Cox and Princess Anne win Class 5 Region A semifinals, collect state tournament berths in boys soccer

VIRGINIA BEACH — No. 4 seed Cox knocked off No. 1 and previously unbeaten Hickory 2-1 and No. 2 seed Princess Anne beat No. 3 First Colonial 2-1 in Class 5 Region A boys soccer semifinals on a rainy Tuesday night.

The Falcons and Cavaliers play Friday at Bayside for the Region title.

A stout second half defensive performance helped push Cox to its second straight Class 5 Region A championship game.

The Falcons (12-3-1) handed Hickory (13-1-3) its first loss of the season and also clinched a spot in the Class 5 state tournament after Cox won it all last season.

“I wouldn’t say we’re quite on the way to defending a title,” said Cox coach Santo Ripa, a former Falcons assistant now in his first year at the helm. “We had an interesting run last year, we made it all the way to region from a seven spot, which to me is a big accomplishment in itself. Now that we’re in a regional final, that got stripped from us last year, so now the responsibility is to win that and keep going. If anybody says they don’t want to win, they’re lying to you. Every match is important.”

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Princess Anne players celebrate their 2-1 victory over First Colonial in the Class 5 Region A semifinals on May 30, 2023 at Bayside High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot)

Cox got on the board first, courtesy of a goal from junior Gabe Zarate. Less than 20 seconds later Hickory responded with a goal from senior Evan Rinkus to tie the game at 1-1.

The Falcons took that offensive momentum from the end of the first half and carried it into the beginning of the second half.

Senior Alex Mausser scored Cox’s second and final goal of the game.

Cox dominated possession in the second half, and the few times Hickory had a real shot at scoring, they came up just short.

Ripa said he was grateful to be back in the region championship game and praised former head coach Eric Blackmore for setting him up for success.

“I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, Coach Blackmore paved a really good program for me to take over,” Ripa said. “It’s got all the bells and whistles with regard to the expectations and how we play and our system hasn’t changed too dramatically. You’re not going to shake the world with your formations in high school soccer. So we were just trying to take what we have and build with it — with the new guys, some new faces. So, I’m very happy. I’m very thankful.”

In the other semifinal, Princess Anne topped First Colonial to give the Cavaliers a state tournament berth.

Princess Anne is among the Beach District programs that have never reached the state title game.

“We have to stay healthy,” Princess Anne coach Sonny Travis said of a potential state run. “We’ve had some injuries and we need to get some of these guys back. I think that we can play with a lot of teams. I think we have a style where we’re gonna possess the ball where we’re going to create, but I think we’ll defend first. And that’s kind of what we’ve been doing all year.”

The Cavaliers led throughout and fought through a physical game.

“We’re gonna enjoy this one tonight,” Travis said. “Then tomorrow, we’ll start working to get ready for the regional final. Cox is a very good team, they’re playing well right now and we’re gonna have to be ready. "

Sophomore Michal Korba got the Princess Anne scoring started with a goal with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

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Freshman Josiah Roberts collected a missed shot and drilled it into the back of the net with about 22 minutes left in the game.

Ryan Buckon scored for the Patriots.

Michael Sauls, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com (757) 803-5775