The Lord Botetourt soccer teams were preparing to play in Region 3D semifinals Tuesday as the paper went to press. Both teams needed wins to advance to Thursday’s championship games and a spot in the state tournament.

The LB boys were scheduled to play Northside at Hidden Valley High School in the regional semifinal. Abingdon and Cave Spring were in the other bracket, and the championship is Thursday at Hidden Valley at 5:30 pm.

The Cavaliers won their region opener last week at home over Tunstall, 5-0. Junior captain Trey Rice got things started in the third minute with a breakaway goal. That’s how it stood at the half, but LB dominated after intermission as Matt Smith scored twice and Jacob Booth and Marc Judge had one goal each.

“Our possession was a beautiful thing to watch,” said LB coach Tim Wright. “  We struggled at times in the first half to break down their defensive line as possession alone is not enough to do so.  We made the correct adjustments at half time, which played into our success.”

The girls had a close one, as they edged Christiansburg 1-0 in their opening round game at LB. Marlee Newsome broke the scoreless tie with a goal in the 83rd minute, assisted by Briana Myers. Olivia Assenat played well in the goal to get the shutout.

LB was was scheduled to play Cave Spring in the girls’ 3D semifinal at Dwight Bogle Stadium in Roanoke County on Tuesday. The championship is Thursday at Bogle at 6 pm and both participants will advance to the state tournament.