The road to the state soccer tournament gets underway this week for both St. Louis Park Oriole soccer teams as they head into the Section 6AA quarterfinals this Thursday. Here's a preview of both the boys and girls pairings.
First up is the boys quarterfinal matchups as two Minneapolis schools square off for the second time this season. The eighth seeded Minneapolis South Tigers take on the top seeded Minneapolis Washbuen Millers. The Millers, ranked fourth in Class AA, captured the number one seed with a big 2-1 win over St. Louis Park October 5. Washburn dominated South in their regular season meeting September 12 4-0. Seven of the Millers 12 wins have been by shutout. They are one of the favorites in Section 6.
It's the "Battle of Plymouth" in the second upper bracket game with the fifth seeded Armstrong Falcons facing the fourth seeded Wayzata Trojans. The two Plymouth schools did not face each other in the regular season but their records are nearly identical with the Falcons 8-6-2 and the Trojans 8-5-3. Armstrong finished the regular season winning three of their last four games, losing their regular season finale to the Centennial Cougars. Wayzata is the defending section champion and has lost only one game since they were beaten bay the top ranked Edina Hornets 3-0 September 19. Don't count out the Trojans for a potential battle with the top seeded Millers.
To the lower bracket and a rematch of a September 12 game between the seventh seeded Cooper Hawks and the second seeded St. Louis Park Orioles. The Orioles came out on top 6-2 against the Hawks. Cooper has scored only one goal in its final two regular season games and it will be a tough task against a St. Louis Park team that came close to ending the regular season unbeaten but they were defeated by Washburn. The Orioles play outstanding defense and move the ball around well to set up scoring plays. Keep an eye on St. Louis Park. It could be their first trip to state since 2009 if they can get by the Millers in the section final.
Concluding the quarterfinals is the sixth seeded Hopkins Royals and the third seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers. It hasn't been a royal season for Hopkins, who did not win a game until they defeated the Eden Prairie Eagles 2-1 September 28. They did face Southwest in the regular season and tied the Lakers 1-1 August 29. The Lakers have won 10 of their last 11 games and look to head to state for the first time since they finished second in 2010.
Looking at the girls tournament bracket, there is a new top seed for the first time in many years, the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders. The Raiders ended the regular season on a five game winning streak and on a quest to advance to their first state tournament since 2004. First, they have to defeat the eighth seeded Armstrong Falcons who they opened their season against and demolished them 9-0 August 22. Armstrong has won only one game this season, the win coming against Park Center. Can CDH end Wayzata's Section 6 domination?
A season ending victory over the Minneapolis Washburn Millers earned the St. Louis Park Orioles the fifth seed. They will take on the fourth seeded Minneapolis Southwest Lakers. It's been an up and down year for the Orioles, who had a four game winning streak before losing three in a row. Southwest has won seven of their last eight games, including a 1-0 win over St. Louis Park September 26. It should be a great quarterfinal game.
Over in the lower bracket, it's an All Minneapolis Showdown as the seventh seeded South Tigers battle the second seeded Washburn Millers. Washburn beat South in their regular season meeting 1-0 on September 12. The Millers are a tough team to score against and it showed late in the season with five straight shut outs, outscoring the opposition 24-0. They will need to continue their strong defense in order to play for a state tournament berth.
Wrapping up the quarterfinals is the sixth seeded Hopkins Royals and the third seeded and defending section champion Wayzata Trojans. No, it's not a typo. The Trojans are seeded third since they had a down regular season with two losing streaks of three games. Wayzata tied Washburn 1-1 August 27 and a rematch is very likely as the Trojans begin their journey to their 28th state tournament.
There are the pairings. Be sure and dress warm since it will be chilly, rainy and possibly snowy for Semifinal Saturday.
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