Soccer action is starting to ramp up in Lexington County with teams scrambling to get into form before the region season truly takes off. 

Last week saw many big wins and performances for teams in Lexington County. Many players scored multiple goals and helped secure a win. 

Region games started for some teams, including those in Lexington County’s 5A conference. Lexington, Chapin and River Bluff’s boys and girls teams all won to start conference play 1-0. The Irmo, White Knoll and Dutch Fork teams will look to catch up this week while things are still early. 

River Bluff’s Jack Traub had one of the most productive games this week, scoring four goals in the boys’ win over White Knoll. The Gators defeated the Timberwolves 8-1 and improved to 5-2 entering this week. 

Traub has had a strong start to the year, leading the team in goals with seven this year. The sophomore is in his first season as a member of the varsity team and is already making his presence felt. 

The Chapin boys and girls team went 2-0 against Dutch Fork last week. The boys won 3-0, while the girls cruised to a 6-0 victory. 

Eli Vance scored twice in the boys' win. The Eagles are looking to shake off a rough patch of games where they lost four of their last six. The team has a pair of games this week against Lexington and River Bluff that will be huge in determining the final standings. 

Chapin’s girls have been one of the hottest teams to start this season. Avery Stoner scored twice in the win against Dutch Fork and helped the Eagles improve to 5-1 this year. 

River Bluff’s girls, who are 6-1, have also been one of the teams to watch early on. The Gators and Eagles will meet later this week in a game that could have huge region implications. 

There are plenty of other exciting teams in the lower classifications as well. 

Both Gray Collegiate teams are sitting in a good spot after winning a handful of early region contests. 

The teams begin this week with a combined 8-1 in region outings and both are in contention for the conference championship. 

Gray’s girls are still undefeated, sitting at 7-0 entering this week. The team earned a 6-0 win over Midland Valley on Monday to improve to 8-0 and claim another region win. 

While they are looking formidable, the War Eagle girls can’t get complacent because there is some tough competition in their region. 

Gilbert, another local team, is also undefeated entering this week. The Indians are 5-0 overall and 4-0 in region after beating North Augusta on Monday. 

Both Gilbert and Gray will need to stay locked in to make a push for the region championship. The two will meet for the first time this season on April 7 and again on April 24. 

In 3A, both Swansea teams are off to a good start and will hope it continues into this week. The two teams have a combined record of 7-2 and started region play with a win. 

The boys team began this week on top of the conference standings after a pair of wins over Silver Bluff and Fox Creek. Swansea won both games in a shutout, beating Silver Bluff 5-0 and Fox Creek 3-0. 

This week is looking to be even more action-packed than last week with more teams playing in region games. Many of the conference’s heavy hitters will face off and take an early lead in the race to positive playoff seeding. 

Big Performances 

Jack Traub scored four goals in the River Bluff boys’ win over White Knoll.

Avery Campbell finished with three goals in the Gilbert girls’ win against Midland Valley.

Anthony Villasana found the back of the net twice in Swansea’s win versus Silver Bluff.

Avery Stoner scored twice and added an assist in the Chapin girls’ win over Dutch Fork.

Anna Allen recorded two goals and two assists as River Bluff beat Augusta Prep Day.

Eli Vance had two goals for the Chapin boys team in a win against Dutch Fork.

Upcoming games to watch 

Boys

Gray Collegiate vs. North Augusta - March 20

Lexington vs. Dutch Fork - March 21

American Leadership at Strom Thurmond - March 21

Swansea vs. Wando - March 22

Girls

Chapin vs. River Bluff - March 21

Gilbert at South Aiken - March 24

Brookland-Cayce at Crestwood - March 25

Chapin at A.C. Flora - March 26