The one common thread in both the Section 6AA Boys and Girls Soccer tournaments is that the top seed is the Wayzata Trojans. Here's a preview of both section tournaments.
First up is the boys tournament. The top seeded Wayzata Trojans have won seven straight games and in their last five have outscored their opponents 19-1. They go up against the Armstrong Falcons who the Trojans routed on September 24 8-0. Keep your eye on Wayzata. They are the favorites to take home the championship trophy.
The second quarterfinal game is an all inner city battle between the Minneapolis South Tigers and the Minneapolis Southwest Lakers. Please note that the game will be played at Minneapolis Roosevelt because South's home field is devoid of lights. The two schools played each other on September 10 with the Tigers beating the Lakers 1-0. South has a strong defense that has given up three or more goals in two games this season. They gave up four in their season opener to St. Paul Academy and three to Minneapolis Washburn. Who will win the rematch?
Now to the lower bracket as the sixth seeded St. Louis Park Orioles return to Hopkins to take on the third seeded Royals. The two teams met on October 1 and played to a 2-2. It's been a tough year for head coach Chato and St. Louis Park as they lost a number of key players to graduation and have battled through injuries that led the veteran coach to bring up players from the junior varsity team. The good news is that the Orioles get Daniel Decker back and if they get their offense going, they can pull off an upset. As for the Royals, they have hit a bump in the road, going 0-5-2 in their last seven games. Will there be overtime again? Leave work early and catch the 5 PM game at Hopkins. It could be a dandy.
Wrapping up the quarterfinal pairings will be the second seeded Minneapolis Washburn Millers and the seventh seeded Cooper Hawks. The Millers faced the Hawks on September 6 and shut them out 5-0. Cooper got off to a 2-0 start and lost the remainder of their regular season games. They go up against a Washburn team that has seven of their ten wins via shutout. If there's any team that could deny Wayzata's ticket to state, it could be Washburn.
On the girls side, the top seeded Wayzata Trojans got off to a hot start winning their first seven games by a margin of 26-1. head coach Tony Pesznecker has another outstanding team that could earn another trip to state. But first they have to face the Minneapolis South Tigers who finished the regular season with two straight wins after five straight losses. Can the momentum continue for South?
Next up is the fifth seeded Armstrong Falcons and the fourth seeded Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders. The Raiders are on a roll, going 7-1-2 after losing to the Stillwater Ponies on September 13. They face the hot Falcons who have finished the season on a 5-1-1 run. They also have eight shutouts this season. This could be the most interesting game of the quarterfinals.
Over in the lower bracket, the sixth seeded St. Louis Park Orioles battle for the second time this season, the third seeded Hopkins Royals. The two teams met on October 1 and no balls entered the net. The Orioles got off to a rough start, losing their first three games by 1-0 scores but they have bounced back and have gone 9-1-1 the remainder of the regular season to win the Metro West Conference title. One of their wins was against the top ranked team in Class A, the Benilde-St. Margaret's Red Knights. Can they stay hot and prove that they are better than their sixth seed? They will need an outstanding game from goalkeeper Anna Roethler to shut down the Royals.
Concluding quarterfinal play will be another hot team, the second seeded Minneapolis Washburn Millers as they take on the seventh seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers. The Millers beat the Lakers on September 1, and shut them out 2-0. They also won the rematch on September 22 5-0. After losing to the Eagan Wildcats on September 19, the Millers have played outstanding soccer, outscoring their last six opponents 30-0. Should they face Wayzata in the Section 6AA final, it could come down to whoever gets the first goal. An outstanding match up could be in the works on October 18. Take a drive up Highway 55 if Wayzata and Washburn battle for a trip to state.
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