DATE: Wednesday, November 5, 1997           TAG: 9711050827

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER  

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   69 lines

KELLAM AND COX WIN TO ADVANCE TO THE SEMIFINALS

In the tradition of the last five years, Kellam pushed to make the Eastern Region championship an all-Beach District affair by advancing to Thursday's semifinal round with a 2-1 victory over Nansemond River Tuesday at Cox High.

Other quarterfinal winners were Peninsula representatives Gloucester and Kecoughtan and perennial representative Cox. Kellam will face Gloucester in a noon semifinal Thursday at Cox, followed by Cox against Kecoughtan at 2 p.m.

Since 1992, the region title game has pitted Cox against fellow Beach members First Colonial, Green Run, Bayside twice and Kempsville last year.

Beach District runner-up Kellam, appearing in its first region tournament, wants to make it six.

The Knights (14-4-1) had to work to get one step away.

Southeastern District champion Nansemond River (13-5) jumped to a quick lead less than three minutes into play when Lori Outlaw scored after picking up a loose ball in front of the Kellam cage.

But Kim Houck tied things up on a penalty corner pass from Amanda Snow 12 minutes later.

Through the remainder of the first half, and for much of the second, the teams struggled to gain control - with each getting off a few shots that were easily turned aside.

But with 8:43 left, Jennifer Howard took a penalty corner feed from Snow and ripped a shot from high in the circle. Warriors keeper Vanell Vandross appeared to be screened by one of her teammates.

``I think she was,'' said Howard. ``But I don't care because it went in. This was a very even game and we were really nervous, especially after they scored early.

``I think we're glad to get this one past us.''

In other quarterfinals:

Cox 8, Hickory 0: The Beach District champs pressed toward their seventh straight region title - and eighth since 1989 - with a dominating performance against the Southeastern runner-up Hawks (9-7-1).

Cox (15-2) finished with 29-0 shooting and 24-1 penalty corner advantages. Had it not been for the effort of Hawks keeper Margie Baker (13 saves), it could have been worse.

``We have seven sophomores on the team and they've really stepped up lately,'' said Falcon senior forward Taylor Rountree, who scored three second-half goals. ``Now, as a team, we're peaking like we want to be.''

The Falcons held a 5-0 halftime lead on two goals each by Rachael Taylor and Caroline Weirich and one by Kristen Southerland.

Gloucester 1, Maury 0: The Dukes (13-4) needed a second-half penalty stroke by Al Hudson to reach the semifinals.

Early in the second half, on Gloucester's seventh penalty corner play of the game, the Dukes forced a ball in tight on Maury (10-6) keeper Anne Forrester, who had little choice but to roll onto the ball and trap it - a violation resulting in a penalty stroke.

With 22:25 left in the game, Hudson barely beat Forrester to the lower left corner.

Kecoughtan 4, Lake Taylor 0: Jessica Morris, the leading scorer in the tournament, padded her stats with a hat trick, pushing her total to 34 goals for the season.

Erin Grimm assisted on two of the goals, and Morris scored the third on a rebound of one of her own shots.

The Warriors (14-4) outshot Lake Taylor 11-4, and held a 12-2 penalty corner advantage.

Erin Hebert scored Kecoughtan's fourth goal on an assist from Heather Miller. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MARK MITCHELL/The Virginian-Pilot

Kellam's Jennifer Howard, left, was the Knights' hero, scoring the

winning goal with 8:43 left in the game.

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