The TDHS Knights 2007-2008 Soccer Team posed for a photograph after winning the regional title last week.

To say that the Thomas Dale Knights won big by knocking off the Deep Run Wildcats in Virginia’s Central Region soccer championship match last Friday night would be an understatement.  It was a clash of the titans.  No, not the Cosby Titans who knocked the Thomas Dale boys out of the regional playoff in last year’s semifinal round – those Titans were knocked out by the Wildcats in last week’s semifinal matchup which some sports writers believed should have been this year’s finals match.  These writers and the pollsters who had ranked Thomas Dale number three or lower in the region may have underestimated the Knights’ drive and determination, not to mention their exceptional 17-1-0 record going into this year’s regional tournament.

The Knights’ offense was fueled by the unrelenting and gutsy play of standouts Patrick Innes and Will Bates, who both scored big to come from a goal down at half time to give the Knights a 2-1 lead over Deep Run in the second half.  Contributing to the offensive attack were Gage Robertson, Travis Woody, and Daniel Comer.  Thomas Dale’s strong defense then ensured the victory through the outstanding defensive play of Matt Crusco, Patrick O’Connor, goalie; Bill Groben, and others who continually managed to disrupt the Wildcats attempts to put any further score on the board. 

Once the Knights tied it up, the atmosphere became electric, and the constant drumming, chanting, and singing by the Knights’ fans only intensified the energy level inside the Atlee stadium.  When asked how big was this win, District player of the year Patrick Innes commented, “It’s huge – the biggest game of the year.  Being a senior captain and being able to lead my team to victory in a regional final and going on to states with a home birth in the first round is... I can’t even imagine that... I’m in shock right now.”  The only thing missing from this intense and very exciting soccer match was the television coverage that it deserved.

Prior to this match, the Knights’ main objective was to make it into this week’s state tournament, but once they achieved that by making it into the regional finals, their goals changed.  Now they wanted to earn some respect for their abilities as a winning soccer team and also win the home field advantage in this week’s first round of the state tournament.

So the Knights have now proven that they are among the top four soccer teams in the state to win their region, but exactly where they stand at the top remains to be seen in this week’s state tournament.  Coach Fowler was obviously proud of his team’s performance, pointing out that “We have been to states four out of the last five years now,” where Thomas Dale took home the state title in both 2005 and 2006.  With the best record in the region, the Knights enter this week’s state tournament with a record of 20-1-0 this season.  The tournament bracket and schedule may be viewed online at www.vhsl.org/Soccer/2008-AAA-Boys-Soccer-Bracket.mht. 

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