Saturday, November 04, 2000
Eight area teams vie for regional soccer titles
By John Schutte
Enquirer contributor
The Cincinnati area is guaranteed to have at least three teams advance in the state soccer tournament, because three of today's regional championship games each will have two local teams.
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TODAY'S GAMES
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Girls Division I
McAuley vs. Mercy at Hamilton Garfield Soccer Stadium, 5:30 p.m.
Girls Division II
Badin vs. Indian Hill at Winton Woods Soccer Stadium, 3 p.m.
(Games begin at 7 p.m.)
Boys Division I
Lakota East vs. Lakota West at West Carrollton, 7 p.m.
Boys Division II
Kettering Alter vs. Turpin at Hopewell Elementary. 7 p.m.
Boys Division III
Tipp City Bethel vs. Madeira at Centerville Soccer Stadium, 7 p.m.
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In boys Division I, Lakota West (13-2-4) will face Lakota East (15-3-3) at West Carrollton. Lakota East holds a 2-1-1 edge in the series since Lakota split into two high schools in 1997.
Lakota West must solve one of the best goalies in Ohio. Lakota East senior Craig Salvati holds the state record for career shutouts with 41.
“I will not be surprised if the game ends 1-0 or goes to a shootout,” said Lakota West coach Steve Cummins.
In boys Division II, Turpin (16-2-2) must face Alter (14-4-1).
“This looks to be a typical Alter team. They have a lot of tradition in the tournament,” said Turpin coach John Basalyga. “They are very strong down the middle and they control the ball well.”
Offensively, Mark Burch has had a record-setting year for the Spartans. He has 12 goals in four tournament games to give him a school-record 34 this season.
“We like to attack all of the time. We don't like to stand back and have to win the same territory twice,” Basalyga said.
In boys Division III, Madeira will play in its first regional championship. The Mustangs will face perennial Division II power Tipp City Bethel, which moved to Division III this season.
The Mustangs' main task will be stopping Bethel's Matt Plunkett, who has 44 goals this season.
“We'll have to score some goals to beat them. It will be tough to shut Plunkett out,” Madeira coach John Unger said.
In girls Division I, Mercy will face McAuley at Winton Woods High School. McAu ley beat Mercy 3-1 earlier this season, but Mercy has outscored opponents 20-2 in the tournament.
In girls Division II, Indian Hill will face Hamilton Badin at Hamilton High School. Indian Hill is making its first appearance in a regional championship.
The teams met in a regular-season matchup that ended in a 1-1 tie.
“Badin has some good front runners, and we need to shut them down,” Indian Hill coach Amy Rief said.
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Eight area teams vie for regional soccer titles
