VIRGINIA BEACH — Even though the conditions were cold and blustery at the USA Regional Training Center, Tuesday’s Class 5 Region A semifinals showcased a pair of white-hot, nail biting matchups.

Third-seeded Cox knocked off No. 2 seed Hickory 1-0, while No. 5 seed First Colonial upended top seed Great Bridge 2-1 to book an all-Beach District tilt for Thursday’s region championship. Both teams also qualified for the Virginia High School League state tournament.

“It wasn’t pretty, given the weather and everything,” Cox coach Taylor Rountree said. “We have a super young team — only have one senior. So this has really been just a growing year, and they had a goal.

We just punched our ticket to states — I couldn’t be more proud.”

About three minutes into the first quarter, Cox’s Mikaela Qui

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