Irmo and Dutch Fork faceoff Wednesday. Anyone want to predict the outcome?
I'll go with
Dutch Fork 2
Irmo 0

Irmo - Dutch Fork has to be the game of the week. Not too many matches on this week's schedule as it appears many of the schools are on Spring Break.

Clover is at Northwestern on Thursday. If Clover wins they virtually lock up the #2 seed in Region 3. If Northwestern wins we are probably going to be talking about a tie-breaker.

I love both teams and wish that neither had to lose. Irmo is very under rated like last year, when they took second and very close to winning it all. They are a lot better than their record indicates. They have had a bad time with critical injuries and everyone having to adjust to new positions while players heal. Irmo should win this game by at least 2 points but either way I expect Irmo to make it back to the championship game.

Irmo played an excellent game against Fort Mill in the Viking Cup when they beat them on PK's. It took a last-second goal by FM just to force OT. Irmo looked great.

At the Fort Mill Invitational....Irmo didn't seem as strong. Injuries?

Final score:
Dutch Fork 0
Irmo 2

Great win for Irmo.

Any details?

BOR?

>>[Chapindad] Irmo should win this game by at least 2 points<<

You absolutely nailed it!

>>but either way I expect Irmo to make it back to the championship game<<

I like Irmo also; however, don't you think making it to the state championship game will be much, much, much tougher to do this year for Irmo now that they've been reclassified into the upper state and will have to beat Dorman, Mauldin, and others to get in?

I always thought that Brittany Horton, who was a midfielder for Irmo last year (now playing at Presbyterian) deserved more credit that she got for really helping Irmo achieve their success last year. Although Irmo has some wonderful players, it just seems to me that losing a senior of that caliber, and having to play in the much more competitive upstate, is going to make a finalist repeat even more difficult than it normally would be.

I had placed Dutch Fork to win by two goals ---- boy was I ever wrong! Irmo looked good and Catherine Nolff scored one of the goals. I am not sure who scored the other goal. Irmo had a number of shots on goal, but the Dutch Fork keeper did a good job and I suspect had more than 10 saves. Dutch Fork maybe had two good shots on frame.

BOR?????

BOR....possible Irmo supporter, or someone who has at least officiated a few games down that way.

Well that shows how much I paid attention to things. I didn't realize that Irmo moved to the upper state. That changes things for my thought process. Getting through the teams you mentioned plus Lexington will be VERY tough. But I still would not be surprised if they make it out as the last man standing in that fight club of teams. That will be a fun bracket to watch in a few weeks.

Masterchief:

>> "I had placed Dutch Fork to win by two goals ---- boy was I ever wrong! Irmo looked good and Catherine Nolff scored one of the goals. I am not sure who scored the other goal."

Gabi Byrd scored in the first half. Nolff in the 2nd.

>> "Irmo had a number of shots on goal, but the Dutch Fork keeper did a good job and I suspect had more than 10 saves."

Pretty close, The State neswpaper said 11 saves.

>> "Dutch Fork maybe had two good shots on frame."

Right on the money, The State listed 1 save each for the 2 Irmo goalkeepers.

The score could have been much worse without the stellar play of the DF GK and some very good stands by the DF defense in their defensive third. In one sequence that occured in a matter of seconds, the GK made 2 brilliant saves in between which a defender headed the ball off the line to save a sure goal.