The chance to reach the state finals for high school boys soccer teams has arrived.
Fourteen teams across the state will compete in the semifinal rounds Tuesday with chances to advance to state titles games Friday and Saturday at McEachern in Powder Springs and Mercer University in Macon.
Here's the breakdown for the semifinal rounds:
Class AAAAAAA: In the state's highest classification, top-ranked Walton was knocked out by Peachtree Ridge in a closely contested penalty kick shootout (6-5) after finishing regulation tied at 2. Peachtree Ridge will travel to South Forsyth for the semis. South Forsyth also weathered a penalty kick shootout, 1(3)-1(1), in its quarterfinal victory over Hillgrove. On the other side of the bracket, Lambert will host Campbell after defeating East Coweta 3-0 in the quarterfinals. Campbell was unranked at the end of the regular season, but its victories against Camden County (3-1), No. 5 Roswell (3-2) and South Gwinnett (5-1) have kept its season alive.
Class AAAAAA: Top-ranked Cambridge will host No. 3 Gainesville in a much anticipated match. Cambridge is 18-1-0, Gainesville 18-2-0. Cambridge is coming off a 5-0 victory against Greenbrier in the quarterfinals, but Gainesville's 5-1 quarterfinal victory against Richmond Hill adds promise to the quality of this particular semifinal matchup. No. 5 Alpharetta will travel to No. 4 Chattahoochee for the semis. Alpharetta moved past No. 8 Glynn Academy 2-1 to earn the semifinal berth. Chattahoochee is coming of a 3-1 victory against Tucker.
Class AAAAA: The hopes for a cross-town rivalry championship between Starr's Mill and McIntosh are still alive. No. 7 Starr's Mill will host No. 2 Johnson-Gainesville at Panther Stadium in Peachtree City for the semifinal matchup. Across town, McIntosh will load its buses and travel north to top-ranked Decatur (17-1-2) with hopes earning another championship berth after winning the AAAAA title last year.
Class AAAA: Top-ranked Marist will host a semifinal match against No. 7 Northwest Whitfield. Marist, 16-3-2, is coming off a scorching 9-0 victory against Richmond Academy in the quarterfinals. Across the bracket, No. 2 Chestatee will travel to Thomaston for its semifinal match against No. 6 Upson-Lee. Chestatee is fresh off a 2-1 quarterfinal victory against Woodward Academy. Upson-Lee earned its semifinal berth with a 4-3 victory against Blessed Trinity.
Class AAA: Top-ranked Westminster's title defense is still alive, and it will host North Murray in the semifinals. The Wildcats won the girls and boys AAA soccer titles last season. Westminster, 20-0-1, is coming off a 2-0 victory against Savannah Arts in the quarterfinals. No. 2 North Murray also has momentum following its 4-0 victory against Tattnall County in the quarters. Across the bracket, No. 4 Windsor Forest will host No. 8 Calhoun in the semis after defeating East Hall 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Calhoun's 2-1 victory against Pike County in the quarterfinals allowed for the semifinal berth.
Class AA: No. 1 Benedictine is on track to defend its state title after moving past Armuchee 4-0 in the quarterfinals. The Cadets will travel to No. 4 Thomasville, which weathered a penalty kick shootout against Pepperell in the quarters. After finishing regulation tied at 1, Thomasville outlasted Pepperell 8-7 in PK's to earn the semifinal berth. Across the bracket, No. 3 Putnam County will travel to No. 5 Model for a chance at a championship berth. In the quarterfinals, Putnam took a 4-2 victory against Harlem, and Model is riding momentum from a 4-0 victory against Jeff Davis.
Class A: Top-ranked Atlanta International will go on the road to Athens Academy for the semifinals after moving past Wesleyan in the quarterfinals. Athens Academy defeated Fellowship Christian 2-1 in the quarterfinals. Across the bracket, defending champion Whitefield Academy will play host to Paideia. Whitefield moved past Savannah Country Day in the quarterfinals. Paideia handled St. Anne Pacelli to earn its semifinal berth.
The schedule for the finals sets up like this: At McEachern, the AAA boys will play at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, the AAAAAA boys will play at 2:30 p.m., and the AAAAAAA boys will play at 7:30 p.m. At Mercer on Friday, the AA boys will play at 2:30 p.m., and the AAAAA boys will play at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, the A boys will play at 2:30 p.m., and the AAAA boys will play at 7:30 p.m.
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