The WIAA girls soccer tournament begins June 2 with teams from the Manitowoc and Sheboygan area in action.
Here are the four teams, in alphabetical order, with the best path to the state tournament in Milwaukee by virtue of earning a top four seed.
Howards Grove
Howards Grove is seeded second in its half sectional and ranked No. 5 in Division 4.
The Tigers have been to state twice before with the last coming in 2021.
It’ll likely be a relatively favorable path to sectionals as Howards Grove will face No. 15 seed Peshtigo and probably No. 7 New Holstein, which the Tigers defeated 7-0 earlier this season.
From there, it would likely be No. 3 seed Providence Academy/Green Bay NEW Lutheran in the sectional semifinals followed by top seeded and No. 2 ranked Xavier.
Kiel
Kiel is seeking a fifth-straight trip to the state tournament and second straight in Division 3.
The undefeated Raiders are ranked No. 1 in D3 and earned the top seed in their half sectional with a bye to the regional semifinals.
With how strong Kiel has been I don’t envision them being tested until at least the sectional semifinals with the most likely opponent being No. 4 Freedom or No. 5 Luxemburg-Casco.
A potential sectional final meeting with second-seeded and No. 4 ranked Notre Dame though will be the true test. The Raiders and Tritons played to a 2-2 draw back on May 11, the only game Kiel didn’t win this season.
Oostburg
The Flying Dutchmen are ranked No. 10 in D4 and seeded fourth in its half sectional, seeking a fourth trip to state and first since 2019.
Oostburg opens the postseason with No. 13 Lomira and then would probably meet No. 5 Central Wisconsin Christian in a regional final.
Next up would likely be top-seeded and No. 3 ranked Lake Mills in a sectional semifinal. A victory there could mean a rematch with No. 2 seed and fourth-ranked Ozaukee/Random Lake with a trip to state on the line.
The two sides met on April 21 with the co-op prevailing 2-1.
Ozaukee/Random Lake
The newer co-op reached the Division 4 state championship last season and is looking to make it back.
Ozaukee has been to state six times previous as a standalone program.
Much like Howards Grove, the co-op faces a favorable path to sectionals with No. 15 seed Hustisford/Dodgeland up first followed by either No. 10 Kohler or No. 7 St. Mary’s Springs.
Ozaukee/Random Lake defeated Kohler 8-0 on March 28.
At sectionals, the co-op would likely face No. 3 seeded and ninth-ranked Living Word Lutheran and then either Lake Mills or Oostburg in the sectional championship.
Complete Manitowoc/Sheboygan girls soccer first round schedule
Tuesday, June 2
Division 1: No. 9 Oshkosh West at No. 8 Manitowoc Lincoln; No. 12 Menomonee Falls at No. 5 Sheboygan North; Division 2: No. 12 Wauwatosa West at No. 5 Plymouth; No. 15 Sheboygan South at No. 2 Cedarburg; Division 3: No. 17 Little Chute at No. 16 Roncalli/Two Rivers; Division 4: No. 17 Valders at No. 16 Kewaunee.
Thursday, June 4
Division 3: TBD at No. 1 Kiel; No. 12 Brown Deer at No. 5 Sheboygan Falls; No. 10 St. Thomas More at No. 7 Cedar Grove-Belgium; Division 4: No. 9 Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah at No. 8 Wrightstown; No. 10 St. Mary Catholic at No. 7 New Holstein; No. 15 Peshtigo at No. 2 Howards Grove; No. 15 Hustisford/Dodgeland at No. 2 Ozaukee/Random Lake; No. 10 Kohler at No. 7 St. Mary’s Springs; No. 13 Lomira at No. 4 Oostburg; No. 9 Madison Country Day/Abundant Life Christian/Saint Ambrose at No. 8 Sheboygan Lutheran/Christian.
Contact Tom Dombeck at 920-686-2965 or tdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Tom_Dombeck.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: These 4 Manitowoc/Sheboygan girls soccer teams have best shot at state
Reporting by Tom Dombeck, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter / Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
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