Published: October 14, 2008 12:21 am            

GIRLS' SOCCER: Sectional preview

Stocked full of highlights

Dogs, Pioneers have rematch in Jeff Sectional tonight; Floyd to start three-peat quest Wednesday

BY KEVIN HARRIS

kevin.harris@newsandtribune.com

A rematch of one of the best girls’ soccer games of the season and the beginning of a three-peat quest will highlight Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s quarterfinals of the Jeffersonville Sectional.

The most intriguing quarterfinal will be at 8 tonight with archrivals New Albany and Providence squaring off for the second time this season. It will follow a matchup between two first-time sectional participants in Silver Creek and Salem at 6 p.m.

The Bulldogs (13-3) rallied from a 2-1 deficit with 2:40 left in regulation to beat the Pioneers in Clarksville on Sept. 30, 3-2. New Albany junior Kaitlin Robinett and Kameron Cole each scored a goal in the match’s final minutes to pull off the victory.

First-year Bulldog coach Julie Deuser expects tonight’s game with Providence to be another fierce battle.

“Our game against Providence will probably be even more competitive this week,” Deuser said. “Both of these teams are talented and have a strong desire to win. I know that Providence was surprised by the loss in the regular season, so I am sure they are wanting to win now. Despite getting the first win, my girls know the importance of Tuesday’s game. I know they want it just as bad as Providence.”

Pioneer coach Dave Smith thinks the fans will get their money’s worth at tonight’s match.

“I’m looking forward to it. It should be a great match for the fans. I’m confident both teams will show up to play,” Smith said. “I think we’ve got a really good chance of winning (sectional). We’ve got all the components. We’ve got good offense, good defense and a good midfield. I wouldn’t trade places with anybody.”

Providence (11-5) is trying to win its first sectional championship since 2005. It has lost to Floyd Central in the sectional final the past two seasons, which included a 2006 setback where the Pioneers fell in a penalty-kick shootout.

In the bottom half of the bracket, the two-time defending champion Highlanders (9-6-2) will start their quest for their third sectional title in a row.

On Wednesday, the Highlanders will play their quarterfinal at 8 p.m. against Corydon, a 7-2 victor over North Harrison in Monday’s first-round game. Jeff will face Christian Academy of Indiana, which will be competing in its first sectional, in Wednesday’s first game at 6 p.m.

Floyd head coach Lewie Stevens and the Highlanders were hoping to be in the same bracket as New Albany and Providence. But Stevens says his players are ready to take on any opponent this week.

“We hoped to have a chance to play both of them, so our position in the bracket isn’t necessarily a positive,” Stevens said. “At this time of the year, we are prepared to do our best against the best. We need to max out against whichever opponent we face.

“We have switched our focus to (Corydon) and we’ll go from there. We are definitely looking forward to this week’s action.”

Floyd gained some momentum heading into sectional last Thursday with a 3-1 victory at Seymour.

The win vaulted the Highlanders in the final Hoosier Hills Conference standings from fourth place to second with a 5-1-1 league record. Scoring Floyd’s goals against the Owls were seniors April Vanderplow and Nikki Korte and freshman Taylor Patty.

The Red Devils will try to reverse their season’s fortunes with a win against CAI. Jeff has been struggling for the majority of the year and lost to New Albany (5-0), Floyd (5-1) and Providence (8-0) by a combined score of 18-1 in the regular season.



JEFF GIRLS’ SOCCER SECTIONAL

• TUESDAY’S QUARTERFINALS: Silver Creek vs. Salem, 6 p.m.; New Albany vs. Providence, 8 p.m.

• WEDNESDAY’S QUARTERFINALS: Christian Academy of Indiana vs. Jeffersonville, 6 p.m.; Floyd Central vs. Corydon, 8 p.m.

• THURSDAY’S SEMIFINALS: Tuesday’s winners, 6 p.m.; Wednesday’s winners, 8 p.m.

• FRIDAY’S CHAMPIONSHIP: Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

        

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