Here are the Evansville-area IHSAA boys and girls soccer sectional pairings
EVANSVILLE – The Indiana High School Athletic Association announced the sectional pairings for boys and girls soccer on Sunday. The state tournament begins next week with 10 sectionals throughout Southwestern Indiana.
Will this be another banner year with multiple teams at Carroll Stadium for the state championship in late October? Maybe. But first, let's break down the first leg of the tournament. There are a few interesting observations from the blind draw this year.
The Class 3A boys sectional at Castle turned out favorably well considering there are several quality teams. The opening night will see Reitz vs. Jasper and No. 12 Castle vs. Central. The semifinal round will be the place to be, though. Should they win, a Jasper-Castle rematch intense after the Wildcats took a 1-0 victory on Saturday. The North-Harrison semifinal should also be a low-key quality match.
Reitz was the winner of the draw in the Class 3A girls sectional hosted by Harrison. The No. 11 Panthers received the bye against Harrison or Central, a matchup where they'd be a major favorite. It leaves a solid semifinal on the other side of the bracket between No. 6 Castle and North.
No. 3 Memorial vs. Mater Dei could be a fun matchup in the first round of the Class 2A boys sectional at Heritage Hills. The Tigers beat the Wildcats 2-0 on August 23. The winner would await No. 11 Heritage Hills, the defending champion after Memorial played in 3A last fall. But the best draw went to Mount Vernon, who received a bye on the other side of the bracket. The Wildcats are having one of their best seasons in years.
No. 1 Memorial also received a bye in the Class 2A girls sectional at Traylor Family Stadium. The undefeated and defending state champions face Heritage Hills in the semifinal and wouldn't see No. 12 Gibson Southern until a potential championship match.
The other high level sectional in the area should be Class A girls at Forest Park. No. 4 Mater Dei and No. 5 Evansville Christian, the two favorites, would avoid each other until the championship should they advance. The Eagles have the tougher path with a first round match against No. 16 Northeast Dubois and a potential semifinal with No. 17 Forest Park.
Dates and times will be determine by the host school this week. Here are the brackets for every area sectional in the Courier & Press coverage area.
Boys high school soccer
Class 3A at Castle
Match 1: Reitz vs Jasper
Match 2: Castle vs Central
Match 3: Match 1 winner vs Match 2 winner
Match 4: Harrison vs North
Match 5: Championship
Class 2A at Washington
Match 1: Washington vs Southridge
Match 2: Sullivan vs Princeton
Match 3: Vincennes Lincoln vs Gibson Southern
Match 4: Pike Central vs Match 1 winner
Match 5: Match 2 winner vs Match 3 winner
Match 6: Championship
Class 2A at Heritage Hills
Match 1: Mater Dei vs Memorial
Match 2: Heritage Hills vs Boonville
Match 3: Match 1 winner vs Match 2 winner
Match 4: Bosse vs Mount Vernon
Match 5: Championship
Class A at South Knox
Match 1: South Knox vs Barr-Reeve
Match 2: Shoals vs Northeast Dubois
Match 3: Vincennes Rivet vs Mitchell
Match 4: Washington Catholic vs North Knox
Match 5: Match 1 winner vs Match 2 winner
Match 6: Match 3 winner vs Match 4 winner
Match 7: Championship
Class A at South Spencer
Match 1: Tell City vs South Spencer
Match 2: Evansville Christian vs Forest Park
Match 3: Wood Memorial vs North Posey
Match 4: Evansville Day vs Match 1 winner
Match 5: Match 2 winner vs Match 3 winner
Match 6: Championship
Girls high school soccer
Class 3A at EVSC Soccer Field (hosted by Harrison)
Match 1: Harrison vs Central
Match 2: North vs Castle
Match 3: Reitz vs Match 1 winner
Match 4: Championship
Class 2A at Jasper
Match 1: Pike Central vs Vincennes Lincoln
Match 2: Princeton vs Southridge
Match 3: Match 1 winner vs Match 2 winner
Match 4: Washington vs Jasper
Match 5: Championship
Class 2A at Memorial
Match 1: Mount Vernon vs Bosse
Match 2: Gibson Southern vs Boonville
Match 3: Match 1 winner vs Match 2 winner
Match 4: Memorial vs Heritage Hills
Match 5: Championship
Class A at Sullivan
Match 1: North Knox vs Vincennes Rivet
Match 2: South Knox vs Bloomfield
Match 3: White River Valley vs Washington Catholic
Match 4: Sullivan vs Match 1 winner
Match 5: Match 2 winner vs Match 3 winner
Match 6: Championship
Class A at Forest Park
Match 1: South Spencer vs Mater Dei
Match 2: Northeast Dubois vs Evansville Christian
Match 3: Forest Park vs North Posey
Match 4: Tell City vs Match 1 winner
Match 5: Match 2 winner vs Match 3 winner
Match 6: Championship
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA boys and girls soccer sectional pairings
