GREENVILLE — Riverheads’ Brendan Desmond doesn’t show up in many game stats. But the Gladiator senior leaves his prints in nearly every part of the pitch.
Tuesday was no exception as the Gladiators won an important 2-0 match against visiting Buffalo Gap in Shenandoah District soccer action.

The midday sun’s glare was relentless on the pitch at Waynesboro. A breeze intermittingly swept across the field and feathered the jagged grass. It was a perfect time to discuss the Waynesboro boys soccer squad, its solid year and its playoff run.

STUARTS DRAFT — Sit back, relax and play it cool. That’s what Riverhead forward Chris Key and Stuarts Draft keeper Matt Sundeen demonstrated after they both committed to play soccer at Ferrum College next season.
“It feels good that somebody wants you to play for them,” Sundeen said. “I thought it would be fun and a good opportunity to play college soccer.”
Sitting with Sundeen was long-time friend Key, he was unruffled as he talked about the beginning of his colligate career.

STUARTS DRAFT — Keeper Matt Sundeen said earlier in the week that he was going to finish his senior year for Draft well. After the Cougars 1-0 shutout against Spotswood on Friday night showed that he was true to his word.
“It was a hard fought game on both ends,” Sundeen said. “But our defense was there and we made it happen, especially defenders Josh Coble and Chris Mahanes, fought hard all night.”

Waynesboro’s Martin Mandujano made his last regular-season game a memorable one.
Less than a minute into the game, the lightning-quick Mandujano stole a Fort Defiance pass, broke away from the field and finessed a shot past Indians’ keeper Derek Uhler.

FISHERSVILLE – Everything was there in the match between Wilson Memorial and Buffalo Gap on Tuesday, but after a double overtime the two teams stayed tied at 0-0.
Both teams were equally matched in height, speed, and aggression, but Wilson had one thing over Gap, conditioning. After about 10 minutes of play the Bison were already feeling the impact of the quick-footed Hornets.

Waynesboro pulled ahead early and held on late to maintain an 8-3 win over Robert E. Lee on Tuesday in Waynesboro.
Less than three minutes into the game, Mark Ostrander scored on a Martin Mandujano assist to give the Little Giants a 1-0 advantage. The Little Giants stayed aggressive throughout the first half scoring seven goals in the first 21 minutes of the first half.

FISHERSVILLE – They were not going to allow the Wilson Memorial boys soccer team to clinch the Shenandoah District.
At least, not on the Gladiators’ watch.
Riverheads (11-3, 2-2 Shenandoah) went toe-to-toe on the pitch Friday night, scoring a 3-1 win over Wilson. The sounds from the Riverheads’ bench sounded as if the Pride had won the district, even if the Green Hornets are only a win or tie away.

GREENVILLE – Riverheads’ speed and height gave it the edge over Wilson Memorial in its 3-1 victory on Friday.
Both sides started off slow and sluggish, though the Gladiators controlled the ball on the offensive side throughout most of the first half. The game was looking like the last time the two teams met, which ended in a 2-2 tie after double overtime.

It took 40 minutes for Waynesboro to find its game, but once it did the Little Giants unleashed a fierce offensive attack.
“We just didn’t play well [in the first half],” said Waynesboro coach Robin Hersey. “We didn’t pass the ball or trap the ball. We didn’t do anything that has led to our success all year.”

No flash. No dash. No cameras.
Just another student heading off to college to play soccer. It was quiet affair that mirrored the personality of Alex Wood, the Bridgewater-bound Stuarts Draft boys soccer player.

Go ahead and ask Deidre Deacon where one of those vaunted underclassmen is. Ask her which one would be good to talk to — you know, give you the whole scoop on why, all of a sudden, Wilson Memorial girls soccer sports nine sophomores and freshmen on its roster. Why they are producing. Why, when local soccer fans talk about the Green Hornet girls, they curl their lips and give you that wait-until-next-year smirk.

In a close battle on the pitch Waynesboro came back from a one goal, first half deficit to pick up a narrow win over their former Valley District rivals from Bridgewater.
Turner Ashby never allowed the Little Giants to catch their breath and responded to Waynesboro’s physical defense only to fall victim to the purple and gold steamroller 3-2 in non-district action.

STUARTS DRAFT – Pressure, pressure, and more pressure — that’s what the Cougars girls’ soccer team used to shutout Rockbridge 3-0 on Tuesday night.
“We have a great defense. Rachel Barlow, Lauren Anderson and Leigh Ann Coble played excellent defense for us,” said. Stuarts Draft coach Danielle Christian “I am lucky to have a defense like this, and we did very well. We capitalized on a lot of our defensive moves.”

FORT DEFIANCE – It was not luck that gave Fort Defiance its victory over Stuarts Draft girls’ soccer team on Friday night.
It did not happen by chance that the Indians struck gold and won its sixth game of the season, winning 1-0 over the Cougars. Indian coach Jon McClure doesn’t believe in pulling rabbits from hats either.

FISHERSVILLE – Speed and team chemistry was the name of the game for Wilson Memorial in its 8-1 win over Buffalo Gap on Friday.
The Hornets controlled the ball and the pace throughout the game. The Wilson offense gave Gap’s keeper Tommy Dillard a run for his money with numerous attempts at the goal.

STUARTS DRAFT – Acrobatics were displayed on the pitch between Fort Defiance and Stuarts Draft on Thursday night. Both team’s keepers had a night of leaping and throwing their bodies at the ball, and received many “ooh’s and ahh’s” from the bleachers but in the keeper showdown Fort (4-4, 2-1 Southern Valley) took the 1-0 victory at Draft.