview's 9-3 romp
over Wilson.  His performance isn't enough to get his team into the Eastern District playoffs
as the field had already been decided.  Lake Taylor beat Granby 2-1 Monday at home to
assure the third seed and a Thursday match with Churchland, while the fourth-seeded
Comets get their rivals from Maury on Wednesday.  The Truckers will be the #2 seed after
blanking Norcom 8-0.  A couple of make-ups took place in the Southeastern District...
Western Branch takes sole possession of second with a date with Hickory on Tuesday's
docket.  The Bruins throttled Nansemond River 6-1 behind two goals from David Noel... Ian
Fleming added another pair of goals as Grassfield shut-out King's Fork 3-0... and Maury
prepped for the rigors of postseason play with a 1-1 non-district draw with Kempsville.  The
Chiefs are unbeaten in their last three.  GIRLS:  Grassfield, Western Branch, and Indian River
comprise a three-way tie for third place heading into the final match day of the SED regular
season.  The Grizzlies earned a clean sheet on King's Fork 2-0 while the Bruins beat
Nansemond River 3-1.  In the Eastern, Rachel Gillooly had another hat trick for Granby who
blanked Lake Taylor 8-0, while Norview qualified for the ED tourney with a 2-1 win over
Wilson... Mayfield and L. Rice also picked up three goals apiece for Churchland who
wrapped up the third seed by destroying Norcom 12-0.  They'll get a rematch with Granby
Thursday.

May 8, 2009
Kellam reels Cox into tight Beach District races
The weather was able to hold up Friday when a few isolated storms died out on their way
toward Hampton Roads, allowing for an exciting evening in the area for soccer, especially in
the Beach District.  The Kellam Knights turned the Beach District regular season races
upside down by earning wins at Cox, denying the Falcon soccer programs unbeaten regular
season records.  And, because this is a regional site, we'd be doing a disservice if we didn't
congratulate the Maury boys for locking up a regional bid.  The Commodores waxed
Churchland 7-0 to capture the Eastern District regular season title.  Here's a recap of what
went down on Friday:
GIRLS: Katie Bonney opened up what was a match contested in the middle third of the pitch
with a 17th minute goal to put Kellam ahead for good at Cox.  The visiting side later received
some 2nd half insurance when a Cox midfielder deflected in a Chelsea Hietpas corner kick,
giving Kellam a 2-0 win on the road.  The Knights only allowed Cox to put only one of its nine
shots on goal while they kept the ball in dangerous territory for much of the afternoon,
attempting 11 corners... This creates a three-way tie at 21 points between Cox, Ocean Lakes.
and Kempsville with Kellam three points back in fourth entering the final week of the Beach
regular season.  The Dolphins were on hand at Cox to watch the match on their bye while
Kempsville blanked Bayside 4-0.  The Chiefs, who technically sit third with an extra loss, will
take its bye this Tuesday... First Colonial became the sixth Beach team to qualify for the
postseason.  The Patriots picked apart Green Run 8-0 with Lizzy Callahan increasing her
Beach best goal total to 18... Princess Anne maintained its fifth place position with a week to
go by running away from Landstown, 4-1... And, in the Peninsula District, a meaningless
make-up match went to Gloucester who, already assured second place, got to 10 wins on
the season by blanking Heritage 5-0.  Linsey Snavely increased her goal total to 18 with a trio
of tallies.
BOYS:  A few days after the Indian River/Western Branch match which may go down as the
wildest fixture of the season, the Cox/Kellam affair featured arguably the highest level of
competitive soccer seen in the area all season.  Jordan Grumney leveled Kellam's match
with Cox at 1-1 with his 22nd minute goal after beating a couple Cox defenders on the
dribble.  This came 11 minutes after Hunter Byrnes headed home a Chris Albiston cross to
put the Falcons ahead despite a constant peppering from the Kellam attack early.  The
Knights, who opened the match taking 13 shots to the Falcons' three, would hang on to that
tie score by a thread for the rest of regulation, getting out-shot 19-8 over the closing 45
minutes.  With the match appeared content to go to extra time, Kellam won the match on a
long throw that found space in the middle.  There, Grumney poked in a short touch from
Rohen Gresalfi with three seconds remaining for the Knights victory... While First Colonial
resumes its first place positioning following its 4-0 win over Green Run, Cox remains in the
drivers seat but with less margin for error.  The Falcons can clinch the Beach District Regular
Season title with wins this week at Tallwood and vs. Bayside... The battle for the final spots in
the Beach District Tournament has become exciting as well.  Kempsville has its first winning
streak of the year after destroying Bayside, 7-0.  Denny Arinello came up with his second
straight hat trick for the Chiefs... Tallwood rode the momentum of their recent recognition in
The Virginian-Pilot into their 3-0 win against Salem...  Princess Anne remains tied with Ocean
Lakes for fourth after beating Landstown 1-0 with a Nate Wrenn goal.  The Eagles drop to
sixth, just a point clear of Tallwood and Kempsville and two ahead of Salem who's in danger
of missing the district tourney at this point despite impressive play against the top of the
table...  Stepping outside the Beach, Hickory picked up some momentum heading into the
postseason by tying Ocean Lakes 1-1 at home, and Gloucester beat Heritage 4-0 to lock up
the fourth seed in the Peninsula District Tournament.  The Dukes get to face Woodside on
their home turf in the first round on May 14.

LINKS:
DAILY PRESS: Friday's soccer box scores
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Friday's lacrosse/soccer results and highlights

May 7, 2009
Hickory captures 6th straight SED crown
The weather Thursday morning led many to believe the day would be a washout.  But the
skies cleared, giving many teams around the region hope they could play that evening.  But a
severe thunderstorm ran roughshod in Hampton Roads, causing more cancellations and
shortened fixtures.  In boys soccer, the Hickory Hawks won the Southeastern District regular
season championship with one match remaining as they emphatically laid the hammer on
Indian River in the opening half.  VHSL rules state that a match is declared official after a half
is complete, so by the time the Braves found its footing and started to generate some
dangerous runs, play was halted in the 45th minute (8:00pm) and would not continue, giving
Hickory a 3-0 win... Western Branch had a 1-0 lead over Nansemond River until play was
halted with one minute remaining in the first half.  Just an example of many other matches
that didn't complete Thursday night... Lakeland did make their match official though, 2-0 over
Deep Creek.  On the girls side in the SED, Hickory got a 14th minute goal from Megan Hept to
beat Indian River in 45 minutes of play... Great Bridge also got a half in at Oscar Smith as
they won 2-0.  Hickory can lock up the district title with a win or a tie on Tuesday or a Wildcat
loss or tie... On the Peninsula, the Warwick boys locked up the third seed in next week's
tournament, beating Bethel 4-1 while the Warwick girls punched the sixth and final ticket to
the tournament with a 1-1 tie over Bethel... Maury earned a sweep of Booker T. Washington -
the girls went to the mercy rule time while the boys match was called at half due to the
weather.

LINKS:
DAILY PRESS: Thursday's prep rundown
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Thursday's lacrosse/soccer results and highlights

May 6, 2009
Catching up on a rainy Wednesday...
Anyone else getting tired of the dreary weather this week?  Wednesday's slate was
supposed to be empty (which is great if you were trying to catch up on the UEFA Champions
League semifinals), but one make-up game did take place from April 20 in addition to some
late reports from important Tuesday matches.  Wilson throttled Norcom in a Portsmouth
rivalry match, 7-1.  Sylla and Fly with a pair of goals each for the Presidents.  We found out
that Sheena Regan's team leading sixth goal of 2009 stood up for Indian River who beat
Western Branch 1-0 on Tuesday to take sole possession of third in the Southeastern District
with two matches to go.  We also learned that Amanda Holmes logged the winning goal for
Great Bridge in their overtime win over Grassfield, her 14th of the season, that Ian Fleming's
two goals led the Grassfield boys to their 3-1 triumph over Great Bridge, and that Devin
Pierce had three goals and two assists for Ocean Lakes in its 5-1 win over Green Run.

May 5, 2009
Three teams punch tickets to Regionals
The Peninsula District Regular Season champions were officially decided on Tuesday
evening.  On the boys side, the Kecoughtan Warriors clinched a berth to the Eastern Region
Soccer Championships with a 3-0 win at Bethel.  Robert Alberti logged a goal and an assist
for the Warriors.  The Denbigh Patriot girls clinched their first ever regular season title with a
5-2 win over Phoebus.  Dani Gunderson notched a hat trick totaling eight reported multi-goal
games for Denbigh, while Lauren Cheatham scored the other two goals.  Both the Warriors
and Patriots finished 9-0-0 in the Peninsula District.  In the Eastern District, the Maury
Commodore girls officially wrapped up another regular season title after Granby beat Wilson
4-0 to put the Lady Presidents out of reach.  Rachel Gillooly with the hat trick for the Comets
who move into sole possession of second with one match remaining.  A whole lot of other
soccer took place around the Eastern Region despite the sub-par weather conditions:

BOYS:  
Southeastern: Perhaps the wildest game of the day came in Chesapeake as Indian
River drew Western Branch 4-4.  After the Bruins took the early lead seven minutes in, Duffie
responded with a first half hat trick to give his Braves the halftime lead.  Western Branch
came roaring back with three of their own to take back the lead but Patrick Leary tied it for
Indian River with seven seconds left in regulation.  David Noel scored two goals for the
Bruins who remain tied with Indian River for second in the SED... The WB/IR tie gives Hickory
a five point lead with two matches remaining which means Hickory needs at least a split of
its last two matches.  The Hawks throttled Lakeland 8-0 with eight different players scoring...
The battle for the fourth and final playoff spot in the SED shook out a little more Tuesday as
Grassfield beat Great Bridge 3-1.  The Grizzlies have rebounded from dropping two of three
matches a few weeks ago by winning three straight.  The Wildcats have lost three of its last
four to drop three points clear of Grassfield for the final spot... A couple SED teams ended
skids as Oscar Smith rebounded from losing four of five with a 3-2 win over Nansemond
River, and King's Fork ended a six game losing streak with a 5-0 result over Deep Creek.  
Chris Luce (OS), Terri. & Terre. Alexander (KF) with two goals apiece.  
Peninsula: Menchville
continued its impressive play heading into the postseason with a 6-0 thrashing of Woodside.
 Noah Jefferson with a pair of Monarch goals... We now know who will be playing in the
Peninsula District Tournament.  The seedings will be set after Thursday.  Warwick knocked
Hampton out of contention with a 5-0 shutout.  Alex Verhoef's double paced the Raiders who
sit a point ahead of Gloucester for third and can lock up that seed with a win over Bethel.  
Gloucester's match against Heritage has also been postponed to Thursday night.  Beach:  
The Salem SunDevils continue to play spoiler for many Beach District contenders this
season.  Their latest victims... the Kellam Knights who settled for a scoreless draw at home...
The Knights fall two points back with a game in hand on Ocean Lakes for third place.  The
Dolphins ended a three match winless streak with a 5-1 win over Green Run... Cox found
itself in another tight match at Landstown.  Trailing 1-0 early, Eric Bird scored an equalizer in
the 10th and the match winner on a PK in the 74th to push the Falcons to a 2-1 win over the
Eagles... The Falcons continue its two point lead with a game in hand over First Colonial who
rebounded 1-0 over Princess Anne at home.  Mike Mugler with the match-winner for the
Patriots... Kempsville won its second match of the season to remain in the hunt for the eighth
and final spot in the BD Tournament.  The Chiefs beat Tallwood 6-3 thanks, in part, to a
Denny Arinello hat trick.  The Lions currently have a match in hand on Kempsville.   
Eastern:
Granby and Lake Taylor torched their opponents to sew up the number of bids in this year's
Eastern District tournament.  The Comets blanked Wilson 8-0 behind three from Jeremy
Jones and two from Paul Melshen while the Titans won 10-2 over Norview.  Patrick
Thompson scored six and Dino Canales added two for Lake Taylor.

GIRLS:  
Peninsula: Gloucester's match against Heritage was rained out to Thursday, but the
match is merely a formality for the Dukes.  Gloucester has assured itself second in the PD
and a first round bye next week regardless of Thursday's result over the Hurricanes...
Menchville broke a tie for third place with a 3-1 win over Woodside.  The Monarchs will take
on either Warwick or Bethel in the first round of the PD tournament.  The Raiders currently
lead the Bruins by a point in the table for the sixth spot following its 2-1 victory over Hampton...
Bethel, who fell 5-1 to Kecoughtan Tuesday, must beat Warwick to claim the sixth seed.  
Caitlyn Smith and Allie Segura scored two goals each for the Warriors who draw Woodside in
the first round of the tourney.  
Beach: After Tuesday's play, the top five teams occupying the
Beach District standings have qualified for the tournament.  Princess Anne jumped into fifth
place with a key 3-2 win over First Colonial.  The Patriots have dropped three of its last four
tilts to fall to seventh on the table... Cox managed to stay unbeaten in the Beach by scoring a
goal per half at Landstown despite a spirited effort from an improved Eagles side...
Elsewhere in the Beach, Kayla White scored three goals and Taylor Smith added two for
Ocean Lakes who stayed tied in points with Cox after its 9-0 dismantling of Green Run.  
Kempsville and Kellam remained third and fourth in the Beach, respectively, following
shutout wins in their matches.  Kempsville has won four straight while Kellam logged its
seventh shutout of the season.  
Southeastern: Samantha Hinson increased her season goal
total to 14 by scoring three in Hickory's 8-0 win over Lakeland... The Hawks, who became the
first SED team to qualify for postseason play, maintain a three point lead on Great Bridge
after the Wildcats edged Grassfield, 1-0... The Grizzlies drop into a four-way tie for third place
which includes Western Branch and Indian River whose match wasn't reported Tuesday, and
Nansemond River, who beat Oscar Smith 4-1.  Danielle Gallagher and Brittany Frame scored
two goals each for the Warriors... Also scoring two goals apiece were King's Fork's E.
Jefferson and Tew as the Bulldogs defeated Deep Creek, 5-1.

LINKS:
DAILY PRESS: Tuesday's prep rundown
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT: Tuesday's lacrosse/soccer results and highlights

May 4, 2009
Storms cut Eastern District play short
Hopefully Monday is not a true indication for what has yet to come in Eastern Region soccer
this week.  The weather pattern for Hampton Roads is anticipated to be anything but
favorable this week and that was certainly the case on Monday where play was supposed to
resume in the Eastern District.  The Maury girls were able to make their match official against
Churchland.  Leading 4-1, play was called at halftime due to inclement weather.  With the
win, the Commodores move just one win away from another Eastern District title.  Norview
also came away a winner Monday, beating Lake Taylor 5-0.  Shannon Knight scored twice for
the Pilots who leveled their ED mark at 3-3-0.  All the other games in the Eastern District were
presumably postponed to later this week.

May 1, 2009
Falcon boys edge Patriots to take Beach lead
BOYS:  Ryan Oakes finished his second match winner in the week Friday as Cox grabbed
control of first place in the Beach District by two points and a match in hand on a windy Friday
night of high school soccer, defeating First Colonial 1-0 in a battle of unbeatens... The
Falcons further distanced themselves from the rest of the District following the scoreless
draw between Ocean Lakes and Princess Anne... Also coming up with a point each were
Landstown and Salem who tied 1-1... Jordan Grumney and Feliciano scored two goals each
for Kellam who moved into a three way tie for third at 13 points with PA and OL as they beat
Kempsville 4-1... Occupying the eighth and final playoff spot with two weeks remaining is
Tallwood who edged Bayside 3-2 as Altay Uzun scored his sixth and seventh goals in 2009...  
The annual battle for Powhatan in Norfolk went to Maury who whooped Granby 7-1 to further
distance itself in the Eastern District.  Earl Floyd scored two goals for the Commodores while
Jeremy Jones was able to extend his season-long scoring streak for the Comets... In the
Peninsula District, Woodside ended a three game skid with a key 1-0 victory over
Gloucester... Warwick stayed in the hunt for a playoff spot with a 3-0 win over Heritage with
Tyree Etienne scoring twice for the Raiders... Kecoughtan moved one win away for sewing up
the first bid to the Eastern Region Soccer Championships with its 6-2 win over Phoebus...
Menchville blanked Denbigh 6-0 to stay a game back of the Warriors.  A Menchville win
Tuesday over Woodside paired with a Kecoughtan loss to Bethel would force a playoff game
to decide the PD Regular Season title... Bethel also stayed in the race with a 5-2 win over
Hampton.  GIRLS:  Kempsville continued its magical run over the past few weeks in the
Beach District.  Trailing 1-0 at Kellam with 12 minutes remaining, Allie Boubouheropoulis
leveled the match in the final minute of regulation and then won it for the Chiefs in overtime,
2-1... The Chiefs move into third place, trailing Cox by 1.5 games.  The Falcons survived its
annual regular season meeting with First Colonial 3-2 to stay unbeaten in the Beach.  Emory
Camper has scored eight goals in the past three matches including two against the
Patriots... Ocean Lakes rebounded from its home loss to Cox with a  2-0 win over Princess
Anne... Also surviving a test Friday was Landstown who outlasted Salem, 1-0... Bayside now
sits alone in eighth, four points clear for the final BD playoff spot following its 6-3 win over
Tallwood.  Nicole Liette with the Marlin hat trick while Kaitlyn Clunan scored twice.  On the
Peninsula, Denbigh is now a win away from its first regular season championship and a
return trip to Regionals following the Patriots' 3-1 win over Menchville... Gloucester shook off
its loss to Denbigh with a 3-1 win at Woodside to lock up at least the second seed and a first
round bye... Kecoughtan greatly Improved its playoff hopes with a  2-0 win at Phoebus to
remain fifth in the PD... Elsewhere on the Peninsula, Bethel edged Hampton 1-0 and
Warwick beat Heritage 2-0 to remain in the hunt for the sixth and final spot in the bracket.  And
in Norfolk, Maury blanked Granby 8-0 with five goals from Mary Morgan and three from Anna
Cronin.
LINKS
Peninsula District Girls Stats
Southeastern Dist. Boys Stats
E-MAIL WEBMASTER
Southeastern Dist. Girls Stats
Eastern Region Stat Leaders
Beach District Boys Stats
Eastern District Boys Stats
Eastern District Girls Stats
Peninsula District Boys Stats
Beach District Girls Stats
757soccer.com - Videos & More
HRvarsity.com - Daily Press
Virginia High School League
AAA Eastern Region Website
2009 ER Composite Schedule
757teamz.com - Virginian-Pilot