Bishops blank AJ, halt Vols' run

Class AA soccer power Bishop England of Charleston foiled Andrew Jackson’s postseason soccer hopes with a 6-0 win over the Volunteers at Jack Cantey Stadium.Bishop England opened a 2-0 halftime lead and added four second-half goals to seal the Class AA Lower State third-round win Saturday afternoon.George Khourey, who opened the scoring for the 15-5-2 Bishops, tallied twice to pace the win. Taylor Daylami also had a goal and an assist for B-E.“We ran into a buzz saw,” Andrew Jackson High soccer coach Randy Jordan said of the match. “It’s really hard to compete against that type program.“Bishop England is a strong team,” Jordan said. “They had five all-state players on their team so that shows you what we were up against on Saturday afternoon.”Bishop England took 30 shots to the Volunteers’ two and held the upper hand from the early going as they scored eight minutes into the match.”“Our execution was good,” said B-E coach Ed Khouri. “It was a good match for us trying to execute what we wanted to do.”Bishop England entered the match with losses to Class AAAA schools Spring Valley, Wando and Summerville and a pair of losses to Pinewood Prep, a Summerville private school.The loss ended the Vols’ season at 19-2. AJ entered the playoffs with a 17-1 mark, which included a lone regular-season setback to Class AAA foe Wilson High School of Florence.“We had a good season, a tremendous ride for our soccer program,” Jordan said.The match marked the final contest for four AJ seniors – Jonathan Faile, Cory Gardner, Hunter Albrecht and Jacob Shrader.The Vols, seeded fourth in the Class AA Lower State bracket, launched the playoffs, blanking  Loris 8-0 at home.The Vols followed with a 2-1 home win over Barnwell.“Considering the fact that we lost 12 seniors off our 2007 team, this was a great season for our soccer program,” Jordan said. “Our guys played hard throughout the season.”AJ launched its 2008 season, capturing the title in the inaugural Rose City Classic at Lancaster Memorial Stadium. The Vols’ title earned AJ the right to host the 2009 preseason tournament.The Vols also have a bright future with the return of nine starters next spring.“We lost 12 seniors from our team last season, so this group really stepped up and came through for us,” Jordan said. “We played some young players, but the gained some valuable experience this season.”