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[dougroberson]

PENINSULA DISTRICT GIRLS SOCCER

BY JENNIFER L. WILLIAMS
jwilliams@dailypress.com

WHO WILL BE THE TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH?
Senior midfielder Kelsey Williams leads defending district champion Menchville. The Monarchs lost top returning forward Jessica Huntington to a torn ACL in last Wednesday’s Garvey tournament game. Gloucester returns seniors Alyx Carneal and Kate Ramsay in the midfield and goalkeeper Heidi Lancaster-Taylor, as well as juniors Courtney Collier, Kaitlyn Reynolds and Haley Overbay. Kecoughtan’s leaders are goalkeeper Catherine Perry, midfielder Sam Applin, senior Lauren Cato and freshman Mallory Middleton. Denbigh center midfielder Danielle Gunderson, first team all-district last season as a freshman, returns along with sophomore forward Sarah Manoso. Warwick’s Melissa Siewert, a sophomore midfielder, was second team all-district last season. Goalkeeper Gillian Bates is Bethel's top returner.

WHO WILL BE THE TOP SLEEPER PLAYERS OR TOP NEWCOMERS?
Menchville has three freshmen who will probably start in goalkeeper Leah Schaffer, midfielder Meredith McDowell and forward Jordan Snider. Monarchs sophomore Joan Burleson returns in the midfield after missing last season with a broken arm. Gloucester freshman Linsey Snavely, a midfielder, is her team's top newcomer. Also watch for Kecoughtan defenders Leigh Humphries and Whitney Moore, freshman Brittany Starek at center forward for Denbigh, and Warwick freshmen Shelby Philpott and Jessie Giffon.

WHAT WILL BE THE TOP TEAMS TO WATCH?
Four-time defending district champion Menchville and Gloucester should still be the top two, with Kecoughtan in contention. Menchville lost standouts Cara Howard, Jodi Knorowski and Samantha Brennan to graduation, and senior defender Hayley Hamadyk to a knee injury. Marcella Doreste, a junior midfielder, and forward Simone Barclay should be mainstays for the Monarchs. Gloucester sophomores Shelly Milks and Hannah Varnell return for a Dukes squad that lost all five of its defenders to graduation.

WHAT TEAMS MIGHT BE MOST IMPROVED OR SLEEPERS?
Denbigh, last season's fourth place finisher, has five freshmen and four sophomores as part of a roster that lists just one senior. Sweeper Brittany Schaller and forward Jessica Baraba are both juniors for the Patriots. Woodside, led by first-year coach Eduardo Timas, has two starters among its eight returners. Lauren Harris and Terra McDaniel will both be on defense for the Wolverines. Warwick has a new coach in Kathleen McCormack as part of a four-person staff all of whom played at Christopher Newport and last year's coach, Justin Chezem, is assisting. Alexis Raines, Jenny Frank, Rena Williams and Kaye Caburnay are keys for a Raiders program trying to qualify for the district tournament.

WHAT WILL THE DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP HINGE ON?
Menchville has become the team to beat, but losing two players to injury hurts them. Right now only Gloucester has the experience and depth to challenge the Monarchs, but others could emerge. Kecoughtan is always tough. Woodside, Warwick and Denbigh are trying to break into the upper echelon. The difference will be other teams' ability to match Menchville's offensive production as the season goes on.

[Sonny Dearth]

Oh no, not another knee injury. We've seen way too many of those. Groundskeepers, please keep those fields level. Let's not allow anybody to step in a hole this season.

Do we have any scores for the girl's games last night?

The only ones I saw were DHS and PHS and Warwick and HHS...

Do we have any feedback on the PD girl's teams, besides what the coaches sent in?

[whvgs03]

well now that everythings changed.

whats the stats. so far

warwick is 1-1 as far as i kno. due to the unfinished woodside game

thats all i really know.

[Lynn Burke]

Originally Posted by whvgs03

well now that everythings changed.

whats the stats. so far

warwick is 1-1 as far as i kno. due to the unfinished woodside game

thats all i really know.

We had this reported to us as a 0-0 tie. Will the match be picked up at a later date? If so, I'll pull the tie off the records.

Thanks .... Lynn

[whvgs03]

they told us the game would be rescheduled. but it was only like 4 min left. and we wouldve went into overtime, but due to the thunderstorms... idk. its probably a set tie. which im not happy about.... that game didnt go anywhere... but you gotta take what you can get.