April West Scores and analysis.

[CallMeCoach19]

No one follows of post on the 2A board either, so I will include those scores and other of note here.
Auburn 1-0 George Wythe: I was told this was a second half goal that George Wythe just had no real answer for. Good going out of Riner!
Giles 3-2 James River: This is a huge game in 2A West, but also a score many 1A schools should note as they generally play many 2A or 3A opponents throughout the season. Looks like two solid squads in a good solid match.
Blacksburg 4-1- Abingdon: Just worth mentioning. Don't miss a chance to watch Blacksburg play soccer...it is a thing of beauty!
Grayson 8-0 Grundy: I believe this is Grayson's first win this season...not saying a lot for Grundy...
TONS of games being played Tuesday, so hopefully some more 1A specific scores coming in then. And Radford takes on that formidable James River squad on Wednesday while Galax will play 2AGraham.

 

[vtscubasteve13]

Auburn scored on a Wythe own goal on a hard cross. Auburn keeper saved a penalty kick in the last 10 minutes of the game.

 

[swva_havok_fan]

I think Ridgeview's only win of the season to this point has been against Grundy, so Grundy must be horrid.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

I mean that is understandable. They aren't in a hotbed of soccer families out there. It certainly is a regional game.

 

[mmqp]

Parry McCluer 1 Narrows 0 last night.

Blues play at Waynesboro on Thursday.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

George Wythe fell to Glenvar 3-0. That's two straight losses for the Maroons in a row. Yikes. Hope they can work it all out.
Galax tied Graham 2-2 last night. After seeing both teams, this isn't all that surprising. Both offer a talented but flawed squad. They certainly have a few more kinks to work out.
Galax has Fort Chiswell and Giles next week...that Wednesday match with the Spartans will be a good one for sure.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

also from yesterday:
Radford falls to Northside in overtime. My knowledge of Northside is admittedly limited, but I don't recall them as a huge dominant force in any tournament I've been a part of. Radford may have a little adjusting to do, but still sound like they are offensively decent.
James River takes down Floyd. Floyd must also have some shooters. They put up good numbers just never quite enough to win at the final whistle.
Grayson loses to a developing Fort Chiswell team 2-1...could be a long year for the kids in Fries.

 

[swva_havok_fan]

Ridgeview lost to Honaker 3-1 earlier this week.

 

[OnceAKnight]

also from yesterday:
Radford falls to Northside in overtime. My knowledge of Northside is admittedly limited, but I don't recall them as a huge dominant force in any tournament I've been a part of. Radford may have a little adjusting to do, but still sound like they are offensively decent.
James River takes down Floyd. Floyd must also have some shooters. They put up good numbers just never quite enough to win at the final whistle.
Grayson loses to a developing Fort Chiswell team 2-1...could be a long year for the kids in Fries.

JR led 4-0 at half and the coach got sub happy in early in 2nd period, Floyd got 3 quick goals, one by a JR player. Starters came back in with with 20 min left and added another goal and shut down Floyd the rest of the way. It wasn't as close as the score indicated.

 

[vtscubasteve13]

Auburn defeated Altavista 5-2

 

[CallMeCoach19]

I saw that last night! That's a good result. That should make the Auburn v. Floyd match a really nice one today! Also Radford v. Glenvar will face off. This may be a good opportunity to see what Radford really has this year.
Galax plays Fort...not sure if we will learn much there, but Fort seems to be scoring a few this season. Pack the box, play to the corners, and something may happen.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

Good Soccer played last night.
Radford 2-1 Glenvar: It is a unusual prospect that neither of these teams are being talked about as serious squads this season. Radford is still a question mark though...and as I've said before-- Never count out a Radford team!
Auburn 3-0 Floyd: I expected the win for the Riner kids, but not the shut out. Good for them! I look forward to seeing that match with Giles Thursday. Been hoping to get a good idea of the quality of this team. Floyd is still a guess as well.
Galax 3-0 Fort Chiswell: My gut wants to say Coach Barkley pulled his guys back after they went up 3-0, but I wasn't there for sure. Fort is definitely working their way up to better things...this just may not be the season they get to enjoy the fruits of that labor.
Graham 8-0 Narrows: I'm trying to get all scores I can on here. Not much to mention. I have said my piece on Graham's style of soccer, but this result shouldn't shock anyone.

On an cool note Blacksburg 1-0 Pulaski: I did not see this close of a game. Anyone see it? Just wondering if Pulaski is a legit team or if they packed the box? More good games to come this week.

 

[vtscubasteve13]

What Auburn has this year more than years past is depth of athleticism. The soccer skill is coming along, but their ability to run with teams is their strength. Bath is getting better. Haven't seen Narrows, but I've heard even they are getting better. Soccer in southwest Virginia is definitely coming along

 

[CallMeCoach19]

I've spoken with the coach at Narrows. His hardest obstacle is getting students who actually want to play. Soccer had become a social gathering place in that school and not a real sport for about four-five year. Bath at one point was a solid program (even made the state tourney at one point or one game from it in 05-06 when it was actually hard to achieve)...let's hope they can return to form. We still have acres of catching up to do, but step one is to get some of these other schools to build programs. Have you heard any East Mont. rumors? That is a school that needs to give up on football and focus on second tier sports.

 

[soccergoob]

I have heard that East Mont. admins have 0 interest in starting a soccer program. I have heard that with their small numbers at the school they have issues simply fielding the spring sports that they have at the moment. Those are the reasons that I have heard. Not sure how true they are.

 

[mmqp]

I'm still blown away by the fact that Highland County fields a team

 

[soccergoob]

They have a team this season? I haven't seen them show up on any schedules. If they do, that is great!

 

[mmqp]

Actually Soccergoob, that is a good question. Finding a score for a Highland sports team is like finding a needle in a haystack while being blindfolded and blitzed Absinthe.

I've seen them pop up on PM's schedule (another difficult schedule to find!). I do not think they play a full schedule though.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

Galax 3-0 Giles: Galax is on form. Seem to have found Giles weakness and exploited it to a tee. Still high goals for Giles. If you have to take a 1A loss, I suppose the two time defending state champ is the best one to take the loss from.
Glenvar 2-1 George Wythe: I just can't get too on board with the Maroons this season. They seem to have a great difficulty in scoring goals as well as recording shutouts...Let's hope some kinks get worked out.

Tonight Radford will face Floyd and Auburn will travel to Giles. Fort Chiswell, Galax, and Rural Retreat are all in action as well.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

OK...first the Radford v. Floyd match is tonight. My bad, folks.

Fort Chiswell 6-0 Narrows: I wonder where Fort will end up in the MED...like it matters anymore. I could see them sneaking in at 2 or 3. I would like to see them play before getting to crazy though.
Marion 6-1 Rural Retreat: I'm sorry to sound so negative, but when is Marion going to live up to the hype the parents and players there sling about. They are a school capable of more. And before we say. "but they won." They did...against a struggling, fledgling club. However when you routinely lose to less talented (according to you) much smaller schools...
Giles 2-0 Auburn: Actually saw this game and spoke with a ref and Giles coach after. We all agree on a few things. 1. Auburns keeper is one of the best in our area in a long, long time. Without him that score would have been much worse. We are also impressed with him leadership on getting his team refocused. 2. Auburn's offensive attack is too predictable and not pragmatic enough. Not every play should be a long ball. At one point Giles defended for like five minutes with two at the back. 3. Giles is going to be a nasty team for a while. Nearly the entire squad is sophomore/freshman. Hopefully they learned a valuable lesson at Galax Wednesday. 4. Composure and control wins out. Temper Tantrums do not get you anywhere.
Also in 2A...James River 1-1 Alleghany: Ghany is a huge school and this is a good result for the Knights.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

No one follows of post on the 2A board either, so I will include those scores and other of note here.
Auburn 1-0 George Wythe: I was told this was a second half goal that George Wythe just had no real answer for. Good going out of Riner!
Giles 3-2 James River: This is a huge game in 2A West, but also a score many 1A schools should note as they generally play many 2A or 3A opponents throughout the season. Looks like two solid squads in a good solid match.
Blacksburg 4-1- Abingdon: Just worth mentioning. Don't miss a chance to watch Blacksburg play soccer...it is a thing of beauty!
Grayson 8-0 Grundy: I believe this is Grayson's first win this season...not saying a lot for Grundy...
TONS of games being played Tuesday, so hopefully some more 1A specific scores coming in then. And Radford takes on that formidable James River squad on Wednesday while Galax will play 2AGraham.

Radford beats Floyd 2-1. I have heard Floyd is athletic, quick, but lacks knowledge and finishing skill. Hope to see them soon to find out for sure. Radford is still up in the air. They are posting similar score lines as George Wythe against like opponents, and I believe GW is down. Things certainly won't be getting any easier for Radford. They face James River today, Galax tomorrow, then travel to Auburn on Thursday. Realistically they could squeak out two wins there...certainly not three. I doubt I get to a single game this week...adult life...but will be sure to get scores and relay some analysis I receive from credible sources. Good luck to all teams!

 

[OnceAKnight]

Radford up 1-0 at the break, 3-0 Radford final, congratulations they deserved the win

 

[CallMeCoach19]

Wow! Is Radford that solid, or are James River feeling the loss of some talent? That's a wider margin than I expected.
Also. Auburn takes Glenvar 4-2. Either Glenvar's defense and keeper play is spotty, or Auburn has diversified their attack.
GW loses 3-2 to a weak Grayson squad...yikes, Wytheville.
And Giles takes Floyd 6-1. Lots of goals going in last night for the Spartans in 2A

 

[vtscubasteve13]

Glenvar got an early goal. 1-0 at half. Auburn scored 3 straight. Glenvar got a PK to make it 3-2, then Auburn scored a late goal to make it 4-2. Auburn committed more to being patient offensively and it worked.

 

[OnceAKnight]

Wow! Is Radford that solid, or are James River feeling the loss of some talent? That's a wider margin than I expected.
Also. Auburn takes Glenvar 4-2. Either Glenvar's defense and keeper play is spotty, or Auburn has diversified their attack.
GW loses 3-2 to a weak Grayson squad...yikes, Wytheville.
And Giles takes Floyd 6-1. Lots of goals going in last night for the Spartans in 2A

Radford only lost to JR by 1 at JR so they are not a bad team by any means, JR is not really suffering from any talent loss just not one of their better performances this year. We do seem to suck on Monday's though. Whether it was Radford's fault or self induced who knows. Radford played a good game and JR didn't. They deserved to win.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

Radford takes down Galax 5-4 last night. It sounds like Radford trusted their fire power enough to allow some defensive give. It paid off. A bit shocked at the result. Radford has another game this week with a pretty good Auburn team. Then I believe Giles next week. That's a tough run of four games with James River earlier. I originally said Giles may win 2 or 3 this week, but I honestly figured they would drop one of the first two.
That was pretty much it for 1A last night. I'm gonna bet we see another Radford v. Galax match before it is all said and done.

 

[OnceAKnight]

JR played like it's capable of last night in taking out Floyd 5-0

 

[CallMeCoach19]

Good Deal. Most teams I have spoken with feel that Floyd is just good enough to keep from slaughter rule.

No one follows of post on the 2A board either, so I will include those scores and other of note here.
Auburn 1-0 George Wythe: I was told this was a second half goal that George Wythe just had no real answer for. Good going out of Riner!
Giles 3-2 James River: This is a huge game in 2A West, but also a score many 1A schools should note as they generally play many 2A or 3A opponents throughout the season. Looks like two solid squads in a good solid match.
Blacksburg 4-1- Abingdon: Just worth mentioning. Don't miss a chance to watch Blacksburg play soccer...it is a thing of beauty!
Grayson 8-0 Grundy: I believe this is Grayson's first win this season...not saying a lot for Grundy...
TONS of games being played Tuesday, so hopefully some more 1A specific scores coming in then. And Radford takes on that formidable James River squad on Wednesday while Galax will play 2AGraham.

Galax 11-0 Narrows: No great shock there, but probably a good time out for the Maroon Tide after that loss to Radford
Radford 2-0 Auburn: As I said, Auburn is a decent team, but will have a long way to go to beating teams of Radford's quality. They can, but its going to take work, gamesmanship, and speed (not sure if that last part will be there).
George Wythe 3-2 Fort Chiswell: I don't know what to say. Fort is building to something good. GW is floundering to find footing on a schedule that pretty much only boast Galax. I know they have athletes though, so it isn't over.
Also Giles 4-3 Glenvar: I was told this was a nail biter in Pearisburg. At one point Glenvar went up 3-1. Should have never happened, but Giles is a very young team, and young teams can be inconsistent. Also heard a freshman nailed the hat trick for Giles. They are good now, but just wait a year or two.

 

[coachb05]

The Galax/Narrows game was 8-0. Galax didn't score the last goal until about 10 minutes left in the game. It also took Galax around 20 minutes to get their first goal.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

I'm sorry you are correct. I was looking up several scores at once and got twisted around. And this is no condemnation of Narrows, but an honest appraisal. There is no comparison.

 

[coachb05]

Oh I understand! This is a team that is coming off of 2 straight titles against a team that has had 2ish wins in 2 seasons. I was just commenting on the game. I am honestly not understanding how Galax are continuing to get the results that they are getting. Their back line seems really shaky at times. Narrows were inside the 18 several times. They just lacked the finishing.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

Exactly right. I don't think they are the same Galax team from 14-15, but still a great opponent. I would look to see them in the state semi's, but I think the way past there will be pretty arduous.

 

[vtscubasteve13]

Interesting note: the way the playoffs are set up for 1A West, the winner of Conference 45 (Auburn/Radford) will face the winner of Conference 46 (George Wythe/Galax) in the Semi-finals

 

[CallMeCoach19]

Semi Finals for state: West2 v. East1
East2 v. West 1

 

[CallMeCoach19]

That's the semi I think about. If the 1A west has two one seeds playing in semi then that is terrible system.

 

[coachb05]

Interesting note: the way the playoffs are set up for 1A West, the winner of Conference 45 (Auburn/Radford) will face the winner of Conference 46 (George Wythe/Galax) in the Semi-finals

I think that what steve means is that 45 1 will play 46 2 and 46 1 will play 45 2 in the regional quarters and then 45 1 could meet 46 1 in the semis.

This means that of the top 4 teams in the west, only one will go to the state tournament.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

I'm following, but not liking. 1A West has been screwed for a while. First you would have a team with a WAY better record traveling to Honaker for a first round game then flip around and play the next day against a 1 seed (which occasionally you had a better record than.) Then this odd frame work that no one thinks is adequate. It is almost behooving to blow a game late in the season. I think in all sports there should be reseeding after conference play. Like NCAA tourney.

 

[vtscubasteve13]

No coachb. 46 Champion will play 47 runner up. Winner of that faces 45 champion. 46 runner up plays 47 champion. Winner faces 45 runner up.

 

[coachb05]

Ah ok. That makes a little more sense I suppose. Still a possibility that the 2 best teams won't be in the state tournament.

 

[CallMeCoach19]

And there's the flaw. The reward for being in a weak conference. Honaker soccer is miles apart from Radford, auburn, Galax, GW. it has been year in year out. Nothing against the kids, and it is a fun place to visit...but come on. If there aren't enough teams to support a real conference roll them over into another.