Mardela High School, coached by former North Village footballer Kimandi Binns, slammed rivals Kent County in the quarter-finals of the Bayside Regional South play-offs in the US earlier this week.

Senior striker Slava Kambalov netted a hat trick, leading goalscorer Chris Vilkas contributed a brace while Seth Keplinger and Bradon Green added one goal apiece.

The Maryland-based school now face tough rivals North Dorchester High School in tomorrow?s semi final at home.

Keplinger got Mardela off to a flyer with a ?brilliant? goal after only three minutes.

And from there Binns? charges never took their foot off the throttle.

?That really got us off to a flying start and allowed us to settle down,? Binns said. ?And from there on Kent was in trouble.?

The Bermudian coach placed specific emphasis on a what he termed as a ? patient passing game? to try and frustrate their more physical opponents.

?We really implemented our passing game to the point whereas they (Kent) spent more energy trying to get the ball,? Binns said.

?Even though our opponents were physically bigger and more aggressive, to counter we kept the ball in our possession and moving it about so they couldn?t use their physical tactics to take us off our game.

?Our boys were brilliant from the opening whistle.?

Mardela, who defeated Kent 4-2 in the regular season, led 3-0 at the half.

?We were expecting a very difficult match,? Binns admitted. ?And in the end I really could not believe the final scoreline.

?To the boys credit they implemented the game plan to a tee and overall I was very proud of them and the way they played and enjoyed the game.

?But after the game I told them to ?enjoy the victory but rest up and prepare for a much stiffer test? in the regional semi-final. Don?t look ahead to the regional finals, but to take it one game at a time.? The only downside to Mardela?s recent win was the loss of a forward to a broken ankle. Binns is now preparing his team for what he anticipates will be a tougher match tomorrow against Dorchester. Mardela defeated Dorchester 3-1 during the regular season.

?We?re expecting a really tough game, but that is why we play regular season games to earn home field advantage.

?So we will have our fans in our corner and they will bring an atmosphere that will lift our players.?

In his first season as coach, Binns took Mardela all the way to the regional finals where they lost to eventual state champions Pocomoke.

This season the former North Village defender coached Mardela to their best season record in 29 years and a second straight berth in the Bayside Regional South play-offs.

Mardela, seeded number two for the play-offs, completed the regular season with eight wins, three losses and a draw ? the best record of all 1A schools in the Bayside South region.