Chesapeake Girls Dominate In Region Final, Advance To 3A State Quarterfinals

The Chesapeake girls soccer team dominated play against visiting Northeast to claim the 3A South Region II final 6-2 on October 29.

The Cougars controlled possession and relentlessly pushed the ball forward leading to a perfect hat-trick for senior Ashley Chew and a brace for junior Brooke Hurst. Freshman Ella Shannon capped the scoring for CHS late in the second half.

With goals from the right foot, head and left foot, Chew and her teammates have worked hard and are peaking at the perfect time of year.

“It’s been a fun season for me. It’s been exciting,” said Chew, who has 22 goals on the season. “I’ve been working on my shot a lot and finishing more and more and more.”

Midfield senior Leia Black hasn’t missed a minute of action in four years as a starter at CHS and simply wanted to keep fighting for a chance at a state title.

“I just wasn’t ready for it to end yet, and I know none of us wanted it to end,” Black said. “I play club soccer, but I’m not playing college or anything so these are my last opportunities to play and really have fun.”

Cougars head coach Kevin Keeter is thrilled for his four seniors and proud of his team’s effort and determination throughout the year.

Keeter told his team, “A whole lotta soccer teams started the season wanting to be right where we are right now. We wanted a regional tournament on our home turf. Let’s play some more soccer here on Saturday. I’m so freakin’ excited right now I can’t stand it.”

Meanwhile, the season is over for the Eagles from NHS. The team was down early but fought until the end, which speaks to the character of the team, according to their head coach, Scott Langlois.

“I am so proud of these girls,” Langlois said. “They worked so hard; there’s a lot of upside to this. I’m looking forward to the future of this team.”

Senior Allyson Wills scored both goals for Northeast in her final game for the Eagles. She beat everyone to a deep ball forward to score and make it 3-1 early in the second half, then made it a brace to make it 5-2 later in the half when freshman Jazmene Cantagallo sent a ball into the box from midfield, and fellow freshman Caitlyn Cornwell passed it along to Wills for the finish. 

Sydney Bell had a slew of saves for Northeast in limiting Chesapeake’s potent attack.

After seeing them through the season, Langlois gave full credit to the Cougars.

“Chesapeake is just a fantastic team,” Langlois said. “They’re loaded from back to front with talent. We were just a step behind in the first half and it hurt us, but I couldn't be prouder of these girls. All season they never quit.”

The Chesapeake girls will host a state tournament game Saturday.