Mauldin 3 Aiken 1
South Aiken 1 Spartanburg 0 (pks)

east side 2 lexington 0
lexington 2 RNE 0

Any more scores from today?

When I left I know that FM was beating HH 2-0
Mauldin was beating Irmo 3-1
Aiken beat Airport in PKs
BC lost to MB in PKs

James Island advances
Mauldin advances by beating Fort Mill in PK's
Myrtle Beach advances

Spring Valley 0
Academic Magnet 1

SV beat blythewood and lost to Dorman and Academic magnet

Dorman 2-0 West Ashley
West Ashley 7, or 8 or 9? can't remember Blythewood 0

Any scores from Sunday's games?

Mauldin beats Riverside 1-0 in the Final to win the Viking Cup.
One interesting fact after all the debate about the use of subs, Mauldin did not sub once throughout the whole game!!
Congratulations to Mauldin.

Mauldin's score came from a PK which was called on Riverside's goalie early in the game. Great match.

How did everybody look this weekend? Does anyone have any updated predictions for the winners of 3A and 4A?n

shut^&play... just to let you know... Dutch Fork didnt CHEAT... they UNINTENTIONALLY broke a rule.. don't put down the team or the coach. You don't know the whole story anyways.

None of us are perfect, you are right dfs. I don't think anyone should be judgemental save the High School League. Lots of people are talking, so do you care to set the record straight from an insider's perspective? I read the post on the DF thread, but you didn't exactly explain the "unintentional" part.

with all due respect dfsoccerplayer13, somewhere in the job description for coach it says "know the rules". like it or not the coach screwed up.

as far as the weekend, #5 SV sees both their varsity and JV loose to the only 1A team in tournament.

Mauldin will not have to be watched closely for signs of the Viking curse - no viking cup winner has ever been state champion is same season.

The biggies - West Ashley, BE and Wando go out early and really don't muster much. Wando looks and sounds like a non-team. MB and JI probably had great weekends, Riverside is almost never "bad" and Mauldin is strong again.

lots of games decided on PK's - just ask Spartanburg.

Two best improvements for next year - get the fields at SVHS in shape to match the ones at NECSA and use three refs per game.

Three refs per game would send the cost for the tourney over $500. That would really, really suck.

Good job to AM making a dent in the big time tourney (wink, wink gr22)

Why does Wando "sound" like a non-team? That little comment was almost too subtle to not draw curiousity.

Oh, wait, I figured it out. It's the coaching isn't it? Bet if they had another guy in there things would be much different. How silly of me to forget your summer rantings and ravings.

A couple of things here...
1. yes, 3 refs would cost the tourney more but it would also make the tourney better.

2. this was one of the most enjoyable soccer experiences of my life. With the traffic that at least three low country teams had to deal with, I think Steve Lea, the field marshals and officials did a tremendous job getting the tournament to run with as few hitches as possible. Great job guys!!!

3. I think when the construction is finished, things at SV 1 and SV 2 will be an ideal tourney setting b/c it will allow for ample warm-up space.

4. Try the chili nachoes at McAllister's Deli. Definitely a "meal in itself". The chili has the right amount of spice and could be an appetizer for 3-4 people.

5. Please tell me how a coach who knows the start date and holds any sessions before hand "unintentionally" broke the rules. The Dutch Fork coach knew the rules and chose to break them. Seems to me that it is pretty much an open and shut case. How is there more on this story??

Congrats to you and your squad at the tourney, Coach. How does a 1A team do so well against the big boys?

McAllister's chili pales in comparision to their queso dip. mmm boy that stuff is good.

I was not able to attend the tourney. could someone enlighten me as to how the goalie exactly caused a penalty kick? I just would like to know the reason for, quite frankly, the winning goal.

Voice, I'm not sure 3 refs can be done with that tournament and the lake murray challenge and the sandhills classic going on. However, if 3 refs were used, it would be for the Lake Murray challenge.

james island went a lot further than i predicted. they won their bracket and made it to the semi's. after losing pratically their whole team last year they did a heck of a lot better than people credited them for. great job ladies! keep up the good work!

beginnersluck: Goalie came out and leveled the player at top of the box. More going for player than the ball, I guess.

Two days before try-outs were held, we had a clinic at Dutch Fork for the women's JV and Varsity players. Everyone knew that balls were not allowed to be around more than three players before try-outs so some of the girls questioned our coach about whether or not this was okay for us to be doing. He said yes, and obviously was mistaken as to what actually was acceptable. Yes, he's been coaching for years... yes, he should have known the rules... and yes, he made a huge mistake... but if he apparently thought this camp was okay, there's no way his breaking of the rules was intentional.

I was certainly impressed with Lexington in the tourney. I have a feeling that they will do quite well this spring. Certainly the favorites in their region!

So as I understand your post...the players questioned the coach.The players knew the rule and the coach did not?It's his or her job to know the rules.If he or she does not know the rules then they have no place in coaching.Intentional or not..the team paid the price

The coach is the one who should pay the price, and he most certainly has. The players obviously did not commit any wrong-doing... and THEY are the ones paying the biggest price (not to say Coach's "price" should be any higher, just saying we're the ones getting screwed over).

Yes, the players are paying the price.The players did commit a wrong-doing.The coach allowed that to happen.You can forgive him or her.That would be BIG of you.I think the coach should not be there...Intentional or not

Congratulations to Mauldin for winning the Cup (watch the jinx!) and congratulations to the Spring Valley staff for once again putting on the best HS tournament that I have ever seen.

32 teams....unbelievable.

After correctly picking the final two teams in 2005, I couldn't even pick a single bracket winner in 2006. Should be an exciting year.

Observations:

The best game I saw, from a spectators perspective, was the Emerald - Hilton Head first round match on Friday night. HH looked amazing. They possessed the ball for 90% of the match knocking forward, sideways, and backwards all night. Constant motion. Emerald realized they were a little overmatched and just sat in and waited to counter. No counters came, but Emerald did a tremendous job of defending and playing real smart. Emerald's center defender, #4 (I think she's heading to Frances Marion) broke up EVERYTHING near the 18-yard box. HH couldn't penetrate and despite all the possession, never threatened. Emerald did what they needed to do and took it to penalties....nearly pulled it off.

How could the PLAYERS have screwed up when the players were TOLD that the clinic wasn't going to pose a problem?

df,
why don't you post on the df thread? This one is for the viking cup.

The players did as they were told...and they were told wrong.Players have to do what the coaches say BUT the coach should do what's in the best interest of the team and that did not happen.I am not saying you are wrong.I feel for the whole team.It;s just a shame!!

JI graduated 11 seniors from last year's roster, but has a gifted group of 10th and 11th grade club talent ready to step up and play. It's early in the season and some of their fundamentals need improvement (accuracy of passing being a major one) but the season is long and they have time to improve. JI needs more speed up top and may have to rethink where natural striker Kelly Gosnell plays if the team wants to score againts a really good defense.

I didn't see Mauldin play, but Riverside looked like a very good upper level club team with solid fundamentals and good speed. West Ashley is in a rebuilding year but has a solid core of players to build around. Wando was very white and still does the Portuguese Circle Dance before they take the field.

I didn't get to see JI or Wando. But I do know that Wando is made up mostly of the U-17 Mt. Pleasant team and they have an excellent coach. Wando will have a hard time scoring but defending will be their major strengh. If you get down to them, then you will find it near impossible to get back.

Mauldin looked very good against Irmo. They where the best team "I saw" at the tournament by a long shot. They played very well as a team from the mid-field forward. Their one weakest might be their defense but that will probably improve a lot over the next few weeks, which I am sure all the other teams will be happy about.

Irmo look pretty good. Coach Fred is still working to fill the void left by some very talented seniors. The second half against Mauldin was a 1-1 tie once Coach Fred made a few changes in the line-up. So exoect Irmo to make some major improvements in the next few games.

I was impressed over all by the play of the teams. Girls HS soccer in the past has not always been very good soccer. The level of skill from just a few years ago is dramatic. I was very proud of the teams and of SC. And I want to thank SV for putting on such a great tournament....

Very good showing by the non-4A schools in this tournament, with Myrtle Beach, Riverside, Eastside, Brookland-Cayce and Bishop England all posting .500 or better records. JL Mann and Emerald were also impressive.

Mauldin, James Island, Fort Mill and Lexington looked like they will be major 4A contenders this year.

More was probably expected this past weekend out of Wando, Spartanburg and West Ashley. WA gets a pass since they were hit hard by graduation.

Should be an interesting season.

Could anyone comment on irmo, chapin and any other teams style of play?

Does anyone know who was awarded the Viking Cup Senior MVP scholarship?

Also, was there an All-Tournament team named?

Alex Foley of Dreher was named to the All-Tournament Team.

2006 Taco Bell Viking Cup All-Tournament Team
Academic Magnet - Emily Farrier
Aiken - Amanda Morelli
Airport - Casi Jones
Bishop England - Erin Reifeis
Blythewood - Taylor Coulter
Brookland-Cayce - Christain Patton
Byrnes - Arianna Nederostek
Dorman - Carmen Osorio
Dreher - Alex Foley
Eastside - Regan Hayes
A.C. Flora - Cam McKinney
Fort Mill - Danielle Schmitt
Hartsville - Lucia Cannarella
Hilton Head - Devin Taylor
Irmo - Britney Horton
James Island - Caroline Cooper, Staci Ulichnie
J.L. Mann - Blakely Mattern
Lexington - Kira Campbell
Mauldin - Madison Fisher, Shannon Weakley
Myrtle Beach - Jessica Banks, Chrissie Wallace
Richland Northeast - Jordan Dickens
Ridge View - Nina Platanburg
Riverside - Renee Ballew, Jennifer Graves, Haley Templer
South Akien - Nicole Neill
Spartanburg - Sally Breeden
Spring Valley - LaShawn Reed
Wando - Sarah Catenacci
Wren - Gabrielle Fennell

How was the all tournament team selected? Does each team’s coach select his choice from his own team for the all tournament team? Can the coach pick as many players as he wants?

Looks fairly democratic. Each team got one player, the semifinalists got two.

Where's Northwestern, Chapin, West Ashley and Emerald?

Very good question...

Does anyone know why those four schools were left out of having a player named to the All Tournament Team? I thought all four school made a good showing at the cup?

Absolutely not taking away anything from anyone on the list; however, I was surprised not to see Ellison Sharpe of Dreher on it. I only saw one of her games but in that game I thought she really stood out.

I'm sure each team gets a pick. Group winners got 2 semi finalist 3 and winner 4, or something to that effect. Those schools not represented may not have turned in a form or contacted the tournament director with their selection.

Madison Fisher from Mauldin won the Tournament MVP.

Also, not taking anything away for the young women selected, but I was surprised Emerald’s #4 was not on the list. I caught her in the J.L. Mann/Emerald game – she really controlled the middle and played stifling defense. I also understand she was pivotal in Emeralds tie against HH in the opening game. (HH won in penalty kicks).

#4 from Emerald and Rachel Datz & Jamie Gillette from Fort Mill were the three best defenders I saw play last weekend.

Give me those three, a couple of halfway decent defensive midfielders, and I might be able to keep the CESA Premier U-17 girls scoreless for 80 minutes.

Each of us can probably name girls who contributed significantly to their teams this weekend but didn't make the All-Tournament team. Still, one player per team that didn't advance to semi-finals/finals seems reasonable. Otherwise we'd have an All-Tourney team of 60+ players.

Also, I know from previous experience (in this and other sports) that when two or more players on a team had equal tournament performance, the choice often goes to the player needing the most immediate visibility with college recruiters.

Good point buzz.

Let's fill in the blanks for the four schools the coaches left off.

Emerald - Erika Bishop
Northwestern - Kara Kelly
Chapin - Chapindad, all yours.
West Ashley - lpaf, please help.

TL Hanna - #46

WA, I didn't like TL Hanna's showing in the Viking Cup. They just looked sort of "absent", like they didn't really want to be there???

I just didn't think their heads were in the game the whole tournament. During the matches I kept asking myself, "Man, where is the real Hanna?" Especially in the semi's

Celtic9,

That is my question. And it wouldn't surprise me if the Chapin coach didn't turn anything. I really don't think anyone on Chapin turned in an all-tournament performance but I also saw several teams on that list that I didn't think deserved to be on the list either.

Chico,

I agree with you on Ellison (That was hard to say). I saw Dreher againist Lexington and she was the only player that I thought stood out in the game.

Just to let everyone know, the #4 player for Emerald is none other than Erika Bishop. Great all around player.

Thanks Keeper, I edited my previous post.

By the way, Erika can also play the "4" on my basketball team!

Each of the finalists got 3 players each, i believe. The semifinalists got 2 players each. All other teams got one player each.

Coaches could only select players from their team and there was a form in the coaches' packet that the coach had to turn into the field marshall after their final game.

Erika Bishop has committed to Wofford.

Good Luck Erica!

Good to see all you folks so concerned about Hanna. We are proud of our team too. See you in the playoffs. If you are there.

Jason --

Help me with the idea of Co-Head Coach. When I was at USC in the 70's they experimented with the idea of co-ed dorms, but the spelling is different. Are we talking teams of mixed sexes or coaches of mixed teams?

lpaf

ps: Congratulations on a good showing this weekend, as per my Tiger daughter.

T.L. Hanna wasnt even in the Viking Cup... why are ppl sayin tht " WA, I didn't like TL Hanna's showing in the Viking Cup. They just looked sort of "absent", like they didn't really want to be there???" and "I just didn't think their heads were in the game the whole tournament. During the matches I kept asking myself, "Man, where is the real Hanna?" Especially in the semi's" ... T.L. Hanna had their own tour. to host for the following weekend.. which was this past weekend... is anyone else confused?

Brace yourself now...are you ready...here it comes...IT WAS A JOKE! Old friends having a little laugh between one another.

The 2006 Taco Bell Viking Cup All-Tournament Team has been updated to include Dorman's Carmen Osorio. She was inadvertently left off the list submitted.

good job by Spring Valley once again!