Top-ranked Wando weathers Spring Valley
BY ANDREW MILLER, The Post and Courier

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Spring Valley certainly didn't look like a fourth-place team and the Vikings didn't play like one either Tuesday night against Wando.

Wando midfielder Andrew Eppelsheimer scored on a header and the Warriors' defense took care of the rest as top-ranked Wando beat Spring Valley, 1-0, in the opening round of the Class AAAA boys' soccer playoffs.

The Warriors, who improved to 23-1-1, will host West Florence, a 1-0 winner over Beaufort, Thursday night at 7:30. Spring Valley finished the season with a 15-9-1 mark.

The Vikings entered Tuesday's playoff game as the fourth seed in the playoff bracket, but gave the top-ranked Warriors all they could handle.

"Spring Valley is a great team," said Wando coach C.J. Rozzi. "They're a No. 4 seed, but they play in a great region. They came down here and won our preseason tournament back in February, so we knew they were a tough first-round opponent. It was great to come out of here with a victory because they're a very well-coached team. That was a hard-fought, clean game."

After a sluggish start, the Warriors, who are 11-0-1 in one-goal games this season, got their attack going and finished the match with a 14-5 edge in shots.

"We struggled early in the game. We gave up some chances, but I thought we settled down after about the first 10 or 15 minutes," Rozzi said. "We probably didn't finish as well as we could have. We started to create some chances and I thought we got more and more dangerous as the game went on."

The Warriors, who have given up just eight goals all season, were dominant on defense. When the Vikings did manage to mount an attack, senior sweeper Joe Semsar was usually there to clean up the mess.

"We've been solid defensively all season," Rozzi said. "We're very young defensively, but we're starting to play better together. Joe's a senior captain and he plays like one when he's out there."

Wando keeper Taylor Hopkins recorded his 17th shutout of the season and his eighth in the last nine games for the Warriors.

After a scoreless first half, Eppelsheimer scored off a corner kick when he headed the ball past the Sumter keeper.

"It was just persistence on Andrew's part to get that goal," Rozzi said.

The Vikings had a chance to tie the game in stoppage time, but Hopkins came up with the save on Chase Rowell's header.

Second-half rally falls short for James Island
PHILIP M. BOWMAN, Post and Courier

His roster includes 15 freshmen and sophomores, and only two seniors. But Dutch Fork High School boys' soccer coach Wayne Quinlan doesn't wistfully look to the future. He lives in the present.

"I know everybody says we are young and to wait 'til next year," Quinlan said. "But I've said it all along: This year is this year. There's nothing in the rule book that says a young a team can't win the state championship."

The Silver Foxes didn't win the Class AAAA state title Tuesday night. But they took their first step with a 2-1 victory over James Island at Memorial Stadium. Dutch Fork (16-7-1) plays at at South Florence on Thursday. South Florence advanced with a penalty kick shootout decision over Fort Dorchester. James Island finished 16-5-1.

"Early in the season, we won a lot of close games because we played good defense, and that's the reason we won tonight," Quinlan said. "We were young at the beginning of the season, but those freshmen and sophomores now have some good experience."

The Silver Foxes took a 1-0 lead in the first half when Mark Hutto scored on an assist by Steven Goulet. The visitors made it 2-0 when Mark Ryan scored from 30 yards in the 50th minute.

The Trojans, who missed two scoring chances in the first 10 minutes of the match, finally got on the board in the 67th minute when Devin Moynihan scored.

Less than 10 minutes later, the Trojans had another golden opportunity when Lea Holiday triggered a shot from 25 yards that had enough zip. But sophomore keeper Joey Scribner-Howard got a hand on the ball, deflecting the shot.

In the 77th minute, James Island had one last chance, but Scribner-Howard was able to stop two shots by Ryan McCracken, including one from inside the 6-yard box.

James Island also fielded a young team this year, with only two seniors on its 22-man roster. The team went 11-10 last year in coach Todd Robinson's first season at the helm, and increased the win total by five games in 2005.

"We had to overcome some adversity early in the year, and I'm proud the way we progressed," Robinson said. "A lot of people were counting us out early, and I commend the kids for their season. The hard work and discipline paid off. There were times tonight when we were in control. But we couldn't stop them from doing the things they needed to do."


Stephens, Wagamon spark Summerville rout
ROGER LEE, The Post and Courier

SUMMERVILLE -- Summerville's Green Wave doused Sumter's playoff run in the opening round of the Class AAAA playoffs with a 4-0 shutout of the Gamecocks.

Summerville senior Brad Stephens accounted for all but one goal, scoring with shots in the 12th, 46th and 47th minutes. Goalkeeper Brandon Wagamon played the duration for the shutout. The junior made one save in the first half and two in the second, just like Sumter keeper Daniel Nesbit.

Summerville played superior defense, allowing Sumter only one shot on goal in the opening half and five in the second half. Gamecocks senior Brian Przybyla took all six shots. Summerville managed 16 shots on goal during the game.

In the opening minutes, Summerville had some nice looks at the goal but couldn't convert until Stephens outmaneuvered a Sumter defender and scored an unassisted goal. The Green Wave had a few more well-executed attacks in the half that were foiled by Sumter defenders.

In the 46th minute, midfielder John Griffith passed to Stephens, who scored his second goal with a quick shot. Less than a minute later, Stephens added his second unassisted score of the match.

In the 49th minute, midfielder Keenen Miller set up John Griffith for a tap-in and a 4-0 lead.

Summerville (17-5-2) won its sixth straight. Sumter finished 13-7. Thursday, the Green Wave will face Irmo.