Iowa high school girls’ soccer regional playoffs preview

There are three classifications in Iowa high school girls’ soccer, meaning 24 teams will qualify for the state tournament.

Regional quarterfinals are Wednesday for Class 1A — Friday for 2A and 3A. Semifinals are set for May 28, with regional finals scheduled for May 30 across all three classes.

Regional winners advance to the state tournament in Ames where the quarterfinals (June 3) and semifinals (June 5) will be played at Lied Recreational Fields. Championship matches for all three classes will be held June 7 at the Cyclone Sports Complex.

Class 3A

Region 1: Iowa City West spent multiple weeks ranking inside the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s top 15. The Trojans (7-5-2) come in as the No. 3 seed here and face Ames in the semifinals. If they advance past the Little Cyclones, they’ll likely meet top-ranked Waukee Northwest in the final.

Region 2: Cedar Rapids Kennedy (7-5) opened the season 0-3 with tight losses to No. 13 Dowling, No. 6 Johnston and 1A No. 3 Davenport Assumption. Since then, the Cougars are 7-2. They’ll take on another battle-tested team in Pleasant Valley in the semis. Second-ranked West Des Moines Valley is the region’s top seed. Iowa City High (3-8-3) holds the 5-spot.

Region 5: No. 13 Cedar Falls will be Cedar Rapids Prairie’s (7-3-3) semifinal opponent. The Hawks, too, are unranked but spent multiple weeks in the IGHSAU’s top 15 this year. Fifth-ranked Ankeny is the 1-seed. Cedar Rapids Jefferson (4-10) comes in as the 5-seed.

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Region 7: Seventh-ranked Linn-Mar (12-3) earns the top spot in this region. The Lions will face the winner of Dubuque Senior and Cedar Rapids Washington (1-11) in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket are No. 10 Muscatine and Dubuque Hempstead.

Region 8: No. 8 Iowa City Liberty (11-1-2) opens as the 1-seed. The Lightning’s biggest hurdle to clear to make the statement tournament is likely No. 9 Bettendorf or Davenport Central.

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Class 2A

Region 1: No. 13 Marion (8-2-4) enters as the 2-seed. The Wolves get the winner of Iowa Falls-Alden and Wright County. Waiting on the other side is top-ranked Waverly-Shell Rock. Decorah (1-13-2) is the No. 5 seed.

Region 2: Fourth-rated Cedar Rapids Xavier (5-2-3) is the ace here. The Saints face the victor of Clear Creek Amana (5-9-1) and Burlington Notre Dame. No. 15 Burlington could be Xavier’s toughest test on the road to a state return.

Region 6: No. 6 Independence (13-2-1) is the top seed and they’ll square off against the better of Central DeWitt and Western Dubuque. Mount Vernon (7-5-3) fell outside of the IGHSAU’s most recent rankings but were previously No. 15. Mount Vernon opens against Clinton with a semifinal matchup against No. 10 North Scott waiting for it.

Class 1A

Region 1: North Fayette Valley (7-3-3) will host New Hampton (7-5) in the regional quarterfinals on Wednesday, with the winner likely to see No. 1 Denver in the semis. No. 15 Beckman (9-3-2) will face Postville (2-8) or MFL MarMac (0-11-1) in the quarters. The Trailblazers would then take on either Dubuque Wahlert or Clayton Ridge (9-1-2) in the semis.

Region 5: Area teams Anamosa (5-3-2) and West Branch (6-6) meet in the quarterfinals on Monday. The winner gets a crack at No. 5 Hudson in the semis. Iowa City Regina (9-4-3) will play Tipton (5-7-1), with 12th-ranked Maquoketa the probable semifinal opponent. Cedar Valley Christian (4-4-2) and Solon (8-6-2) will play in the opening round Monday with for a chance to move into the quarters.

Region 8: No. 10 Center Point-Urbana (11-1-2), the 2-seed, will take on Marquette Catholic or Monticello the quarterfinals. Should the Stormin’ Pointer advance, they’ll face the victor of Vinton-Shellsburg (8-4-2) and Bellevue. Eighth-ranked Dike-New Hartford is the top seed.

Other Gazette-area teams: West Liberty (4-6-4) — 1A, Region 3. Williamsburg (3-12-1) — 1A, Region 7. Benton Community (4-8-3) — 1A, Region 7.