| YOUR STARTING POINT FOR HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER IN VIRGINIA'S GROUP AAA EASTERN REGION |
| Tough draws compose start of Regionals Quarterfinals begin Tuesday at Powhatan Field (boys), ODU (girls) Doug Ripley - May 25, 2009 NORFOLK - The brackets are set, the teams are playing well, and now it's time to see who will be the best in the Eastern Region. The 32nd edition of the Eastern Region Soccer Championships begin Tuesday in Norfolk with eight boys teams and eight girls teams all vying for a chance to claim their stake as best in the Region and earn a trip to the VHSL Group AAA State Soccer Championships the following week. For just about all of these teams, getting to Regionals was a stepping stone on the road to that achievement while, for a few others, getting here alone is a tremendous accomplishment. Learn more about how these teams got here by reading Eastern Region Soccer Online's 2009 Regional Preview. BOYS QUARTERFINALS (@ Powhatan Field) Match 1: Kellam Knights (15-1-2) vs. Kecoughtan Warriors (12-5-0) - 2pm The first match of the tournament could turn out to be the most captivating of the day, if not the week. Kellam blew through last week's Beach District Tournament, destroying Salem and Landstown in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Then in the finals, Hector Arellano's two goals, including one in overtime, helped the Knights avenge their lone regular season loss to Ocean Lakes with a 2-1 decision over the Dolphins to qualify for Regionals. Craig Powers' boys only other blemishes on their 2009 slate have been ties to defensively- strong First Colonial and to giant-killer Salem during the regular season. The Knights were also the only team to deal Cox a loss this season and did so on the Falcons' home ground, a 2-1 result with Beach District leading scorer Jordan Grumney scoring both goals - the match winner coming with three seconds remaining in the game. Kecoughtan, a regional finalist and state semifinalist from 2008, return many key contributors from Frank Hughes' team last season. The Warriors began the season with out a couple of them when they ran into some trouble off the pitch and cost them some wins out of district, beginning the season 1-5-0. Those players returned just in time for their Peninsula District play, and the Warriors haven't looked back since, winning 11 straight games entering Tuesday. Kecoughtan went unblemished in PD regular season competition, and won the tournament at Gloucester by defeating Warwick 1-0 in overtime. Will Grumney and key contributors Arellano and Rohen Gresalfi and their speedy attack prevail and keep the Knights unbeaten against the rest of the Region? Or, will the tandem of Robert Alberti and Karl Kummer prove too dynamic for the Kellam defense? This could prove to be a very high scoring affair, but entertaining regardless of the final tally. Match 2: Lake Taylor Titans (7-8-0) vs. Hickory Hawks (12-4-1) - 4pm Hickory is back to Regionals as a Southeastern District Regular Season and/or Tournament Champion for the 11th consecutive season, and is vying for their elusive first bid to the state tournament. The Hawks went 8-1-0 against the SED in the regular season, with its lone loss at Western Branch not affecting their Regular Season Championship result. Hickory is also well-tested outside the region, going 2-3-1 with a win against Landstown and a tie against Ocean Lakes. Hickory did lose to three teams participating this week - Kellam (0-2), Cox (0-3), and Maury (0-2). What Eric Blackmore's side brings to the table are experience, balance and hunger. They returned many key contributors from last season's team. 17 Hawks have entered the scorebook this season, led by SED co-player of the year Jake Jones with ten. Jordan Griggs and Jarrett Chaine have logged six apiece while Derek Danner has five goals. Hickory faces an Eastern District runner-up who is making its first ever appearance in the Eastern Region Tournament. Lake Taylor qualified for Regionals on May 14 by defeating ED 2-seed Churchland 2-1 in overtime, a team the Titans lost to by three goals three weeks earlier. The Titans, up until their loss to Maury five nights later in the final, had won five in a row. The Titans must get going early and often with their leading scorer and Eastern District POY Patrick Thompson (28 goals) if they are to have any chance hanging with Hickory and their arsenal. Lake Taylor has shown they can hang with talent, at times. The Titans lost 2-0 to Grassfield on April 2 and 3-2 to Woodside on March 27. Match 3: Grassfield Grizzlies (13-4-1) vs. Maury Commodores (12-4-2) - 6pm Maury returns to its home pitch which it is awfully familiar with again in 2009. The Commodores have played at Powhatan Field 14 times this season out of their 18 games played, going 8-4-2. Mohsin Bouziane's side has dealt with the graduation of Tony Tchani very well this season, and has done so since the first game when the Commodores beat Ocean Lakes 4-2. Maury has four double-digit scorers in 2009: Marshall Stewart (18), Will Grimes (14), Etonyeaku Ike (13), and Ryan Lee (11). The Commodores also have a win at Hickory and ties against Landstown and Kempsville to their credit entering Regionals where they face a Grassfield squad also making their first appearance in this event. The Grizzlies, coached by Robbie Gobble, are in just their second season of play but have already made an impact on the Southeastern District and the Eastern Region. Grassfield went 5-1-1 outside the SED, tying Ocean Lakes in a rain-shortened match while beating Kempsville, Kecoughtan, and Landstown. Led by Ian Fleming's 11 goals, Grassfield went 7-2-0 in district play, losing at Hickory and at home to Western Branch. The Grizzlies are still very young, though, and playing in its biggest match in program history against the more experienced Commodores. Grassfield will be playing its seventh match away from its wide Bermuda grass surface this season. Goalkeeping and defense will dictate who advances to the semifinals in this match. Tyler Ferring is in his third season as starter for Maury but needs to come up big against a multi- faceted attack from Grassfield. On the flip side, Michael Eberhardt is back in goal for Grassfield after suffering a concussion earlier this season. He will need to be ready with a team who is very comfortable with attacking on the FieldTurf pitch. Match 4: Warwick Raiders (10-4-3) vs. Cox Falcons (15-2-1) - 8pm The Raiders return to Regionals for the second straight season and for the third time in four years. They got here by beating Menchville 1-0 in the Peninsula District Semifinals in a rematch of a very entertaining first meeting at CNU back in April. Warwick, led by Tyree Etienne (14 goals) and Alex Verhoef (7), has done the most damage on the defensive end this season, holding opponents scoreless in five matches and with a goal or less in its last 11. Justin Roerink's bunch will need to bring their best defensive game against one of the region's most dangerous attacks in Cox. The Falcons, Beach District Regular Season Champions for a 12th time in program history, had a chance to rest up some players during District week following their semifinal exit to Ocean Lakes. The Falcons are much younger than their 2008 edition which captured the Eastern Region crown, but first year head coach Scott Mead has brought a fresh approach to his Falcons that has translated into a similar result as many of the 26 seasons of his predecessor, Jim Snodgrass. While Cox will be without sophomore midfielder Eric Bird who has to sit out a match due to an ejection in last Tuesday's Beach semifinal, the Falcons get F/D Ryan Oakes back after he was sidelined with a sinus infection this past week. The Falcons are led by Oakes' 13 goals and 11 from Will Martin. Also watch out for Hunter Byrnes and David Ellis who have six goals each, and occasional attacks out of the defensive third from Chris Albiston and Trey Saunders. Should the Falcons advance, also keep an eye on Bird who has logged nine goals for Cox in just 12 matches. GIRLS QUARTERFINALS (@ ODU Soccer Stadium) Match 1: Churchland Truckers (8-5-1) vs. Hickory Hawks (15-3-0) - 2pm Hickory, like their boys team, has dominated the Southeastern District over the past decade. David Richels' side begins this week in search of its first ever state tournament bid. The Hawks have maybe its best chance to do so this year. Hickory enters this year's championship on a 13 game winning streak, including three over their SED rivals from Great Bridge. To fulfill that goal, the Hawks must begin this week with a win over Churchland, the Eastern District Tournament Runners-Up. Churchland advanced to this year's Regionals by beating Granby in the Eastern District semifinals on May 14. Prior to that win, the Truckers had struggled entering the postseason, going 2-2-1 in its last five including losses to Maury and Wilson and salvaging a tie with Granby. The Truckers' primary responsibility will be keeping the Hawks off the scoreboard first and scoring second. Hickory is led by Samantha Hinson with 18 goals, Amanda Nelms with nine, Megan Hept with eight, and Meghan Cozens with seven. Watch out for Ana Mayfield and Tabitha Leon on the Truckers attack. Match 2: Kempsville Chiefs (10-4-2) vs. Denbigh Patriots (14-2-0) - 4pm Denbigh returns to Regionals for a second straight season, this year as undisputed Peninsula District Champions for the first time. The Patriots enter Regionals on a tear, having won 12 straight games entering Tuesday, having outscored their opponents 60-13 in that stretch with six shutouts. The Patriots' success is, for the most part, due to the scoring threat posed by Dani Gunderson who has scored 30 goals that we know of this season. Given that Eastern Region Soccer Online can not vouch for the 21 other Patriot goals that were not reported and that she has scored almost 63% of their goals reported, it is clear that total is probably much higher this season. Getting their 13th straight victory maybe a task too powerful for Gunderson and her Patriots to undertake. Denbigh draws Kempsville in the opening round, the tournament runner-up from the powerful Beach District. The Chiefs, coached by Kempsville alum Lauren Tucei, are making their first appearance in Regionals since 2002, surprising some in their run to Norfolk. But while they opened their season winless in their first three fixtures, they showed strong in those tilts, providing a pre-cursor of things to come. Kempsville fell a goal short versus Great Bridge, tied a tough Grassfield side six days later, and had Cox on the ropes with a one goal lead before the Falcons responded with three in the second half on March 27. Since then, the Chiefs have quietly run through much of their remaining schedule, with wins against Princess Anne, First Colonial twice, Landstown, and Kellam. Against the Knights, Kempsville leveled the match late in regulation and won it in overtime on Kellam's home pitch, a win that ultimately put the Chiefs in better position to make it here via their seeding. Scoring both goals that night and tied for the team lead in the goal column for Kempsville is Allie Boubouheropoulos with nine goals. Gabby Carragino shares that goal lead after scoring six goals in her last four matches including two in the Beach District Tournament. Until they surrendered three goals to Cox in the Beach District final, Kempsville had shut-out six of its previous seven opponents. Can the Chiefs keep one of the Region’s most dynamic scorers off the board Tuesday? Match 3: Menchville Monarchs (10-6-2) vs. Cox Falcons (16-1-2) - 6pm The Falcons have responded to their lone loss of 2009 well, winning six straight and shutting out five of them en route to a Beach District Regular Season and Tournament Championship. It marks their third straight tourney win in the Beach and eighth appearance in Regionals in the past nine years. Cox has made it back to Norfolk with a reloaded back line and goalkeeping that has produced the Region's second best goals against average entering this week, combined with the many abilities of sophomore striker Emory Camper (21 goals) that has helped them produce the Region's second highest goal total in 2009 (74). Camper's ability to heave the ball on long throws has been fatal for the Falcons throughout the season, combined with their high number of corner kicks they attempt each match with Beth McCabe and Jessie Klamut. Speaking of Klamut, the sophomore has entered Regionals on a tear from the bench, having scored five of her seven goals in May, four coming in each of the last four games for Cox. Also watch out for Cox midfielders Charley Martin (six goals) and Krysten Reid (five) who are also threats on the attacking front. Menchville, who qualified for Regionals by defeating a solid Gloucester squad 1-0 in the Peninsula District semifinals, post modest seasonal numbers compared to Cox but have proven to be a tough test for opponents at times this season. Based on scores reported to media outlets, eight different Monarchs have scored goals entering this week. The Monarchs have held their opponents off the board seven times this season, including twice in the PD tournament. Match 4: Great Bridge Wildcats (12-4-1) vs. Maury Commodores (10-5-2) - 8pm Maury, the undisputed Eastern District Champions, is in a similar position as their boys team. The Commodores rolled through their district again in 2009, having their matches end by the Eastern District-mandated eight goal mercy rule all but once, when their regular season dual with Churchland was halted at halftime after Maury had accumulated a 4-1 lead. The Commodores returned many players to Christine Bouziane's roster again in 2009, led by the Eastern Region's documented leading scorer, Mary Morgan. Morgan eclipsed the career century mark in goals back on April 20, has 37 documented in 2009, and has totaled 127 for her career entering Tuesday. While they didn't show great in the win-loss column during non-district play (1-5-2), they showed very strong in just about all of those fixtures which included a tie against Kellam and one goal losses to Princess Anne, First Flight (NC), and Landstown. Maury will need another stellar effort from Morgan in addition to its defense as Great Bridge comes in as a solid, under-the-radar contender for the regional title. While the Southeastern District Runners-Up have dropped all three meetings with Hickory this season, the Wildcats only lost one more time - a 3-1 loss to eventual VISAA champion Norfolk Academy. Great Bridge also has wins over York, Kempsville, and Princess Anne to their credit, two against Grassfield, and a tie with Beach District Regular Season Co-Champion Ocean Lakes to their credit. Amanda Holmes enters as the leading scorer for Great Bridge with 16 goals, but also look out for the talented play from Kelsey Dill (nine goals) and Tara Kerns (eight goals). Jessica Gumpert and Kayla Shipman have also proven to be nice offensive additions for the Wildcats, scoring six goals apiece in 2009. |
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