Soccer is back for high school teams in Lexington County, following an action-packed kickoff week.

With the regular season underway, boys and girls soccer teams are scrambling to start strong and add wins as the region slate is set to begin for many teams this week. 

A couple of local boys teams are off to a strong start after winning most of their games last week. Teams like River Bluff, Dutch Fork, Swansea and Gray Collegiate showed their abilities, winning most of their games. 

River Bluff and Dutch Fork both went 2-0 in games last week. 

The Gators won both of their games in blowout fashion. The team started with a 9-1 win over Lugoff-Elgin. Holden Carruthers had a hat trick, scoring three goals. Six other players scored one goal. 

River Bluff defeated Westside in its next game 5-0. Jack Traub and Carruthers scored two goals each. 

The Silver Foxes were on the road for both of their games but still won, beating Fort Mill 4-2 and Ben Lippen 4-0. 

Dutch Fork and River Bluff will both begin region competition this week. There is little room for mistakes in the 5A Region 4 race. Aside from the Gators and Silver Foxes, Chapin, Lexington, White Knoll and Irmo all have competitive teams and can affect the season’s final standings. 

Gray Collegiate won two of its three games last week. The War Eagles are one of the few teams in the state to have started region play. Unfortunately for Gray, the game they lost last week was their region opener. 

The War Eagles shut out Midland Valley 5-0 and Westside 4-0. But in the team’s region opener against North Augusta, the team lost in a penalty shootout 6-5. 

Gray is looking to make it back to the state title game after multiple appearances in the 2A championship game recently. This year, the team is in 4A, making its path to the championship a lot harder. 

One team the War Eagles will have to go through is cross-town rival Brookland-Cayce. The Bearcats won both of their games last week, including their region opener against South Aiken. 

Swansea jumps into region action this week after playing three contests last week. The Tigers beat Andrew Jackson and Aiken, but were shut out by Spring Valley. The team is looking to secure its second consecutive region title and make a deep playoff run. 

Like the boys, a few girls teams in Lexington County are off to a positive start. Chapin, River Bluff, Gray Collegiate, Brookland-Cayce and Swansea have all impressed early. 

The Gators and Eagles combined to go 4-0 last week, winning every game by a shutout. River Bluff beat Cardinal Newman and Providence 4-0. Chapin knocked off Dreher 6-0 and Legion Collegiate Academy 4-0. The two region rivals will meet at the end of next week.

Brookalnd-Cayce and Gray are another pair of region foes that will try and contend for a title. 

The War Eagles have looked dominant early on, allowing zero goals through its first five games. Gray is outscoring opponents 33-0 so far and is 1-0 in region play after a 5-0 win against North Augusta. 

The Bearcats have also won all of their games by shutting out their opponent, but the team has also been shut out a couple of times this season. Brookland-Cayce won two of its three games last week, splitting its region games with a win over Midland Valley and a loss to South Aiken. 

Swansea’s girls have also looked good after the season’s first official week. The Tigers are 2-0 after beating Irmo and Midland Valley. Both games were close and decided by a single goal. Swansea held on to win both and will now prepare for a stretch of region games. 

While all of these teams have looked good to start, it is still very early in the boys and girls soccer season, and anything can happen. As the weeks progress, the standings will start to shape up, and the true contenders will begin to separate themselves. 

Big Performances 

Holden Carruthers scored three goals for River Bluff in the Gators’ win over Lugoff-Elgin. 

Victoria Coleman finished with three goals and an assist in Gray Collegiate’s win against Midland Valley. 

Ethan Bettes had two goals and an assist in Dutch Fork’s 4-0 win over Ben Lippen.

Hailey Jiminez-Cortez found the back of the net three times as Brookland-Cayce beat Batesburg-Leesville.

Andres Campo scored two goals and an assist for Gray Collegiate against Westside. 

Upcoming games to watch 

Boys

Swansea at Fox Creek - March 13

Chapin vs. Dutch Fork - March 14

Gilbert at North Augusta - March 18

Irmo vs. River Bluff - March 18

Girls

Gray Collegiate vs. South Aiken - March 13

Dutch Fork vs. Chapin - March 14

Swansea vs. Fox Creek - March 14

Brookland-Cayce vs. South Aiken - March 17