Top 10 Remaining April Matchups in the 757 - Girls

With district races heating up across the region and perennial contenders facing off against their longtime rivals, Hampton Roads is a hotbed of crucial matches that have banner and playoff implications for just about every team. On the ladies side, the Beach and Southeastern districts boast the largest amount of high stakes games, with the Southeastern district featuring four of their five Top Ten teams. When it comes to this time of year, keeping track of every team and and matchup becomes increasingly difficult, but we've done the hard work for you until the end of the month.     Tuesday, April 23rd - Woodside vs Menchville @ Todd Stadium - The Wolverines and Monarchs will play both for the first time on the newly renovated Todd turf as they battle for the Peninsula District lead and an edge in VHSL Class 5B. While the Monarchs will come in to the match as strong favorites, Woodside has quietly kept pace and isn't to be overlooked in this matchup.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/IMG_20240422_152841_214.jpg?w=720" alt="" class="wp-image-171136" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Great Bridge Coach, Great Bridge Athletics</figcaption></figure>   Tuesday, April 23rd - Hickory @ Great Bridge - The Battle of the Boulevard reignites at the under construction home of the Wildcats, with both teams boasting Top 10 records and nary a loss between them. Southeastern District and VHSL Class 5A implications are on the line when these two square off, but the annual bragging rights are the real prize after the final whistle.   Wednesday, April 24th - Ocean Lakes @ Kellam - A reschedule from Friday, the Dolphins visit The Castle for a battle of Beach District leaders. Lauren Croley and the Knights have been on top of the standings all season, while the upstart Dolphins have raised plenty of eyebrows with their strong start. Whoever comes out on top will claim at minimum a share of the outright District lead with First Colonial as well as a drivers seat in VHSL Class 5A.   Wednesday, April 24th - Manor @ Maury - Even though Granby has one hand on the Eastern District crown for 2024, this match serves as a measuring stick for the Mustangs and Commodores. A 1-1 draw keeps [player_tooltip player_id='46429' first='Lili' last='White'] and the Commodores within touching distance of the Comets, but should they fall, they'll all but surrender the title. On the other hand, Nileigha Williams and the Mustangs will seek to claim a rare victory over Maury to solidify their standing in VHSL Class 4A and gain confidence going into the late end of the season.   <ul> <li>Williams, a recent Delaware St commit, has led the Mustangs all four years of her high school career in goals, assists, and points. Her current tally of 12 goals and 7 assists is second in the Eastern District in points. Her counterpart, [player_tooltip player_id='46429' first='Lili' last='White'], is second in the Eastern District in shutouts and goals against. The Maury Senior has committed to James Madison University and will be looking to earn starting minutes in the fall.</li> </ul>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2024/04/IMG_20240422_153045_825-crop-640x421-1713817496.jpg?w=640" alt="" class="wp-image-171138" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Western Branch Coach Western Branch Athletics</figcaption></figure>   Thursday, April 25th - Western Branch @ Grassfield - A rubber match of sorts after last season's back and forth, these two teams will look to establish their ursine dominance in VHSL Class 6A. The Bruins got the better of [player_tooltip player_id='46444' first='Katie' last='Dowd'] and the Grizzlies last season in the matchup that meant the most, and after knocking off Great Bridge last week, another victory on this night would put them in strong contention for the Southeastern District title. The Grizzlies plan to ensure that doesn't happen and will rely on the strength of their schedule to find the answers to the questions Jada Sutton and Western Branch will pose.   Thursday, April 25th - Tabb @ Smithfield - After dropping 2 recent contests against heavy hitters, the Tigers are looking to bounce back and keep their season on track against the Packers. Smithfield, on the other hand, will be looking to keep up with Lafayette and Jamestown in the district race as they set their sights on claiming the Bay Rivers crown.   Friday, April 26th - First Colonial @ Ocean Lakes - The Patriots are clawing to get to the top of the 757 standings, and a victory against the Dolphins will keep them in the hunt at the very least. FC is again finding that winning form that carried them to their recent state titles, with Scarlett Clark posting three consecutive shutouts against Beach opposition. The upstart Dolphins, however, are looking to claim their own place among the elites of the Beach. Having already found results against some of the best teams in Hampton Roads, is a shock in the cards or will the old guard stand?   <ul> <li>On top of her last 3 matches, Clark boasts an additional shutout against Grassfield in mid-March and a 0.57 goals against average. She has been featured twice in 757 Soccer Chat's "Saves of the Week" highlight reel, including an overtime stop to preserve a 2-2 draw against 5A rival Kellam. The Sophomore will look to add to her stats as the Patriots continue through the Beach District; anticipate another few shutouts and a below .50 GAA by the time the playoffs begin in May.</li> </ul>     Friday, April 26th - Kellam @ Princess Anne - The Cavaliers are looking to stop their Beach District bleeding after a string of frustrating results. Izzy Cobos and [player_tooltip player_id='58039' first='Nina' last='Murthy'] kickstarted PA's offensive engine against Green Run, and a battle against the Knights will test their resolve as they look to get back into the Beach and 5A races.   Tuesday, April 30th - York @ Tabb - This game has been circled on every Tiger calendar since last season's devastating loss to the Falcons in the Region Semifinal. There will be no needing to "get up" for this game as the Tigers will be locked in. On the other hand, the Falcons will look to deny Tabb once again and put one of their biggest rivals back in their cage.   Tuesday, April 30th - Landstown @ Kempsville - A beach mid-table battle might not sound exciting, but this matchup will be a preview of what's to come in the Beach District over the next couple of seasons. Both teams are young and talented, with quality coaches pushing them forward to bettering their individual and collective talents. Expect a fun and fast matchup when these two come together.   <ul> <li>Special player to keep an eye on will be [player_tooltip player_id='110347' first='Morgan' last='Fentner'] throughout this matchup. An up and coming goalkeeper for an already young Chiefs team, Fentner has been an integral part of Kempsville's return to form in the Beach district. In facing 3 of the Top 15 teams in Hampton Roads (Hickory, Jamestown, and Princess Anne), Fentner fought to keep the Chiefs in those games with all three being decided by 1 goal with a victory over PA to boot.</li> </ul>     Bonus Feature - Thursday, May 9 - Lafayette @ Smithfield - This crucial Bay Rivers matchup will be the final fight for the Bay Rivers Crown. The original matchup was meant to take place on April 16th, but the game was postponed for uncertain reasons. This matchup in the past few seasons has resulted in key moments in the season, so look for this edition to deliver the same.

With district races heating up across the region and perennial contenders facing off against their longtime rivals, Hampton Roads is a hotbed of crucial matches that have banner and playoff implications for just about every team. On the ladies side, the Beach and Southeastern districts boast the largest amount of high stakes games, with the Southeastern district featuring four of their five Top Ten teams. When it comes to this time of year, keeping track of every team and and matchup becomes increasingly difficult, but we've done the hard work for you until the end of the month.