Soccer teams make progress as the season progresses

There is about a month of football left until the postseason begins in South Carolina, but even with another week of games, the standings for the men's and women's sides remain roughly the same.

Several teams around Lexington County are at or near the top of the regional rankings and would like to stay there and earn a better spot in the state playoffs.

The River Bluff, Swansea and Batesburg-Reedsville boys teams are off to a strong start in the first half of the season and will start the week with the best records in the conference. The Gators have won two games in conference play, the Tigers are 4-1 through five conference games and the Panthers are off to an 8-2 start.

Although Dutch Fork didn't take first place, it remains the only undefeated team in the county at 14-0. The Silver Foxes are 1-0, trailing River Bluff by a half-game in conference games.

The race for the 5A Region 4 crown heats up this week as teams begin their second week of local games. Dutch Fork and River Bluff were scheduled to face each other on March 26, after the Chronicle's reporting deadline.

Lexington split its conference openers last week, winning against White Knoll and losing to River Bluff. The Timberwolves struggled from the start, starting 0-3 in region play.

Batesburg-Reedsville begins this week facing a chance to win its second consecutive regional title. The team has two games against Fox Creek, and if they win both, the Panthers will clinch at least a share of the region crown, regardless of how the rest of the teams finish.

Swansea, Gilbert and Brookland Cayce remain first, second and third in the 3A Region 5 standings.

The Tigers have played in the most games with a record of 4 wins and 1 loss, but Gilbert is close to that with 2 wins and 1 loss. The two teams are scheduled to meet on March 28th in what could be a momentum-building contest.

This match has the potential to be a thriller, similar to the previous meeting between the two teams. The Tigers and Indians faced off on March 12, with Gilbert winning 4-3 in overtime.

The Gray College War Eagles, who have transitioned to a team that has no concerns about regional play, have an 11-1-2 record in a season unlike any they have ever played.

The War Eagles returned from a tournament trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, early last week to face Dreher, winning 2-0. Noah Mitchell and David Andrade scored for Gray.

The women's season is starting in a similar fashion to the men's.

Chapin and Airport started the week at the top of the conference standings and look dominant every time they take the field.

Airport, a team that controls the game both offensively and defensively, is in the lead. The team conceded a goal for the first time in nearly two weeks with a 15-1 win against Westwood on March 18.

The Eagle offense is led by the Coleman sister duo, Vanessa and Victoria. The two have combined for 42 goals this season.

The 5A Region 4 Girls Conference has five to six games left, with every team within at least two games still having a chance to participate.

Chapin has a total of 2 wins and 0 losses, with a record of 14 wins, 1 loss, and 2 draws. Lexington is close behind at 2-1 overall, 10-3-0, followed by River Bluff, Dutch Fork and White Knoll.

performance at scale

Vanessa Coleman It was a solid week for Airport, with two goals and two assists against Southern Florence and five goals and two assists against Airport.

Gerardo Vera Gilbert scored four goals in the Indians' 9-1 win over Denmark-Oler.

Kinley Mosley He had three goals and one assist to lead Gilbert to the win over Brookland-Casey.

angel garcia herardo He scored four goals in two games last week between Batesburg and Reidsville's Silver Bluff.

jewel rivers Last week, he had six goals and two assists to lead Swansea to a 3-0 record.

Featured games

Gilbert vs Swansea Boys — March 28 — 7 p.m.

Lexington vs. Dutch Folk Girls — March 28 — 5:30 p.m.

south aiken airport — March 28 — 7 p.m.

Gray University vs. Greenbrier Men's — March 29 — 7 p.m.