After a good polish to wipe away the cobwebs and a couple of bounces against the wall in a desperate attempt to readjust its accuracy, the ball is ready to roll and enlighten us as to how events will unfold at this week's IHSAA Soccer State Tournament boys' sectional championships at Jeffersonville and New Albany.
Will Providence get the chance to avenge last year's heartbreaking penalty shoot-out loss to the Red Devils? Will the Bulldogs finally overcome the obstacle known as Floyd Central if the pair collide in the semi-finals? And which of the newer school soccer programs is about to make it to its first championship game? Read on: The ball has it all!
New Albany sectional
Match 1 – New Albany vs. North Harrison (Wednesday 5 p.m.).
This year's sectional, normally held at Floyd Central, has been switched to New Albany's pad at Prosser Field because of ongoing works at the Highlanders' ground. Will home advantage aid Dutch Vigar’s troops to sectional success? That remains to be seen, but their opener against North Harrison shouldn't cause them too many problems. Both teams have met in the early rounds for the past two years, with the Bulldogs winning 6-0 on both occasions. Verdict: New Albany.
Match 2 – Floyd Central vs. Corydon Central (Wednesday 7 p.m.).
Both of these teams have also met two years on the trot, with the Highlanders coming out on top 2-0 (2006) and 5-1 (2007). Expect this game to be closer, regardless of the 5-0 scoreline between the pair last night. The Panthers have done well against teams in this sectional in recent weeks. They have beaten North Harrison, Salem and Silver Creek, and lost just 2-0 to New Albany. If you look at teams in the Jeffersonville sectional, they also beat Charlestown, Rock Creek Christian and tied with Christian Academy. That puts the Mid Southern Conference champions at the head of a pack bidding to close the gap with the traditional powerhouses. Look out for top scorers Matt Rhoads and Isaac Smith. Verdict: Floyd Central.
Match 3 – New Albany vs. Floyd Central (Thursday 5 p.m.)
If New Albany and Floyd Central do prevail in their first round fixtures on Wednesday, then this will be seen by many as the "final." In last year's decider, Floyd Central came out on top after an epic battle which went all the way to penalties. To be honest, the Highlanders' should never have even been given the opportunity to make it to PKs, but they did, and that was down in part to the sound tactical maneuvering of coach Scotty Hollis and his assistant Zach Watson. Watson now takes over the reins of an improved Floyd Central team, which has already beaten New Albany 1-0 in regular season. A lot will depend on the performances of striker Jordan Adams, midfielder Chase Holland, defender Ben Todd, freshman Matt Kelecy and goalkeeper Daniel Neeld, last year's hero of the hour. New Albany will look to Stephan Kossis, Brandon McLaughlin, Steven Dobson and Keegan O’Connor offensively, and Chris Newland, Sheldon Albertson and goalkeeper Zach Litzelswope at the back. Verdict: Floyd Central.
Match 4 – Salem vs. Silver Creek (Thursday 7 p.m.).
Both these sides are only in their second year of their soccer programs (Silver Creek’s first varsity schedule) and one of them is about to play in a final. Salem won the game between the pair earlier in regular season, giving them a slight edge. Francisco Bravo, Matt Steggeman and goalkeeper Luke Minter should feature for Salem, while the Dragons will look to juniors Ethan Dolbeare, Cody Staton and Evan Wray, as well as sophomore Tyler Schroeder. Verdict: Salem.
Championship – Floyd Central vs. Salem (Saturday 7 p.m.)
Whoever comes through the tougher half of the draw will be rewarded with a game on Saturday likely to be used as a good preparation for the regional championship next week. It may be that neither of these teams will reach the final, but if they do, it will be a repeat of last year's first round tie, when Floyd Central beat Salem 10-1 -- a baptism of fire for the Lions. However, they were only 2-1 down at the half and showed enough with 10 freshmen to suggest there will be improvement this time round. Verdict: Floyd Central.
Jeffersonville sectional
Match 1 – Jeffersonville vs. Rock Creek Academy (Thursday, 6 p.m).
Last year, Rock Creek Christian Academy of Sellersburg went out 4-0 to Christian Academy, and Chris Butler's charges will need to improve greatly on last year's performance to trouble Jeffersonville. Verdict: Jeffersonville.
Match 2 – Charlestown vs. Providence (Saturday, 9 a.m.).
Providence beat Charlestown 7-0 last year and the Pioneers should not be troubled by the Pirates this time either. Verdict: Providence.
Match 3 – Christian Academy of Indiana vs. Jeffersonville (Saturday, 11 a.m.)
Christian Academy of Indiana made it to the final last year, where it went down 2-0 to Jeffersonville. This year, the Warriors under coach Will Lorrigan are fielding an all-boys' team for the first time, one which has had some good results against the likes of Charlestown (6-0) an Scottsburg (2-0). CAI players to look out for are juniors Drew Mattingly (goalkeeper) and Paul DeVore (midfield), and senior sweeper Michael Wilson. While the Red Devils not had the best of regular seasons -- losing to Providence, New Albany and Floyd Central -- they should still come out on top here. Verdict: Jeffersonville.
Championship – Providence v Jeffersonville (Saturday, 8 p.m.)
Providence's Omar Salguero
Last year, this game was a semi-final clash which saw a battle to the end, won by Jeffersonville on penalties. The recent matchup between the pair, which the Pioneers won by a convincing 4-0 scoreline, suggests there will no penalty shoot out this time round. However, the Red Devils do have home advantage and Ryan Bixler’s boys won't give up their sectional title easily. To repeat, it will need big performances from the likes of seniors Dylan Abrahamson and Scott Meneou, juniors Spencer Whiteman and sophomore Lucas Rigsby. Providence, meanwhile, will look to All-District midfielder Ben Hughes, defender Nathan Marshall, and all-rounder Keenan Sparks for inspiration, while Omar Salguero, Zev Crawley and keeper Spence Kraft should also be instrumental for Adam Giovenco’s charges. Verdict: Providence.
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