Three-way tie for title -- Wildcats' victory over Trojans produces split championship WEST ASHLEY 3, JAMES ISLAND 1
BY PHILIP M. BOWMAN, The Post and CourierThe West Ashley High School girls' soccer team grabbed a share of the Region 7-AAAA championship with a 3-1 victory at James Island on Tuesday night. But that's not the only thing the Wildcats gained with the victory, which was witnessed by approximately 600 fans at Memorial Stadium.
"Momentum. It's all about momentum when you're heading into the playoffs," West Ashley coach Drew McNeely said. "Momentum is one of those magical ingredients. It's when athletes feel good about themselves and the team because things are going right. It's when the kids believe they can prevail."
James Island posted an impressive victory at Wando on Friday night and needed to defeat West Ashley to claim its first conference title outright. But West Ashley won, splitting the title three ways. James Island, West Ashley and Wando all own 8-2 records after Tuesday's matches.
McNeely said James Island will get the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, which begin Monday. McNeely said it's too close to determine whether his Wildcats or Wando is the No. 2 seed.
"Everything is due in the High School League office by Thursday," McNeely said. "It's going to come down to tie-breakers, and every region has a different set of tie-breakers. All this does is complicate things."
West Ashley (19-4), which won state titles in 2002 and '03, jumped to a 1-0 lead when state player of the year Julie Bolt scored. But the Trojans rallied when senior midfielder Lisa Frawley scored in the 29th minute off an assist from Kelly Gosnell. Gosnell just missed a goal two minutes later. It was one of many misses, one of numerous chances the Trojans couldn't capitalize on as they fell to 18-3 overall.
The Trojans had 18 shots to West Ashley's 15, but West Ashley was able to get the ball in the net two times in the second half.
The Wildcats' Alexis Brothers gave her team a 2-1 lead with a goal in the 53rd minute, and the Trojans had another golden opportunity 16 minutes later. But the Trojans let it slip away.
The Trojans got off a shot that West Ashley keeper Alechia Brothers knocked down, but could not stop as the ball got behind her. The ball rolled slowly to the vicinity of the net, and it gently hit the upright, bounced away and was finally cleared by the Wildcats.
In the 68th minute, Gosnell drilled a shot that Brothers knocked down. The ball was loose, but there were no Trojans around for a follow-up and the Wildcats had dodged another attempt.
Danielle Jordan closed out the scoring with a 30-yard free kick in the 70th minute of the match.
"It was a spirited match," McNeely said. "It could have gone either way. James Island is a very talented and athletic team. After we came out for the second half, we saw that we could play with them. We came back and played well. We've had a hard time scoring goals this year. Obviously, when you score a goal, you get momentum."
And a share of the Region 7-AAAA title.
Eagles sweep DolphinsBy AARON HATFIELD, The Beaufort GazetteDrama is what Jeremy Videtto called it.
Whatever it is, it comes out when either Battery Creek High School or Beaufort High School crosses the bridge and comes a-calling.
Their rivalry is on perma-simmer, always ready to boil over whenever and wherever the feuders meet. Tuesday night they met on the Beaufort soccer pitch. And Tuesday night, the rivalry boiled yet again, punctuated by red and yellow cards.
In between the opening whistle and the spate of whistles that marred the end of the match, the Eagles scored two first half goals and held off the Dolphins for a 2-0 triumph.
Of course, goals, wins and losses weren't first and foremost afterward.
And of course the opinions proferred varied depending on the side of the bridge from which they originated.
"It started getting out of hand," Battery Creek coach Philippe Leveille said. "The referees lost control a long time ago. They never took control of the game. Kids were getting upset, hot-heads start fouling. This is what happens.
"They're a pretty good team. As far as other things, they're lacking there. As far as good players, they've got good players on their team. It's unfortunate that they don't have the complete package."
Beaufort coach Jon Greenlee said, "I was proud of our guys, they kept their composure. Some of the things you saw that were not identified with soccer, were not by the Beaufort kids, which made me very happy. We tried to keep our composure and do the best. I think we rose above it tonight, we did."
Agree to disagree. Until next time.
As for the match itself, Grayson Weatherford assisted on both of Videtto's goals and Erik Jarimillio and Thomas Moona combined on the shutout for the Eagles (8-6, 5-3 Region 8-AAAA).
"They do have good chemistry now, moving the ball back and forth," Greenlee said of the Weatherford-to-Videtto combination. "We try to go side-to-side more than we go north-south. I think both of our goals tonight were because we went to the side and then back in, as opposed to trying to go north-south right through the middle."
Twice Weatherford delivered perfect crosses to Videtto.
At which point, with just the goalie to beat, "I'm just worried about that last defender trying to take me out," Videtto said.
Twice Videtto converted, providing the final margin.
The Eagles established the tempo early, forcing the issue in the Dolphins' end. But with Cory Ruge making stops, BC tried to transition to offense with long hit-aheads to its speedy forwards.
However, at the other end, the Dolphins' forwards couldn't solve Beaufort sweeper Will Montgomery.
"He's the man," Videtto said. "He gives 110 percent every day."
Leveille concurred: "Like I said before, he's a good player. He really knows what he's doing back there."
The Eagles' 1-0 lead grew to 2-0 in stoppage time of the first half and from there, rivals were rivals.
"Actually, I think it was a bit elevated tonight," Videtto said of the lightly-termed drama.
BEAUFORT GIRLS 6, BATTERY CREEK 0
In the first match of the intra-city doubleheader, Bailey Morris scored three goals to deliver the Lady Eagles a 6-0 triumph and season sweep of Battery Creek.
Lane Nelson added a pair of goals for Beaufort (5-10), which plays a makeup game against Fort Dorchester today. Catherine Drew chipped in a goal and Molly Somers had an assist.
Amanda McDougall turned back four shots to earn the shutout.
Lady Cougars nip Rock HillBy Staff Reports The Herald York outshot Rock Hill, 3-1 on overtime penalty kicks to take the Region 3-AAAA victory Tuesday at Rock Hill High School.
Ericka Webb and Eliana Zamora had goals in regulation for for the Lady Cougars.
Rock Hill's Lauren Hargett hit a goal at the 74 minute mark on an assist from Charity Blackwell totie the game and force the penalty kick overtime.
Strong finish -- HHH boys, girls pound Colleton CountyBY VICKI NEEDHAM, The Island Packet The Hilton Head High School boys soccer team was a little preoccupied on Tuesday night in a 12-0 drubbing of Colleton County in the Seahawks' final regular-season game.
A 2-0 loss to Summerville on the road Monday night put the Seahawks into a tie for first with the Green Wave in Region 8-AAAA, placing Hilton Head High into a holding pattern until a winner is determined through a four-pronged playoff system.
The first step is to look at head-to-head games -- the conference rivals split during the regular season, each beating the other 2-0.
Next, the winning percentage of each team excluding tournaments is weighed. If Hilton Head High and Summerville are still tied, the third step is comparing winning percentage including tournaments. If no winner can be determined at that point, the decision goes to a coin toss.
Either way, the Seahawks, who are ranked sixth in Class 4-A three spots higher than No. 9 Summerville, get a week off to prepare for a home playoff game next Tuesday as the No. 1 or 2 seed.
That game, regardless of who the Seahawks play, was the focus of Hilton Head High coach Jose Pumarejo on Tuesday night.
Pumarejo intends to keep the Seahawks (17-5-2, 9-1) busy with a heavy dose of conditioning, passing and scoring drills, as they wait to hear their fate.
"We still have a lot of work to do," said Pumarejo, the second-year coach whose team lost in the Lower State semifinals to Irmo last year. "We need to fine tune and work on setting ourselves to shoot."
The Seahawks overcame a clunky start, where chemistry was the biggest question mark. But Hilton Head High has gradually come together as a team.
"Anytime you lose as many players as we lost from last year it makes it hard," Pumarejo said. "They had to get to know each other and I had to try them at different positions and in different combinations to see what would work."
But teamwork wasn't a problem on Tuesday against the Cougars, as the Seahawks took shots at will, and nine Seahawks hit for 12 goals, including a couple scored by players brought up from the junior varsity.
Carlos Chirinos, Cristian Gandini, and Chris Sankowski each scored twice, while Nico Moreno, Jason Chiaverini, Josh Taylor, Paul Vecchione, Ronnie Orosco and Diego Zanandreas all had one goal apiece.
HHH 7, Colleton County 2
The girls game wasn't as close as the 3-2 halftime score indicated. But the Lady Seahawks went ahead and piled on four second-half goals, never looking back in a win over the Lady Cougars.
Lara Caudy, Laura Buonaiuto and Emily Delozier each had two goals for the Lady Seahawks and Ericka Schaller had one as Hilton Head High improved to 11-5 and 8-2.
The Lady Seahawks will open the playoffs at home Monday as the region's No. 2 seed and will most likely play a third seed from Region 6-AAA, which could be Sumter or Hartsville.
Hilton Head High lost two region games this season, once to Summerville on Monday while the other loss came to Fort Dorchester.
But the Lady Seahawks lost more than two region games -- they lost two seniors for the season both with ACL tears -- defender Lizzie Hubbard and midfielder Charlotte Carroll.
So while the Lady Seahawks head into the playoffs down two key players, coach Mike Parkey was encouraged by Tuesday night's win, not for the number of goals scored, but for the style of play.
"We had been missing something the past three or four games, I think really since that win at home against Summerville," he said. "I think we'd lost some confidence and we weren't playing our kind of soccer. But tonight everything clicked."
Riverside slips by Greenville
http://news.greenvilleonline.com/news/sports/hs03/site/greenvilleonline/preps.php?pagename=story&rc=y&storyid=63281BHS girls fall short in 3-2 loss
http://www.beaufortgazette.com/local_sports/story/4800918p-4417205c.html HHH girls edge Beaufort High -- Lady Seahawks bounce back from loss, injuries
http://www.islandpacket.com/sports/hhhigh/story/4800923p-4417210c.html Looking for No. 1 -- Lady Dolphins win key contest vs. HHCA girls
http://www.islandpacket.com/sports/hhprep/story/4797299p-4414355c.html Brown, Gray star for Eagles -- Weather forces tie for HHCA boys
http://www.islandpacket.com/sports/hhca/story/4800928p-4417208c.htmlCavaliers again win regionThe Dorman Cavaliers won their sixth straight conference title under head coach Carlos Osorio with a 2-0 win at Mauldin on Monday.
It was the second time the Cavaliers, ranked 11th, had defeated 12th-ranked Mauldin.
"It says a lot when you can go undefeated in this region. There's some good, tough teams," Osorio said.
Dorman shared the region title with Spartanburg last year, but the other five have been outright.
After starting the season with a 4-3 record, Dorman has won 12 of its last 14 matches.
Osorio said his team took its lumps early and he thought it might hurt his young team, but they responded and continued the tradition.
"They believe in the program. The legacy and tradition that other guys left before them -- that's big," Osorio said.
Dorman was outshot 14-6, but the defense of Wyatt Rosenlund, Josh Creech, Talon Stroud, Evan Koenig and goalkeeper Matt Essman shut out Mauldin. Essman had 11 saves.
"These five boys have anchored the defense," Osorio said.
Brian Pedrick scored the first goal for Dorman late in the first half, by taking a pass from Luke Dimaggio and bodying the ball into the net.
The second goal was scored late in the match, by Vincent Thao, on a pass from Bradley Scott.
"It was a battle. We knew it was going to be extremely hard because they are very good," Osorio said. "We got a little bit of luck and you need that but we created a little of that."
Dorman boys, girls defeat SpartanburgROB LANDRETH, For the Herald-Journal ROEBUCK -- Senior night at most schools is a night of honor for players. At Dorman Friday night it was aptly named, as the seniors from both the boys and girls soccer teams dominated arch-rival Spartanburg.
Dorman's Rachael Koenig and Michelle Price, the only seniors on the Lady Cavaliers squad, each scored goals and led the Cavaliers to a 4-1 victory, while Brian Pedrick and Luke DiMaggio added a goal apiece as the boys squad earned 3-0 shutout.
"We wanted to come out here and play well," said Koening, who choked back tears afterwards.
Early on it didn't look so good for the Lady Cavaliers.
After losing to the Vikings 3-0 on March 29, the Cavaliers watched Spartanburg pick up right where they left off.
Anne Breeden gave the Vikings (11-8, 5-4 Region II-4A) a 1-0 lead just one minute into the game with a shot into left corner of the net past goalkeeper Jillian Dyer.
But that was the last lead the Vikings would have.
Dorman Freshman Alix Zongrone tied the game at 1 at the 34-minute mark.
Junior Julia Chapman then gave the Cavaliers (10-9-1, 4-5) the lead for good with a shot from 25-yards out that went over the head of the Vikings goalkeeper and into the back of the net for a 2-1 advantage.
"They just sent it out to me and I hit it," Chapman said. "We wanted to win this for the seniors."
Pedrick and DiMaggio came through when needed the most for the Cavalier boys (14-3, 9-0).
Leading 1-0 after a sloppy first half, Pedrick got the Cavaliers rolling just a few minutes into the second half.
He took a pass from Vincent Thao and slid the ball into the Vikings (5-12, 1-6) net for the 2-0 lead.
"Brian's done well, but he hadn't been starting," Dorman coach Carlos Osorio said. "He was going to start tonight and that goal set the tone."
B-E takes 6-1 soccer win over CougarsBY TRAVIS BOLAND, T&D Sports Writer CORDOVA — Prior to Monday night's match-up between the Edisto Cougars, ranked tenth in Class 2-A, and the Bamberg-Ehrhardt Red Raiders, ranked seventh in Class A, Edisto recognized five players that would be playing their last regular season game as Cougars. Three players from the girl's team would also be recognized, but the seniors couldn't go out on top as they fell 6-1 to the Red Raiders.
Edisto came out fired up, and pushed the ball down field on the Red Raider defense. The Cougars, playing without two starters due to red cards from Thursday's game, got on the board first, less than four minutes in Judd Bolen beat the Red Raider goalie on a rebound after his first shot was deflected.
Bamberg-Ehrhardt, playing their patented "boom ball," put pressure on the Cougar backfield for most of the evening. Using their speed, the Red Raiders put themselves in position, but couldn't break through against Edisto goalie John Ihme.
The Red Raiders' first chance to tie the score came at the 26-minute mark of the first half on a penalty kick. The Cougars were called for a push inside the goalie box, and the Red Raiders were given a free kick. The shot was blocked by Ihme and the rebound was shot wide.
With just under 10 minutes to play in the first half, the Cougars were called for their second infraction inside the goalie box, this time a hand-ball, that allowed another penalty kick. This time the Red Raiders made it count as Kevin Fisk knocked the ball into the back of the net to tie the score at 1-1.
Bamberg-Ehrhardt would grab the lead just before half-time as Que Verner turned and fired a shot from 40-yards out that grazed Ihme's hands and fell into the back of the goal giving the Red Raiders a 2-1 half-time lead.
"We had to get back into the game, and that second goal really woke us up," Red Raider head coach Dan Reynolds said. "We're fast, we may not have much skill, but we're fast. Sometimes it looks like rec-league soccer, but we're able to get the job done."
Bamberg-Ehrhardt came out and dominated the second half, getting to loose balls and knocking in goals on rebounds. The Red Raiders scored their third goal at the 30-minute mark when Donald Akin took a throw in and put the ball past Ihme for a 3-1 lead. Akin notched his second goal of the game just two minutes later on another throw-in into the box that he was able to knock past Ihme.
The Cougars struggled to mount an attack in the second half as the Red Raiders put up two more goals late in the game. With just under 15 minutes left in the game, Jamar Johnson turned from 15-yards out and placed a ball in the corner of the goal, and Rodney Lewis finished off the scoring in stoppage time on a run down the left side of the field. Lewis took a pass and knocked home the goal making the final score 6-1.
"We know that Bamberg-Ehrhardt is a quality team that knows how to run their set plays," Edisto head coach Andy Palmer said.
"They're the type of team that keeps pressure on you with their speed, but we played hard tonight. They did a good job tonight."
Bamberg-Ehrhardt (10-2) will face Wade-Hampton at home today while the Cougars (9-9) have finished the regular season and will wait for Friday when the Class 2-A play-off bracket will be announced.
1st 2nd Final
Edisto 1 0 1
Bamberg-Ehrhardt 2 4 6
GOAL SUMMARY
1st Half
36:04 - Judd Bolen (Edisto)
9:15 - Kevin Fisk (Bamberg-Ehrhardt) PK
2:00 - Que Verner (Bamberg-Ehrhardt)
2nd Half
29:50 - Donald Akin (Bamberg-Ehrhardt)
27:33 - Donald Akin (Bamberg-Ehrhardt)
14:16 - Jamar Johnson (Bamberg-Ehrhardt)
2:00 - Rodney Lewis (Bamberg-Ehrhardt)
Lady Yellow Jackets lose to Clover, still make playoffsCLOVER — Union lost the battle, but lives to fight another day.
Clover defeated Union’s varsity girls’ soccer team 1-0 on Thursday. The Jackets thought they had to beat Clover to make the playoffs, turns out they didn’t and will travel to AC Flora on May 2.
Clover scored its goal late in the second half for the win. The Lady Blue Eagles had 13 shots on goal. Lee Cantey had nine saves for Union.
The Lady Jackets appeared to score on a rebound off a penalty kick, but the score was taken away because a defender did not touch the ball before the shooter took the shot.
Union had 19 shots on goal. Forwards Ashley Meador and Brooke Jackson kept the pressure on Clover’s defense most of the night.
Midfielders Erin Wendel, Jenny Johnson, Susan Dunbar and Katie Hamett played well offensively and defensively; fullbacks Anna Malone, Barclay Drum, Julie Guess and Sarah Polk also played well; and substitutes Heather Nicholson and Charlotte Greene gave quality minutes, coach Terry Drum said.
“Almost all aspects of our game were on,” he said. “I was very proud of their play; they never gave up. “We played with a passion most of the game. If we could keep that level of play for 80 minutes, we would be hard to beat.” Union (11-7, 3-6) travels to Newberry today.
Union JV
CLOVER — The junior varsity girls’ soccer team also lost to Clover. The Eagles won 6-0. “The experience of Chester showed,” said Drum. “We are very young, but have improved since the beginning of the season.” Drum experimented at goalkeeper to give younger players game time, which resulted in several goals. “I felt the young ladies interested in playing this position in the future needed to see what it is like in game conditions,” he said. It was the last JV game of the season and several players will move up to the varsity practice team. “Hopefully with camps and individual attention, the girls will bounce back next season,” said Drum. “It’s going to take commitment to do so.”
