The Mathews High School boys’ and girls’ soccer teams both posted wins in the first round of the regional tournament last Thursday, advancing to the regional semifinals.

Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, both teams came up short in Tuesday’s regional semis, resulting in the end of the season for the boys’ team. However, since the girls were playing in a combined Region 1A/1B tournament and ended up the season as one of the top eight teams in the state, they stay alive to play another day, advancing to the VHSL Class 1 state quarterfinals on Tuesday at West Point.

Girls

The Mathews High School girls’ soccer team started the regional playoff tournament with an 8-0 victory over Westmoreland High School last Thursday. Sophomore Lauren Johnson was the star of the show, scoring an incredible seven goals, while senior Kaylee Russell added another, completing the shutout win.

With the win, the first time the girls made it out of the opening round of the regional tournament, the MHS girls advanced to Tuesday’s semifinal game against West Point. The Lady Devils fell to the Pointers with a final score of 9-1. Johnson scored the lone goal for the Devils. In spite of the loss, the MHS girls will return to West Point on Tuesday for a rematch against the Pointers.

Boys

The MHS boys, meanwhile, kicked off their regional tournament run last Thursday with a decisive 5-1 victory over Westmoreland in front of a home crowd cheering the Devils on.

Elias Hidalgo scored a hat trick to lead the Blue Devil scoring, with Salvador Cardenas and Seth James providing the two other MHS goals.

Their next challenge was scheduled for Tuesday, as they traveled to the Eastern Shore to take on Northampton High School. MHS lost to the Yellow Jackets by a final score of 8-0, ending the game with 17 minutes left. The MHS boys ended their season from this loss, with a season record of 11-3.