Raiders earn first round bye in conference playoffs; look to win it all

Published 11:00 am Wednesday, May 7, 2014

The Raiders Varsity Soccer team finished the regular season defeating the Brunswick Academy Vikings 6-1 at home on Friday with a record of 10-4 and second place in the VCC earning them a first round bye in the tournament.

The eight seniors on the team were recognized at halftime. From left to right, Johnny Tribbett, Alec Lippe, Colin Swenson, Greg Johnson, Dillon Matthews, Anna Carr, Todd Thorpe and Jake Ramey. -- CAIN MADDEN | TIDEWATER NEWS

The eight seniors on the team were recognized at halftime. From left to right, Johnny Tribbett, Alec Lippe, Colin Swenson, Greg Johnson, Dillon Matthews, Anna Carr, Todd Thorpe and Jake Ramey. — CAIN MADDEN | TIDEWATER NEWS

“I think the season went great,” said Head Coach Jamie Weist. “We still have high expectations to win it all, but we started the season with those expectations.”

Scoring on Friday were Alec Lippe with 2 goals, and Johnny Tribbett, Emery Weist, Colby Blythe and Seth Edwards with one goal each.

The eight seniors on the team were recognized by Coaches Weist and Adam Berryman at halftime. Most of the seniors have committed to attending various colleges/universities and several have made commitments to play soccer at their respective schools.

“It’s a testament to their hard work and dedication that they are able to play soccer at the collegiate level from a small school,” said Weist.

The Raiders will travel to Kenston Forest School on Wednesday for a 2:30 p.m. Semi-Final Match against the winner of the quarter-final game between BSH and Brunswick Academy.

“We feel like there is an opportunity here to win it all, as being a 2 seed with that first round bye is huge,” he said. “But we can’t look past (today’s) game.

“We are mainly trying to maintain focus. We’ve got eight seniors, and that’s a good thing from a leadership perspective, but they are also getting ready to graduate in three weeks,” he added with a laugh.

“There’s really nothing we can teach them, we’ve just got to make sure we stay focused. They know what to do.”

The conference finals will be at Kenston Forest School on Friday at 4:30 p.m.

The Raiders scored 52 goals this season and allowed 26.