By Todd Stanford
Five area teams begin play tonight in their respective PIAA soccer tournaments. All five PIAA tournaments (three classes in boys soccer and two in girls) begin today around the state. The quarterfinals will be held Saturday, with the semis set for next Tuesday, Nov. 17, and all five state finals taking place at HersheyPark Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 21.
Of the five local teams still alive, three are back from last year. The Midd-West boys, East Juniata boys and Lewisburg girls all made it to states in 2008. The Mustangs advanced to the Class AA semifinals, while EJ (Class A) and Lewisburg (Class AA) lost in the first round and quarterfinals, respectively, of their tournaments. The Tigers will meet Camp Hill in their first-round game today, and the Green Dragons face District 2 champion Montrose.
The Selinsgrove girls (Class AAA) and Upper Dauphin girls (Class AA) will also be in action tonight.
Midd-West (16-3-1) is perhaps the biggest surprise to be playing in the state tournament. The Mustangs lost eight starters from last year's team that advanced all the way to the state semifinals. But they won their fourth District 4 championship in the last five years last week and now meet District 11 champ Southern Lehigh tonight at Hughesville High School at 7.
This will be the third meeting between the two programs in the state tournament. In 2005, Southern Lehigh spoiled Midd-West's first trip to states with a 3-1 victory at Hughesville High School. Last year, Midd-West evened the scored with a 2-0 win in the first round.
Like the Mustangs, the Spartans (17-5) have won four of the last five D-11 AA crowns. They feature four players who have at least seven goals this season, led by Andrew Fetterman (22 goals and nine assists). Kris Kassel isn't far behind, as he's posted 18 goals and seven assists this year.
Midd-West will be looking for another big night from senior forward Alex Callender and junior midfielder Jeremy Payne. The former had the game-winning goal in both District 4 playoff victories, giving him nine goals and four assists this year.
The Mustangs are led in the midfield by Payne (15 goals and 13 assists) and classmate Jeremey Troutman (four goals and two assists).
While Midd-West is farther north, its stadium will be use for a double-header. East Juniata (17-3-1) meets Camp Hill at 7 at Sports Boosters Athletic Park. The same two teams met last year in the first round, with Camp Hill earning a 4-0 victory. The Tigers, coming off their first District 4 title, are hoping for a better result this year.
Prior to that game, the Selinsgrove girls will meet District 6 champion State College at 5 at Sports Boosters Athletic Park. The Seals (15-2-3) are making their first appearance in the state tournament since 2005, and are looking for their first win in states since advancing to the 2000 semifinals in Class AA.
The Little Lions, who were upset by Milton in the first round last year, are ranked 10th in the latest state poll. Last month they lost 4-0 to Midd-West -- a team the Seals defeated twice.
With a bevy of talented forwards -- Kelsey Fisher, Jenna Fisher, Courtney Matrey and Meagan Heddings -- Selinsgrove could present a challenge to State College.
In the Class AA girls tournament, District 4 champ Lewisburg (19-2-1) will meet Montrose at Hughesville at 5. The Green Dragons outscored their four D-4 playoff opponents by a combined score of 22-2 and appear to be playing their best soccer of the season.
Also in Class AA, District 3 champ Upper Dauphin will meet St. Pius X at Eagle Valley Middle School in Mechanicsburg beginning at 7; the winner of that game will get the survivor of the Lewisburg/Montrose contest.
