DATE: Wednesday, May 28, 1997               TAG: 9705280690

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   58 lines

COX WINS 3-1, MOVES TO SEMIS

Things just blew Cox's way Tuesday in a blustery 3-1 Group AAA boys soccer quarterfinal victory over James River.

Cox (17-2) moves into an 8 p.m. semifinal Friday at Hylton High in Woodbridge against Herndon - a 4-0 winner over Albemarle. Kempsville was a 1-0 winner over Manchester and will play in the 6 p.m. semifinal against Hylton, a 3-1 winner over South Lakes.

With a gale-force wind at its back in the first half, Cox played long ball against the Rapids (13-6).

Pat Kilkenny scored with 13:40 left in the first half when he took a length-of-the-field, wind-blown pass from Bryce Lee.

Kilkenny somehow managed to control the floater before beating a pair of defenders and then easily beating Rapids keeper Adam Davis.

``Our game plan was to hit the long ball because of the way they played,'' said Lee, who hit the ground in disbelief when Kilkenny scored. ``But I was just trying to send the ball up.''

Kilkenny's goal provided a boost that the Falcons seemed to feed off of for the rest of the first half and most of the second.

``Pat beat two guys by himself and crushed the ball,'' Cox coach Jim Snodgrass said. ``That was a big lift.''

Playing more of a control game against the wind, Tim Metts scored on another play aided by the conditions.

Just minutes into the second half, Metts sent a sharp crossing pass from the far right corner that knuckled because of the wind. Davis attempted to play the ball in his hands when it dipped and spun off his chin and into the goal for a 2-0 Falcons lead.

``I knew that if I got the ball in front of the net, one of our guys would find it and make something happen,'' Metts said.

``But when it went in, I was like, `wow.' I wasn't trying to score, but the wind put a ton of spin on the ball.''

James River appeared tired through most of the second half.

``The wind was definitely a factor,'' said Rapids coach Eric Schlueter. ``We like to control the ball and we were just chasing them and that long pass.''

Neal Smith also used a knuckling-type shot to make it 3-0 when he took a lofted pass from Brannon Thomas and sent a screamer high and just inside of the far right post.

James River got on the board late when Derek Beitner headed in Ryan Furgurson's crossing pass.

Kempsville 1, Manchester

The Chiefs (19-1-1) got the winner 20 minutes into the second half when Tyler Nickle controlled a loose ball about 20 yards from the Lancers' (12-5-3) goal and blasted a shot in off the right post.

``It was just a great goal,'' coach Kevin Denson said.

``There was a throw in that was batted around a little bit and he just stepped up and finished it.''

The Chiefs-Hylton match has been much anticipated, as Hylton is ranked No. 2 in the country by the Umbro National Coaches Association poll, which has Kempsville at No. 10.

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