Nov. 3 Update

Tonight, champions get crowned in 11 different districts across the four classes. Several quality matchups on the slate tonight, but first…

Tuesday’s recap:

The last “big” (volume-wise) night of action of the season with 42 matches played. Six seeded upsets on the evening, but last night was more of a tale of “almost upsets” for several #1 teams. While 13 of the 20 #1 seeds took the field last night and advanced comfortably (all by multiple goals and many by the 8 goal margin), seven #1 seeds survived upsets last night, with four of them winning in OT.

Note: the number in (  ) is the final MPR (Missouri Power Ranking) rank of the team. A + MPR score means that team is favored due to a higher in season MPR score.

Class 1
District 4
#4 Fatima (16) had #1 Father Tolton (8) on the ropes with a 1-0 lead late after scoring on a counter attack with just over 13 minutes to play. Tolton rallied with a late goal and then won in OT for the right to play host Borgia (19) tonight on Borgia’s home field. Tolton knocked off Borgia 2-0 earlier in the year. Borgia cruised with a 5-0 win over MMA (23). Tolton has an MPR score of +.69 over Borgia heading into tonight, but Borgia, despite its record has been competitive of late, including a big win over rival Union late in the season. Based on MPR, Fatima would have been the #2 seed.

Class 2
District 7 #1 seed Harrisonville (21) earned the golden goal 1-0 win over host and #4 St. Pius (KC) (33), while #2 seed Barstow (26) held off #3 Center (35) in what must have been a tense night on the Pius pitch. Barstow had dropped four straight coming into the playoffs but now will play for a district title tomorrow night.

Class 3
In District 2 at Clayton, #1 Ladue (6) forced OT with a late penalty and then got the game-winner in OT to escape #5 Parkway Central (27) 2-1. Those two always seem to make instant classics when they get together. Ladue will play #2 Webster Groves (15) who held on to knock out the defending class 2 champ, MICDS (11) 1-0. Webster will be hoping to beat Ladue for the second time this season in Thursday’s final.

District 7
#1 William Chrisman (10) slipped past #5 St. Michael’s (33) 2-1 in Warrensburg and will face #2 Van Horn Thursday after Van Horn (21) eked out a 1-0 win over #3 Grain Valley (22) in a game befitting of the two rankings. Chrisman won the regular season match 2-1.

Class 4
District 1
#1 Jackson (19) topped a determined #4 Northwest (28) team that had one of its stronger seasons (17-8) of record, 1-0. Jackson will travel back to St. Louis Thursday to play #2 Vianney (36). The host Griffins held off #3 (and MPR favored) Oakville (20) 2-1.

District 2
#1 CBC (4) held off a solid #4 Lafayette (35) squad on the road 1-0 for the rights to play #2 Marquette (6), who had one of the bigger statement wins of the night with a 3-0 decision over #3 DeSmet (15). Thursday’s final will have a little bit of the old guard vs. upstart feel to it and should make for some great soccer. Marquette has put together a rebound season after two seasons under .500 while CBC seems to always be in the mix despite last season’s “off” season where the Cadets only played six matches and were without coaching legend Terry Michler.

District 8
#1 Liberty (7) outlasted #4 Staley (34) 2-1 in OT to advance to Thursday’s final against #2 Park Hill (23) who got by upstart #6 North Kansas City (55) 2-0. Liberty will attempt to beat Park Hill for the 3rd time this season - the two previous matches were one goal affairs.

Tuesday notes: The biggest upset of the night was #6 seed Carthage (30) taking out #2 seed Nixa (16) 2-1 in OT in Class 4, District 5. Nixa had steamrolled Carthage 9-1 Oct. 19, but the MPR had the difference between the two teams at only .30, which falls in that 0 to .50 range of possible upsets. Carthage will look to keep the upset trend going against #1 Kickapoo (10 in the finals Thursday. Lee’s Summit West (8) continued the trend of lower seeded city rivals knocking out a higher seed when it eliminated Lee’s Summit (5) 3-1. LSW will get overall #1 Rockhurst in the finals Thursday. Class 4  District #2 Liberty (Wentzville) (13) also had a statement win, 3-0 over #3 Howell (12), 3-0. Liberty and district #1 St. Dominic (11) drew earlier in the season 0-0, so look for that match to be close.

Wednesday’s Preview
16 matches on the slate tonight with 11 of them crowning district champions.

While every championship match is a “big one”, the biggest will likely take place in St. Louis with Class 2, District 3 the site of overall #1 Westminster (2) taking on #2 Whitfield (1) in what could likely decide the eventual state champion. Whitfield had to survive a war against Orchard Farm (4) in the semi to advance and the two teams who have spent most of the season atop the Class 2 MPR. Westminster, while the overall #2MPR team earned the 1 seed with a 3-2 OT win at Whitfield in late September. Always fun to see which teams can adjust or improve from a match that seems like a long time ago. MPR barely favors Whitfield +.02, so this will be a potential dandy.

The closest MPR match of the night is in Class 3, District 8 at Platte Co. #2 Platte Co. (13) is a slight underdog to #3 (12) Guadalupe (+.008), who decisively took out the district 1 seed Pembroke Hill in the semi. Guadalupe is only two years removed from a surprise Class 2 title but have struggled with consistency throughout the year. Platte Co. owns a 3-0 win earlier in the year over Guadalupe.

Staying in the NW part of the state, the Class, District 8 final with #1 Summit Christian Academy (5) and #2 Maryville (4) shows a slight MPR bump to Maryville (.08), but SCA has the advantage of hosting. Look for a tight battle there as the teams meet for the first time this year.

Yet another tight final could be Class 2, District 8 with #1 Bishop LeBlond (6) traveling to #2 Chillicothe (8). LeBlond has a slight (.10) advantage in MPR, but Chillicothe has won 17 in a row and riding high over its 19-win school best year. The last loss? LeBlond knocked the Hornets off 3-1 in early September.

In class 3, District 4 #1 Rockwood Summit (17) will travel to Jeff City to play #2 Capital City (18) in a final that slightly favors Summit (.04). Summit will look to rely on its staunch history, while Capital City looks for a boost from a big home crowd seeing its first district title match in just its third year.

Other finals tonight:
Class 1, District 4
#1 Father Tolton +.69 vs. Borgia

Class 1, District 5
#1 Laquey (24) vs. #2 Dixon (13). Dixon is the MPR favorite with a +.35 and has already beat Laquey twice this season.

Class 2, District 1
#1 Perryville (3) (+.57) vs. #2 Saxony Lutheran (14). Perryville won the first match 2-1.

Class 2, District 5
#1 Logan-Rogersville (5) (+.30) vs. Osage (13). The two didn’t play in the regular season and neither has won a district prior to 2008, so a lot at stake for two teams not used to being in this position.

Class 3, District 5
#1 Glendale (2) (+.56) vs. #3 Springfield Catholic (9). Glendale beat the Irish 1-0 earlier.

Class 4, District 6
#3 Blue Springs (17) (+.20) vs. #4 Rock Bridge (26). Both teams riding high over big wins over rivals in the semis…RB gets a bump by playing at home.


34) playing STEAM (mifinals tonight:
Class 1, District 3 - only one game with the winner of Crossroads (34) and STEAM (17) advancing to play overall #1 Lutheran St. Charles Thursday.

Class 2, District 4 - winners of this semi play the only Friday match of the week.

Class 4, District 3 - Four heavy hitters going at it in STL.