State Boys Soccer Tournament Preview
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State Boys Soccer Tournament Preview

Monday, November 4, 2024

State Boys Soccer Tournament Preview

THE TOURNAMENT: The 43rd Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Boys Soccer Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 7-9 at Southeast Sales Powersports Stadium at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee, Wis.

TICKETS AVAILABLE: The WIAA uses GoFan Ticketing for all digital and cashless tickets. Admission is $11 plus online fees for adults and students. All tickets must be redeemed on a mobile device. To purchase tickets, visit the WIAA website at: https://gofan.co/app/school/WIAA2.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION: The single-elimination tournament features four divisions. Four teams will compete for the State title in each of the divisions. The coaches of the qualifying teams in Divisions 1 and 2 seed those two divisions, and the coaches of the qualifying teams in Divisions 3 and 4 seed those two brackets. Below are the pairings and time schedule of games.

Division 1

Friday, Nov. 8
#1 Marquette (12-3-4) vs. #4 Green Bay Preble (16-3-3) - 4:30 p.m.
#2 Brookfield East (15-1-1) vs. #3 Middleton (17-4-1) - 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 9
Championship Game - 7 p.m.

Division 2

Friday, Nov. 8
#1 Waukesha West (14-4-2) vs. #4 DeForest (18-3-1) - 11 a.m.
#2 Elkhorn (19-0) vs. #3 Homestead (14-4-4) - 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 9
Championship Game - 4:30 p.m.

Division 3

Thursday, Nov. 7
#1 St. Augustine Prep (19-1-1) vs. #4 Delavan-Darien (12-10-4) - 4:30 p.m.
#2 Sheboygan Falls (15-4-2) vs. #3 Shawano (13-7-4) - 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 9
Championship Game - 1:30 p.m.

Division 4

Thursday, Nov. 7
#1 Shoreland Lutheran (18-2-1) vs. #4 Aquinas (16-2-4) - 11 a.m.
#2 Kiel ( 18-3-1) vs. #3 Lake Country Lutheran (15-5-2) - 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 9
Championship Game - 11 a.m.

PRE-FINAL MATCHES LIVE ON THE WEB:  The quarterfinals and semifinals of the WIAA State Boys Soccer Tournament will be streamed live on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network on a consumer subscription basis for $11.99 per month. To purchase a subscription to the live programming, visit WIAA.TV and click on the subscription graphic on the page. Archived streams of the games will be available on demand on the NFHS Network 72 hours after the tournament with a paid subscription.

FINALS LIVE ON TV NETWORK STATION STREAMS: The finals will also be streamed live on the WIAA State Television Network station websites at no cost or registration on WKOW.com, WAOW.com, WXOW.com and WQOW.com. In addition, watch the championship finals live on the 27 News Now, News 9 WAOW, WXOW News 19 La Crosse and WQOW News apps.

FINALS TO AIR ON WIAA STATE TELEVISION NETWORK:  Watch the delayed broadcast of the WIAA State Boys Soccer Tournament finals Sunday on the WIAA State Television Network of stations. The Division 4 championship is scheduled to air at 11 a.m. with the Division 3 title game to follow at 1:30 p.m. The Division 2 final will be shown at 4:30 p.m. with the Division 1 game at 7 p.m. Here is a listing of the network stations and the channel guide for the broadcasts in the WIAA State Television Network markets:

Madison
WKOW 27.2
Spectrum Channel 190
TDS Channel 29
Mediacom Channel 106

Wausau
WAOW 9.2
Spectrum 14/610
TDS channel 35/1035
DISH Channel 10
Solarus Channel 10

La Crosse
WXOW19.2
Spectrum 15/610
Mediacom 4/9/10/133/820

Eau Claire
WQOW 18.2
Spectrum 15/610

Milwaukee
EVTV 24.2 (Comet)

Green Bay/Appleton
ECWF (Comet 14.2)

LAST YEAR:  Middleton captured the crown in Division 1 with a 4-2 advantage in a shootout following a 1-1 tie with Brookfield East in the final. In Division 2, Union Grove captured the crown by blanking West  De Pere 1-0 in the championship game. Belleville/New Glarus was the champion in Division 3 following a 4-1 victory over Plymouth in the title tilt. Shoreland Lutheran shutout St. Mary Catholic 2-0 in the championship game in Division 4 to earn the gold trophy.

THE DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Marquette is the #1 seed. The Hilltoppers advance to the State Tournament in pursuit of their 17th State championship. They have now qualified for State in 10 of the past 11 seasons and for a membership-leading 23 times. Their 16 championships are more than any other member school. In addition to the most recent two championships in 2020 and 2021, the Hilltoppers won five consecutive titles from 2014-18 and a string of four crowns from 2000-03. They also won three straight titles from 2010-12 to go with championships in 2005 and 2008. Furthermore, they have finished runner-up in 2004, 2007 and 2022. Prior to joining the WIAA, The Hilltoppers won 14 titles as a former member of WISAA. Those came in 1974, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984-86, 1989-90, 1992, 1994-97. They qualify this year by shutting out Oak Creek 3-0 in the Kenosha Tremper Sectional final. The Hilltoppers were the champions in the Greater Metro Conference this season. Last season’s runner-up Brookfield East was issued the second seed. The Spartans are making their 20th appearance at State, which ranks second-most among all member schools. They qualify for the first time since finishing runner-up in Division 2 in 2019.  The Spartans have won three State titles. Their titles in 1995 and 1997 were in Division 1, and the championship in 2014 was in Division 2. In addition, they have finished runner-up nine times, including 1982, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2019 and last year. All have been in Division 1 except 2019. The Spartans advanced to State with a 4-3 advantage in a shootout following a 0-0 tie with Arrowhead in the final of the Wauwatosa West Sectional. They were runners-up in the Greater Metro Conference this season behind Marquette. Defending champion Middleton, the third seed, qualifies for State for the15th time and for the second year in a row. The Cardinals have won two State titles. In addition to last season, they claimed the crown in 2004. The Cardinals also advanced to the title game and finished runner-up in 2000. The Cardinals qualify as the representative from the Madison La Follette Sectional, advancing with a 3-1 advantage in the shootout following a 2-2 tie with Madison West. They were the champions in the Big Eight Conference this season. Fourth-seeded Green Bay Preble returns to the State Tournament for the first time since 2018 and the 11th time overall. The Hornets have finished runner-up twice in their previous appearances, in 2013 and 2016. They edged Hudson 1-0 in the final of the Hudson Sectional. The Hornets are the runners-up in the Fox River Classic Conference this fall.

THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Top-seeded Waukesha West will appear in its third straight State Tournament and its seventh overall. The Wolverines’ first two appearances came in Division 1 in 2002 and 2010, which resulted in losses in the quarterfinals. In their previous four appearances in Division 2, they have not advanced past the semifinal round. The Wolverines qualify this year by advancing via a 4-2 advantage in a shootout following a 2-2 tie versus Wauwatosa East in the sectional final played at Waukesha West. The Wolverines finished second in the Classic Eight Conference standings this season. The #2 seed, Elkhorn, is making its fifth overall appearance at State and its first since 2020 when the Elks qualified in Division 1. Their most notable experience was a runner-up finish in Division 2 in 2016. The Elks’ first State appearance in 2011 also came in Division 1, which resulted in a loss in the quarterfinals. This season, they blanked Nicolet 2-0 to earn the Union Grove Sectional title. The Elks are the champions of the Southern Lakes Conference this year. Third-seeded Homestead is back in the State Tournament for the first time since 2008 and for the seventh time overall. The Highlanders won State titles in Division 1 in 1993 and 1999. They also finished as the Division 1 runner-up in 1998. The Highlanders notched a 2-1 victory over Cedarburg to seize the Franklin Sectional title. They placed third in the North Shore Conference standings this fall. DeForest, the #4 seed, returns to State for the second straight season and for the third time overall.  The Norskies fell in the semifinals in both of their previous appearances. They shutout River Falls 5-0 in the sectional final held at DeForest to gain their berth in the State Tournament. The Norskies are the champions in the Large Division of the Badger Conference this season.

THE DIVISION 3 FIELD:  St. Augustine Prep is the #1 seed in the bracket. The Lions qualify for the first time in the program’s history following their 3-2 triumph over Pius XI Saturday in the Shorewood Sectional final. They are an independent program without conference affiliation. Second-seeded Sheboygan Falls will embark on its first State Tournament experience following a 1-0 shutout over Ripon in the Plymouth Sectional final. The Falcons finished fourth in the Big East/Eastern Wisconsin Soccer standings this year. Shawano is seeded third heading into its first-ever State Tournament appearance. The Hawks began celebrating following an 11-10 advantage in a shootout after a 1-1 tie with Rice Lake. They tied for third place in the Bay Conference during the regular season. Fourth-seeded Delavan-Darien qualifies for the first time since 2020 and for the 11th time overall. The Comets are shooting for their fourth State title. They won Division 3 championships in 2014 and 2016, and they captured a Division 2 crown in 2000. In addition to their three titles, they have five runner-up finishes on their ledger, including four in Division 2 in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2005, and one in Division 3 in 2017. This past weekend, they shutout McFarland 1-0 to advance out of the Edgerton Sectional. The Comets are the runners-up in the Rock Valley Conference.

THE DIVISION 4 FIELD:  Defending champion Shoreland Lutheran is the top seed in the bracket. The Pacers are back in the tourney for the third time overall. They now possess two State Tournament championship trophies. The first title was in 2007 when the Pacers earned the Division 3 crown. They return to defend their title as a result of their 1-0 shutout over Oostburg in the Kohler Sectional final. The Pacers are the champions of the Metro Classic Conference this fall. Kiel, the second seed, advances to State for the first time in program history. The Raiders eliminated Sturgeon Bay 4-0 in the St. Mary Catholic Sectional final to gain their berth in the State semifinals. They are the champions of the Big East/Eastern Wisconsin Soccer Conference this season.   Third-seeded Lake Country Lutheran is appearing at State for the second time in the past three seasons, which also accounts for its overall number of experiences. The Lightning’s road to State was navigated through the Waukesha North Sectional, culminating with a 2-0 shutout over St. John’s Northwestern/Chesterton in the final. They finished third in the Midwest Classic Conference standings this fall. Aquinas, seeded fourth, will make its fifth appearance in the State Tournament. The Blugold’s most notable achievements in the tourney came in their first two appearances, which resulted in runner-up finishes in Division 3 in 2002 and 2010. They are the champions of the Marshfield Sectional by virtue of their 2-1 win over Northland Pines in the final. The Blugolds finished second in the Mississippi Valley Conference standings this year.

SELECT IS THE OFFICIAL BALL:  The Select “Royale” soccer ball is again the official ball of the 2024 Boys Soccer State Tournament. For more on Select soccer items, access the Select website at https://www.select-sport.com/us.

NEED RESULTS?:  Results of the State Boys Soccer  Tournament are available on the WIAA website at www.wiaawi.org by accessing the appropriate links on the boys soccer tournament home page.

LICENSED STATE MERCHANDISE:  Apparel sales for the 2024 WIAA Boys Soccer State Tournament will be available online and at Uihlein Soccer Park  through Tier 1 Sports. The link to the online store is: https://tier1sports.com/product/wiaa-boys-state-soccer-apparel/. The store is open for pre-tournament orders until Nov. 4 to be picked-up upon arrival at the venue. The store will remain open for post-tournament orders.

FOLLOW MEET ON SOCIAL MESSAGING: Receive updates of the State Boys Soccer Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaasoccer. Also like us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram at wiaawi.

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