Sectional pairings provide intrgue

(Published inthe Evening News & Tribune, September 29)

The draws for the boys' and girls' 16th annual IHSAA Soccer State Tournament series were made yesterday – throwing up some interesting early round ties.

The Jeffersonville and Floyd Central boys' sectionals (59 and 60 respectively) kick off on Thursday, Oct. 8, with the finals on Oct. 10.

The big area teams have avoided each other in the early stages, but at the Jeffersonville sectional, Providence will not enjoy having to play Christian Academy of Indiana in the semi-final.

CAI coach Will Lorigan said the draw sheds new light on its regular season game with Providence on Oct. 6 – two days before they both meet in sectional.

Last year, the Warriors beat the Pioneers 4-3 but were downed by Jeffersonville just days later at sectional.

“ I am not sure it changes our approach,” he said. “We should expect to have to play and beat the best teams in our sectional. We have been preparing for this all season and hopefully we can bring it all together when we need to. We have a solid group of core players and some good young players so if we play to our potential I believe we can complete well with anyone.”

Jeffersonville coach Ryan Bixler will be feeling pretty satisfied with the draw, which sees the Red Devils pitted against Charlestown, a team it beat 14-0 in regular season.

“The great thing about the post season is that everybody qualifies, and essentially we all get to start over with a record of 0-0,” he said. “We will focus on continuing to improve over the next week in preparation for Charlestown. Our team is fully aware that there is only one team that is unbeatable in the last three weeks of October.”

At Floyd Central, the hosts should overcome North Harrison to reach the final, while New Albany will be looking to avenge its regular season 2-1 defeat to Corydon. Silver Creek awaits the winner in the semi-final.

The Jeffersonville and Floyd Central sectional winners will take on each other in the regional semi-final on Oct.14, with the winners of the Seymour and Madison sectionals playing in the other semi. The regional final will take place on Oct.17. All three games are at Floyd Central.

In fact, the Highlanders’ revamped soccer ground will also be the venue for the nine team girls' sectional this, which moves from Jeffersonville and sees games on Oct. 12, 13 and 15, before the final on Oct. 17.

And the tie to catch the imagination again is the sectional quarter-final rematch between New Albany and Providence. Last year, the Bulldogs beat the Pioneers 4-1 before going on to lose to Floyd Central in the final.

Coincidentally, the pair meet tonight at Prosser Field in what could be seen as a dress rehearsal for the big show.

New Albany coach Julie Deuser, now in her second year at the helm, said it looks like another challenging sectional draw for her girls.

“We got the same draw as last year, so we are ready for the challenge,” she said. “Providence is an excellent team and we know we need to be ready for them.”
Pioneers coach Dave Smith said, “We're satisfied with the draw and wish all teams the best of luck in the tournament.”

Floyd Central, winner for the past three seasons, have been drawn against North Harrison, with the winner taking on Jeffersonville in the quarter-final. The winner of that will then play New Albany or Providence in the semi-final.

Jeffersonville coach Michael Dennis said whoever comes out of these battles will be the most likely champion.

“To get to the finals Floyd Central, New Albany, Jeffersonville and Providence all would face off an eliminate each other before the final match,” said Dennis.
What that means is that Charlestown, Silver Creek, Christian Academy of Indiana or Corydon Central will find themselves in the final, as they are drawn in the other half.

The girls' winner at Jeffersonville will play the winner of the Seymour sectional in the regional final at Columbus North on Wednesday Oct. 21.

Boys’ and girls’ semi-state finals will be held on Oct. 24, with the state finals taking place at Kuntz Stadium in Indianapolis on Oct. 31.

Boys’ Sectional Draw (games to be played Oct. 8 and 10)
59. Jeffersonville (4): Match 1 – Providence vs. Christian Academy of Indiana.
Match 2 – Charlestown vs. Jeffersonville. Championship – Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2.
60. Floyd Central (5): Match 1 – New Albany vs. Corydon Central.
Match 2 – North Harrison vs. Floyd Central. Match 3 – Silver Creek vs. Winner of Match 1. Championship – Winner of Match 2 vs. Winner of Match 3.

Girls’ Sectional Draw 28.
Floyd Central (9) Match 1 - North Harrison vs. Floyd Central. Match 2 - Charlestown vs. Silver Creek. Match 3 - Christian Academy of Indiana vs. Corydon Central. Match 4 - New Albany vs. Providence. Match 5 - Jeffersonville vs. Winner of Match 1. Match 6 - Winner of Match 2 vs. Winner of Match 3. Match 7 - Winner of Match 4 vs. Winner of Match 5. Championship - Winner of Match 6 vs. Winner of Match 7.
ENDS


Strikers hit the target at Winchester
Southern Indiana United’s U13 Strikers weathered the storms to win the Winchester Classic in Kentucky recently.

Paul Duckworth’s charges beat Commonwealth Blue from Lexington 2-0 and Marietta of Ohio 1-0, before tying with Montgomery Thunder 0-0 in a game shortened by storms.

Strikers then displayed plenty of effort and teamwork against Commonwealth Gold to win the championship 3-1 in a game that had two weather delays.