SOCCER
Lionsbridge ensures return to playoffs
Lionsbridge FC clinched a USL League Two playoff berth with a 2-1 victory Wednesday night in Maryland against Patuxent Football Athletics, combined with Charlottesville Blues FC’s 2-2 tie against Christos FC of Baltimore.
The Lions, who were national runners-up last season, finished 6-0 in Chesapeake Division road play and are 8-1-2 overall in the division. They’ll seek their third consecutive division championship at home Saturday against the Virginia Marauders.
Patuxent went ahead in the 24th minute through a goal by Macklin. Lionsbridge equalized in the 68th minute when Claudel N’Goubou scored off Isaiah Chisolm’s assist.
In the 83rd minute, Coleman Jennings, making his first appearance of the season after rejoining the team last week, scored just four minutes after coming on as a substitute. Christian Hatley provided an assist.
There are 35 teams in this year’s playoffs. The Lions became one of eight teams that have gotten to the playoffs in the last four seasons.
Va. Beach United stays tied atop division
Virginia Beach United stayed in a tie with Lionsbridge for first place in the Chesapeake Division and moved to the verge of a playoff berth with a 6-1 rout of the Marauders in Winchester.
VBU (8-1-2 in the division) will clinch a playoff spot if it ties or defeats Charlottesville (7-2-2). Based on goal differential (plus-18 to Charlottesville’s plus-10), it appears VBU would make the playoffs even if it loses by no more than seven goals.
Virginia Beach United will take the division if it wins Saturday while Lionsbridge doesn’t, or if VBU draws and Lionsbridge loses.
VBU’s Peekay Stoffle opened the scoring in the 13th minute, and Juan Hermoso netted a penalty kick in the 22nd. A red card to the Marauders in the 23rd gave VBU a one-man advantage, and Jonathon Leiding’s goal in the 41st minute and Everett McCloskey’s in the 43rd gave the visitors a 4-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, Juan Valiente’s goal in the 52nd and Owen Ruddy’s in the 82nd expanded the margin to 6-0 before the Marauders averted a shutout in the 87th.
BASEBALL
Pilots win 12th of last 13 games
The Peninsula Pilots cruised past Wilson 14-4 Wednesday night in a 6 1/2-inning game before 3,172 at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, extending their winning streak to four. They have been one of the hottest teams nationally in summer college competition, winning 12 of their last 13 contests and compiling the Coastal Plain League’s best record.
The Pilots (25-9, 9-1 in the season’s second half) will return to action Friday night against the Tri-City Chili Peppers at Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights.
Peninsula led 14-0 after four innings and made the most of 14 hits and nine walks. Ryan Dooley was 3 for 3 with a homer, two runs and two RBIs, Cole Stanford was 2 for 3 with two runs and three RBIs, and Henry Garcia homered, drove in three runs and scored two. Trey Morgan and Zac Morris scored three runs apiece.
HORSE RACING
Karamanos rides final two winners on Colonial Downs’ opening day
Jockey Horacio Karamanos rode the day’s final two victors Thursday as Colonial Downs’ thoroughbred meet, which also includes a smattering of steeplechase competition, opened in New Kent County.
Karamanos prevailed aboard B G Lee and Strike When Ready in the day’s final two races. Other double-winning jockeys included Antonio Gallardo, Gav Ashton and Ben Curtis.
Owner/trainer Niall Saville saddled two victors, Atmidnight and Next Episode.
COLLEGES
Big South tourneys head to Johnson City
The Big South Conference announced that its 2025 and ’26 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be played at a neutral site in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Six Norfolk State athletes were named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors Academic All-State Team: Swaroop Pujari (baseball), Tafari Bishop (men’s track and field), Boris Lunin (men’s tennis), Allysia Farrar (women’s track and field), Amber Fuller (women’s tennis) and Savannah Drozda (softball).
To be eligible, athletes must have at least a 3.25 grade-point average and be at least a sophomore.
TENNIS
Princess Anne CC doubles tourney opens Friday
The Princess Anne Country Club Summer Open $20,000 Doubles begins at 5 p.m. Friday in Virginia Beach, with a bevy of local players complementing numerous out-of-town visitors.
The tournament benefits An Achievable Dream, a program for at-risk youth, and the championship matches are planned for Sunday.
Boris Kozlov and Welsh Hotard, who were LSU teammates, are seeded No. 1 in the men’s field. At 6:30 Friday, four local natives square off when Ian Fraser and Jackson Breit meet Grahame Brown and Martin Black.
The women’s field features tandems who have been teammates for Baylor (Alicia Herrero Liñana and Mel Krywoj) and Virginia (Elaine Chervinsky and Melodie Collard).
ODU’s Matushkina falls in Mid-Atlantic Clay semifinals
Old Dominion starter Kira Matushkina reached the women’s singles semifinals of the Mid-Atlantic $30,000 Clay Court Championships in Midlothian before losing.
Matushkina won a pair of matches before falling 6-3, 6-1 to Herrero Liñana, who will meet Krywoj for the championship at 4 p.m. Friday at Salisbury Country Club.
Before going to Princess Anne Country Club, Herrero Liñana and Krywoj will play for the doubles title at Salisbury against Seren Agar and Kallista Liu, who ousted Christopher Newport NCAA qualifier Raine Weis and Audrey Butterworth 6-2, 6-0 in a semifinal.
FIELD HOCKEY
UVA trio shine at Junior Pan Am
University of Virginia players Jans Croon, Daniela Mendez-Trendler and Mia Abello have helped Team USA reach the championship game of the Junior Pan American Championships in Surrey, British Columbia.
In pool play, Mendez-Trendler had three goals and an assist, Abello had a goal and two assists and Croon had two goals to help the U.S. post a 4-1 record.
The Americans then edged semifinal foe Chile 1-1 (4-3 in a shootout) to reach Friday’s title game against Argentina and earn a spot in the 2025 FIH Junior Hockey World Cup.
With the U.S. trailing 1-0, Croon scored the tying goal off a penalty corner in the final 45 seconds of regulation to tie the game. Mendez-Trendler broke a 2-2 tie in the shootout to put the U.S. up 3-2. After Chile tied it again, the teams went to a sudden-victory shootout. The U.S. made its first attempt and stopped Chile’s try to advance.
