Dover Boys and Girls Soccer Move on to the Elite 8
November 6, 2020
Dover Girls and Boys Soccer are on a roll, winning a spot in the Elite 8 and moving on to the state tournaments. Girls’ Coach Angie Pinion has nothing but praise for her team: “This win has meant a lot to me, but more importantly, it has meant the world to the girls. They all worked so hard over the summer not knowing if they’d even have a season so to make it this far is wonderful. I am so proud of these girls, especially the seniors. This tournament team is made up of 21 of the best student-athletes, and I am honored to coach and teach them. ” They certainly have impressed us all during this difficult season. When Coach Pinion was asked about what it will take to get the win Saturday, she had this to say, “The key for Saturday and after is to play smart and simple. The girls are certainly capable of winning Saturday and continuing the tournament run, but they will have to capitalize on our scoring opportunities and play smart and solid defense up and down the field. The team played the best game of the season against St. Clairsville on Tuesday. If we continue that same type of play moving forward, we will continue this 2020 tournament run.”
The Boys Soccer team will face a tough opponent in Albany Alexander as well. Goalkeeper Grant Mastroine says, “This season so far has meant a lot to me, and the playoffs have meant even more. This is a good group of guys to be playing with. Being a first-year starting goalkeeper, I feel the pressure is on me. Coach Harrington told me I should trust myself, and I feel like I did that. I mean, if our coach trusts our teams’ skills, why shouldn’t we? We plan to keep that same attitude in this game against Albany Alexander. We will go and play our hearts out.”
Ryan Nixon, a junior on the boys’ team, offered his own insight: “It was very exciting to win against New Phila in the playoffs for the second year in a row, and it was rewarding to reach the elite eight after falling short last year to West Holmes. It always means a little extra to win against our rivals, New Phila, but now we have our sights set on Albany Alexander as we look forward to traveling to Athens to compete for a place in the final four. Certainly, this will be our toughest matchup yet, but I believe that our team will come prepared and be ready to play. Without a doubt, it would be an amazing experience to reach the final four, and our team should be proud of what we have accomplished throughout the season as we fight to keep our tournament alive a few more games.”
Ryan is right! Both teams have a lot to be proud of! Dover Girls Soccer will play at Granville Saturday at noon. Dover Boys Soccer will be playing Albany Alexander Saturday at 3PM. Best of luck to both teams! GO DOVER!
