MO Soccer Blog

November 23 - The Finals

Location: Lindenwood University, Hunter Stadium, 209 S. Kingshighway St. Charles, MO

Digital Tickets (only tickets available): https://www.mshsaa.org/Tickets.aspx

TV: https://www.mshsaa.tv/

NOTE: Due to the quick turnaround we weren’t able to update the MPR advantages for Saturday’s final.

Congratulations to first-time champions Clayton (C2) and Valley Park (C1) on dominant seasons that both ended up with quality performances in their respective championship games Thursday. 

#1 Valley Park (25-3) wasted little time, jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead over #3 Missouri Military Academy within the game’s opening 15 minutes. The Hawks’ Will Geary continued his spectacular career and season with three goals and an assist as Valley Park led 4-0 at half. MMA tightened things up the second half but couldn’t make a charge, finishing the Colonels season at 17-5. 

In Class 2, the battle of 1-2 held the hype for a half, with both #1 Clayton and #2 St. Michael the Archangel knotted up in a scoreless tie, but the Greyhounds broke the deadlock just five minutes into the second half and then ended the suspense with two goals only a few minutes apart midway through the half to win 3-0. Clayton finishes 20-4, while St. Michael’s best season ends with a runner-up trophy and a 20-5 mark.

Friday’s matches didn’t disappoint, either.

The C3 second game was worth every bit the price of admission as #7 Van Horn took #1 Ladue all the way into penalties before Ladue advanced 1-0 (5-3) in their fifth penalty shootout of the year and ninth OT game. This one was about as even as you could get, with both teams taking charge for stretches before the other countered. It was Van Horn’s fourth penalty shootout of the year - the Falcons won the first two and lost the last two. Ladue is now 2-3 in shootouts and advances to its third final in the past four years - finishing second in the previous two. Ladue is hoping to win its first title.

The Rams will play #2 Vianney in the finals. The Griffins got two goals from Shane Farrow, including a determined effort through a maze of St. Francis Borgia attackers to break the tie in the 27th minute. Vianney turned on the heat the second half, outshooting the #16 Knights 13-2 in the half, while adding Farrow’s second goal just seven minutes in. The Griffins (16-6-4) seek their seventh title and first since 1992. Vianney owns a 4-1 victory over Ladue Oct. 10. Borgia’s (17-8) miraculous run through the C3 playoffs as a small school ends without a title to match their 2022 C1 team.

Van Horn (20-5) vs. St. Francis Borgia (17-8) 10 AM

#1 Ladue (22-6) vs. #2 Vianney (16-6-4)

In Class 4 there will be a new king. Three-time champ and #8 nationally Rockhurst’s quest for an unprecedented four-peat ended with #3 DeSmet’s convincing 3-1 win Friday. Spartan Jack Saladin’s clinical finish in the 17th minute sent DeSmet on its way and Braden Klein’s second assist in the 35th minute to KJ Tyehimba provided some breathing room. Landon Weber’s penalty kick in the 54th all but sealed the deal. Rockhurst (20-2) got one back late, but it wasn’t enough to send the Hawklets into their 16th final. The loss also ends Rockhurst’s playoff winning streak at 22 matches. DeSmet (21-3-1) reaches its 11th final and looks for its 7th championship and first since 2019.

The Spartans take on fellow MCC member #8 SLUH (17-6-3) in the finals Saturday. The Jr. Billikens used a late first half goal and a stout defense to hold off #15 Liberty North 1-0 in Friday’s nightcap. SLUH seeks its fourth title and first since 2003 in its 10th championship. DeSmet has already handled SLUH twice this season, winning 2-0 Sept. 21 and 4-0 Oct. 22, with the inevitable (by calendar) third matchup Nov. 23 being the most important. Liberty North (17-9) will play Rockhurst for third place Saturday to conclude its first final four appearance.

Liberty North (17-9) vs. Rockhurst (20-2) 12:30 PM

#3 DeSmet (21-3-1) vs. #8 SLUH (17-6-3) 6 PM

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November 21 - Class 1/2 Finals and Class 3/4 Final Four Preview

Location: Lindenwood University, Hunter Stadium, 209 S. Kingshighway St. Charles, MO

Digital Tickets (only tickets available): https://www.mshsaa.org/Tickets.aspx

TV: https://www.mshsaa.tv/

**The staggered start times are due to Lindenwold’s football team still needing the facility for practice. Wednesday and Thursday gates open at 9:30. You only need one ticket per day - make sure you get stamped if you plan on attending both sessions and only digital tickets are available for purchase.**

Championship Thursday - a first for Missouri - happens tonight when Class 1 and Class 2 will crown two first-time champions. All four teams have been ranked #1 or #2 at some point this season so each final features worthy squads who have been consistent all year.

In Class 2, #1 Clayton wasted little time, scoring 12 seconds into the match, en route to a 4-0 semi win over #4 Logan-Rogersville. The Greyhounds, who had four different players score,  added another goal 13 minutes later and two more in the second half to cruise into their first championship match where they will play #2 St. Michael the Archangel. St. Michael slipped past #5 Orchard Farm 2-1, getting the game-winner on a header with just over four minutes to play. Orchard Farm had taken a 1-0 first half lead and it stood up until the 65th minute when the Guardians neutralized. St. Michael outshot Orchard Farm 20-2 in the match, including an 11-0 shot advantage in the second half. This will also be St. Michael’s first championship game appearance.

In the third place game, Orchard Farm edged Logan-Rogersville 2-1, scoring the game-winner with three minutes to play.

#1 Clayton (19-4) (+.72) vs. #2 St. Michael the Archangel (20-4) 8 PM Thursday

The Class 1 finals will also feature two schools playing in their first championship. #1 Valley Park forward Will Geary scored a finals record-tying five goals as the Hawks outlasted a game #11 New Heights Christian Academy squad 6-3. Geary got tallied three times in a wild second half that saw six goals scored between the two teams. New Heights’ Michael Parrigon did all he could do, scoring all three of the Cougars goals, including a spectacular blast from midfield off the kickoff to make the score 2-1. Valley Park outshot New Heights 19-7 and had a 9-0 advantage in corner kicks. Valley Park advances to take on #3 Missouri Military Academy in tonight’s final. The Colonels broke a 0-0 halftime score with two breakaway goals to go up 2-0, but #5 St. Pius X (KC) answered with one minutes later, setting up a frantic final ten minutes. MMA held on, despite getting outshot 9-8.

In the third place game, St. Pius X (KC) rolled to a 6-0 win over New Heights Christian.

#1 Valley Park (24-3) (+.15) vs. #3 Missouri Military Academy (17-4). 6 PM Thursday.

Class 3 Preview

#2 Vianney (15-6-4) (+.99) vs. #16 St. Francis Borgia (17-7) 10 AM

#1 Ladue Horton Watkins (21-6) (+.68) vs. #7 Van Horn (20-4) 12:30 PM

Notes: Class 3 has another potential 1 vs 2 matchup ahead in the finals if Ladue and Vianney can hold serve, but two teams who got hot at the right time stand in their way. This is Vianney’s first year in C3 and will be joined by three schools with plenty of recent Final Four experience. Borgia won the 2022 C1 title, Ladue has finished second twice in the last three years and Van Horn has a third and a fourth place over the past six years.

#2 Vianney survived a district semifinal shootout with Rockwood Summit before dispatching a solid Parkway West squad 3-1 in the district finals. The Griffins cruised in the quarters Saturday, overwhelming Farmington 3-0. Head coach Brian Haddock is trying to pull off the rare girls-boys championship in one year after having led Nerinx Hall to the C4 title this Spring. Vianney will rely on its demanding schedule after navigating the MCC regular season 3-0-1 and the Griffins already own a decisive 4-1 win over Ladue Oct. 10. 

#16 St. Francis Borgia isn’t really supposed to be at this point as the D5 #3 seed, but upsets over #2 Helias and #1 Cap City punched their playoff ticket and the Knights racked up another upset when it took out #4 Springfield Catholic 3-1 in Springfield. Borgia jumped out to a 2-0 lead against a stiff wind before Catholic got one back on a penalty kick before half. The Irish pressured Borgia for most of the second half, with Knight defenders twice clearing balls off the goal line before netting an insurance goal with just over ten minutes to play. Borgia will be the smallest school enrollment-wise (345) in the big school finals after its 2022 championship run pushed the Success points into C3. By contrast, Ladue is at 1022, Vianney 838 and Van Horn 816.

#1 Ladue’s run to the finals was a bit more conventional than last year’s squad that finished second despite a handful of forfeits early in the season, but by no means has the Rams’ season been easy. Eight matches this season went into extra time, including four in penalties. with the district finals against last year’s C2 champ, Westminster Christian being decided in the second OT. Six of Ladue’s first 11 matches went extra and they even played a stretch of three straight games decided by penalty kicks, which ultimately helped forge them for a difficult quarter matchup in Hannibal Saturday. Ladue scored once in each half and held off a solid Hannibal attack to advance.

#7 Van Horn is no stranger to postseason success, as this is the Falcons sixth appearance in seven years. Van Horn didn’t have an easy go of it in the postseason this year, either. The Falcons avenged regular season losses to Lincoln College Prep (18-2) in district semis (a 3-2 win) and last year’s C3 champs, East KC 3-1 in the district finals. Van Horn scored twice in the last eight minutes after trailing early to win D8 and then held off a solid #6 Pembroke Hill squad 3-1 at home Saturday. 


Class 4 Preview

#3 DeSmet (20-3-1) vs. #1 Rockhurst (20-1) (+.07) 3:30 PM Friday

#8 SLUH (16-6-3) (+.35) vs. #15 Liberty North (17-8) 6 PM Friday 

Notes: C4 is a who’s who of MO soccer powers with a new face sprinkled in. Rockhurst (28 times), DeSmet (17) and SLUH (16) are certainly no stranger to the Final Four, but Friday will mark Liberty North’s initial appearance. 

#3 DeSmet is no stranger to the Final Four but it has been five years since the Spartans made their last championship appearance, winning it all in 2019. After back-to-back MCC losses to Chaminade and Vianney in mid-October, the Spartans have won seven straight, including a 3-2 2OT nail-biter over last year’s 3rd place squad Lindbergh at home Saturday. The game-winner came on a “never give up” play on the endline and came with just four minutes left before penalties. Lindbergh had rallied to tie the game with just under six minutes left in regulation. 

#1 Rockhurst (#8 nationally) is shooting for something that’s never been done - four straight titles. The Hawklets have dominated the big school scene and this year hasn’t been any different. The only loss came to Blue Valley Southwest (KS) in penalties in early September and the Hawklets haven’t lost to a MO school since falling to Chaminade in October ’22. Rockhurst hasn’t conceded yet in the postseason, but it did have to struggle to get past a game Glendale squad 1-0 Saturday in the quarters at Rockhurst. Rockhurst and DeSmet have met four times previously, three in the playoffs. The last playoff match was in 2001. The teams have split the previous four.

#8 SLUH has lived dangerously in the past two playoff games, but found a way to advance each time. In the D3 tournament, the Jr. Bills trailed John Burroughs 2-0 before forcing penalties, where they earned a 3-2 win. Against #4 Liberty (Wentzville) Saturday, SLUH fell behind again but eventually got the game-winner in the second half to advance to its first Final Four since 2013. This year marked the end of an eight-year playoff drought for SLUH, who last won a championship in 2003. Things didn’t look promising for SLUH after a late season three-game slide against Vianney, DeSmet and CBC. Of note, DeSmet has already topped SLUH twice this year, 2-0 and 4-0.

#15 Liberty North is the new face in this year’s Final Four, but the Eagles have been consistently solid over the past three seasons and finally broke the quarterfinal in its fourth try. The playoffs haven’t been easy, either, first knocking out rival Liberty 5-0 and then last year’s C4 runner-up, Park Hill South in penalties. The Eagles quarterfinal win over Rock Bridge had all the drama, as well, with Liberty scoring the game-tying goal in the last minute of regulation before banging a shot off the far post in the first OT that bounced in for the golden goal over the Bruins. SLUH (1-0) and Liberty North (3-1) each have wins over Glendale this year and this will be the schools first-ever matchup.

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November 19 - Class 1 and Class 2 Final Four Preview

Location: Lindenwood University, Hunter Stadium, 209 S. Kingshighway St. Charles, MO

Digital Tickets (only tickets available): https://www.mshsaa.org/Tickets.aspx

TV: https://www.mshsaa.tv/

**The staggered start times are due to Lindenwold’s football team still needing the facility for practice during the day Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday and Thursday gates open at 9:30. You only need one ticket per day - make sure you get stamped if you plan on attending both sessions and only digital tickets are available for purchase.**

Class 1
(11) New Heights Christian (13-12) vs. (1) Valley Park (23-3) (+.80) 10 AM

(5) St. Pius X (KC) (17-9-1) vs. (3) Missouri Military Academy (16-4) (+.01) 12:30 

Notes: One thing, intended or not, that the Success Factor in soccer has achieved is the fact that the Final Four squads in Class 1 especially over the past few years have turned over at a high rate. In the past five years, there have been five different champions and only three schools (New Covenant, Maryville and Bishop DuBourg) have multiple appearances over that time. This year isn’t any different as all four schools will be looking for their first titles.

#11 New Heights Christian changed its school name this year (formerly College Heights Christian) and, well, it has led them to new heights after a rocky 1-10 start. The Cougars reached their first Final Four since a three-year run of 4th place finishes from 2002-2004 after a 3-2 win over Sacred heart Saturday at Carl Junction. New Heights (partnering with McAuley Catholic) jumped out to a 3-0 lead and held off a furious Gremlins comeback to capture its seventh consecutive win. The Cougars’ improved defense has been the biggest change. After allowing 50 goals in its first 14 games, New Heights has conceded only six in the past 11 matches.

#1 Valley Park won the 1-2 showdown Saturday against Metro, making a first half goal stand up as the Hawks advanced to their first Final Four. It was the second victory over #2 Metro this year and marked another game in a stressful tournament for VP after a second half goal won the district title over #7 St. Mary’s South Side the week before. The Hawks have been ranked #1 all season the MPR and have a significant MPR advantage over New Heights. Valley Park can beat you in multiple ways - the defense is allowing only .8 goals/match, while the offense has scored at a 4.1 goal/match clip. 

#5 St. Pius (KC) enters its fifth Final Four and first since 2014 as arguably Class 1’s hottest team. The nine losses are deceiving as two were against C2 #2 and semifinalist St. Michael the Archangel and another against C3 semifinalist Van Horn. The Warriors have played a demanding schedule (one of the most difficult in C1) against several upper class teams and have been on a roll since the tourney started - capped with a convincing 4-1 triumph over #4 Lone Jack Saturday. Lone Jack scored in the opening minute and the game was tied at half, but Pius pulled away in the second half. The Warriors’s success comes after six consecutive losing seasons that followed a significant playoff run from 2008-2019 where they won 10 district titles in 11 years.

#3 Missouri Military Academy has waited 32 years for a return trip to the Final Four but that wait is now over after the Colonels eliminated Crocker 4-1 at School of the Osage Saturday. Take away a 10-day period in the middle of the season when MMA went 2-4 over a six-game stretch and the Colonels have been solid, including a current eight-game winning streak. MMA pulled away from Crocker Saturday behind an efficient offense and a sturdier defense than recent Colonel squads have had, allowing 1.3 goals/match, the best mark since 2015. That mark has been helped by a .75 Goals Against Average in the current win streak.

Class 2

(4) Logan-Rogersville (20-5-1) vs. (1) Clayton (18-4) (+1.08) 6 PM

(2) St. Michael the Archangel (19-4) (+.46) vs. (5) Orchard Farm (19-6) 8 PM

Notes: Class 2 will also see a first time champion in what should be an extremely competitive Final Four. Four of the top five squads in the final MO Power Rankings reached the finals (only #4 Logan-Rogersville’s 2-1 2OT win over #3 Bolivar the exception), making this the highest ranked Final Four in any class in recent memory. 

#4 Logan-Rogersville fell one goal short of a perfect season and state title last season in their first trip to a Final Four, bowing to Westminster Christian 1-0 in the C2 finals. The Wildcats haven’t been quite as dominant this season, but have managed to find a way through a brutal state tournament path that saw them slip past #11 Monett 2-1, #3 Bolivar 2-1 in 2OT (the teams’ third match of the season) and #6 Marshall 3-2 in 2OTs on the road. Marshall had jumped to a 2-0 lead before LR rallied, getting the game winner minutes into the 2nd OT. Five of their last nine games (all wins) have been decided by one goal and three came in extra time so another close game should be the norm for them. 

#1 Clayton has been the team to beat most of the season based on the MO Power Rankings and come in to their second Final Four (2010) with a decided advantage in schedule strength over all other C2 teams (3.4 average - only two other schools, Priory and St. Michael’s were at 3 or higher in C2). Clayton played four matches against Final Four squads this year (losing to C4 SLUH 1-0, but beating C3 Vianney 3-1, C3 Ladue 2-1 in penalties and C2 #5 Orchard Farm 5-1.) The Greyhounds haven’t lost since late September, although they did have to sweat out a 1-0 OT win over Priory in D2 finals. Saturday the Greyhounds had it a bit easier in a 3-1 win over Lutheran South.

#2 St. Michael the Archangel finally broke through in its eighth year and will play in its first Final Four after knocking out #9 Excelsior Springs 2-0 with two second half goals and lockdown defensive work in quarterfinal play. Excelsior Springs was seeking its fourth consecutive Final Four. The Guardians have been a little streaky this year and now seem to be back in the middle of a hot one. After opening the season with 14 straight wins, they lost four in a row before bouncing back to win the next five. St. Michael’s has 15 shutouts on the season and hasn’t given up a goal in the postseason yet, while allowing only .5 goals/game. During the four-game losing streak, the goals dried up as the Guardians could only find the net once. One note with the change to Lindenwood, this becomes almost a home game for Orchard Farm. St. Michael’s is just 4-3 in away games, but 8-0 on neutral fields.

#5 Orchard Farm is back for its fourth appearance in the past five seasons, but the Eagles have never quite been able to go the distance yet, finishing second in 2020 and 2022. Last year, Logan-Rogersville took out OF in penalties in the semifinals, adding another tough loss in the Final Four during this historic run for a program that just started in 2016. Like St. Michael’s, Orchard Farm had a four-game losing streak followed by a current five-game winning streak and seem to be playing some of its best soccer after eliminating Moberly on the road 5-1 in the quarters Saturday. The Eagles led 2-1 in the second half when a Moberly red card helped open the gates for a comfortable win. As mentioned, Lindenwood is right down the road from OF, so a nice crowd should give the Eagles a bit of a boost.

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November 15 - Quarterfinal Preview

After ten days of district playoff action the quarterfinals await Saturday with the winners advancing to the MO Final Four that now has a venue and time/date change due to flooding/field damage at World Wide Soccer Park. Instead, the 57th edition of Missouri’s Soccer Championships will move to Hunter Stadium at Lindenwood University in St. Charles with Class 1 and 2 taking place Nov. 20-21 and Class 3 and 4 Nov. 22-23 since there is only a single field set up. Lindenwood hosted the state tournament from 1978-1985. Check on MSHSAA’s website for updated dates and times.

So far we’ve had 194 matches across the state during district play, and with a few exceptions, the top teams in each district survived, making the tournament ahead one of the stronger fields in recent history. 

A look at some numbers:

District Seeding and MO Power Rankings were identical in predicting winners: 165/194 (85.2%). 

16 of the 20 top 5 teams in each class advanced, including all five in C1, four in C2, three in C3 and four in C4. 

Of the 29 upsets, only six came with an MPR difference of .50 or higher. The biggest upset of the tournament was Northland Christian’s 3-1 win over Frontier STEM (+3.45) in the C1 D8 opening round. Fun note to that game, Frontier had beat Northland 8-0 in the last regular season game. Only one other game had a difference of over 1, STEAM Academy’s 2-1 win over Canton (+1.06) in C1. The other four over .5 could all be considered local/rivalry games which have a tendency to even out the playing field. Blue Springs over Blue Springs South, Lee’s Summit over Lee’s Summit West. St. Pius X (Festus) over Saxony Lutheran and Parkway West over Webster Groves all fit the bill and all were by one goal.

District hosts went 12 for 32 in winning championships. C1 - 4/8, C2 - 3/8, C3 - 3/8 and C4 2/8.

Key: School (MO Power Ranking) (+point differential between the two teams with the higher ranked team having the +). The higher the point total difference, the more that team is “favored” based on season results.

Class 1
Notes: All four favored teams will be on the road, which might level the playing field some due to travel and unfamiliar surroundings, BUT three of those four games are being hosted on neutral fields. Only St. Pius X (KC) will be hosting on its own field. Valley Park-Metro will feature the two teams atop the final C1 MPR rankings and the two teams who have been on top of the rankings since late September. Valley Park beat Metro 3-1 earlier…New Heights Christian upset #1 seed Greenwood 3-1, but New Heights was actually the higher-ranked team by MPR. Lone Jack and St. Pius had nearly identical MPR scores, which should make for an entertaining quarter. Lone Jack opened the season 0-2 but has won 20 of its last 21. St. Pius X had the strongest schedule of the eight remaining teams, with Crocker having the weakest schedule. Missouri Military Academy won its first district since 2018. Sacred Heart is looking to get back to the Final Four for the first time since a four-year run ended in 2017. All C1 Final Four teams from last season have been eliminated so C1 will continue its run of fresh faces in the finals. Three of the four from last year all moved up a class due to the Success Factor.

Valley Park (1) (+.13) at Metro (2) 1:00 at Gateway STEM

Sacred Heart (8) (+.14) at New Heights Christian (11) 2:00 at Carl Junction

Missouri Military Academy (3) (+.76) at Crocker (13) 2:00 at School of the Osage

Lone Jack (4) (+.01) at St. Pius (KC) (5) 4:00

Class 2
Notes: C2 also stayed close to the MPR results, with only #4 Logan-Rogersville’s 2-1 2OT win over #3 Bolivar the blemish in having the top three alive. #1 Clayton has the largest MPR advantage of any game Saturday and will be a tough out at home against a Lutheran South squad that won D1 as the 2 seed. Moberly pulled off two upsets in D4 to advance but will be the lowest ranked MPR team left in any class and faces a tough match at home against Orchard Farm, last year’s third place finisher. St. Michael the Archangel has been at either #1 or #2 all season long in C2 but has a tricky task on the road at Excelsior Springs. St. Michael seeks its first Final Four while playoff-experienced Excelsior Springs is looking for its 4th straight trip. Three of last year’s Final Four teams are still alive - the only exception is 2023 champ Westminster Christian, which moved to C3 due to the Success Factor.


Lutheran South (14) at Clayton (1) (+1.58) 5:00

Logan-Rogersville (4) (+.14) at Marshall (6) 1:00

Orchard Farm (5) (+.83) at Moberly (28) 1:00

St. Michael the Archangel (2) (+.55) at Excelsior Springs (9) 1:00

Class 3 
Notes: Six of the top 8 in C3 advanced. Van Horn, a 3 seed, eliminated defending champion East KC 3-1 in the D8 finals while also getting a measure of revenge after falling to East in last year’s quarters. The Falcons will host Pembroke Hill, back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Van Horn slipped past the Raiders 2-1 Oct. 24 so the two teams will be quite familiar with each other. #2 Vianney has the biggest MPR advantage when it hosts #22 Farmington, a team that lost three of four entering the playoffs, but found its form in D1. Vianney coach Brian Haddock is seeking to win a girls title (Nerinx Hall) and a boys title in the same year. #1 Ladue, last year’s Cinderella runner-up in a season that nearly didn’t happen due to suspensions, has a tough task on the road against an athletic and dangerous Hannibal squad that finally broke into the state playoffs for the first time since 2013. Hannibal has won 21 straight. D5 3 seed Borgia took out two consecutive Jefferson City schools (#2 Helias and #1 Cap City) in Jefferson City for the right to travel to #4 Springfield Catholic. The Irish own a 14-game winning streak. Two Final Four participants from ’23 are still alive - Ladue and Springfield Catholic. 

Farmington (22) at Vianney (2) (+1.17) 12:00

St. Francis Borgia (16) at Springfield Catholic (4) (+.64) 1:00

Ladue Horton Watkins (1) (+.70) at Hannibal (8) 4:00

Pembroke Hill (6) (+.04) at Van Horn (7) 6:00

Class 4
Notes: It’s no surprise that the C4 favorite is #1 Rockhurst, the three-time defending C4 champ and winner of 10 titles overall. The Hawklets, seeking to become the first four-time consecutive boys champ in state history, haven’t lost to a MO team since mid-October 2022 and will be heavily favored at home against Glendale. However, Glendale’s only two blemishes came against playoff teams (SLUH and Liberty North) and Coach Jeff Rogers is closing in on 1100 career wins overall so the Falcons will be well-prepared. #4 Lindbergh, last year’s 3rd place finisher, travels to #3 DeSmet in what should be a dandy. DeSmet survived back to back MCC teams (Chaminade and CBC) in its district and look for a return to the Final Four for the first time since winning it in 2019. The SLUH/Liberty (Wentzville) matchup also promises to be special as the two have shown to be challengers all year. SLUH rallied from a two-goal halftime deficit to take out perennial November darling John Burroughs 3-2 in 2OT, while Liberty upset #2 St. Dominic 3-2, also in 2OT. Liberty seeks its first Final Four and SLUH looks to go back for the first time since 2013 and 17th overall. The final quarter has #7 Rock Bridge back on the road at #15 Liberty North. The Bruins played all three district games nearly two hours away in Blue Springs and will make the longer trek to Liberty to play the Eagles. Liberty North ousted last year’s runner-ups Park Hill South in penalties, while the Bruins held off upset-minded Blue Springs 2-1. LN seeks its first Final Four. 

Lindbergh (4) at DeSmet Jesuit (3) (+.29) 1:00

Glendale (6) at Rockhurst (1) (+.72) 12:00

SLUH (8) at Liberty (Wentzville) (5) (+.30) 2:00

Rock Bridge (7) (+.40) at Liberty North (15) 5:00

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