Quest for 2010 state soccer titles begins

Landmark Christian’s boys capped off a magical regular season with a region championship.

The War Eagles (12-1) started the season with 10 straight wins before falling to Mt. Pisgah 3-2 in penalty kicks. Landmark scored 53 goals this season and allowed 12. They start the Class AA/A playoffs against Pacelli (7-6-1). The Vikings scored 28 goals this season and allowed 28. They are 2-2-1 over their last five games. The winner of this match meets the winner of Thomasville and Pierce County next week.

McIntosh’s boys and Whitewater’s girls won region championships this season and both are hoping for a return to the state championship this season. Both teams reached the 2009 state final and both faced and lost to Marist.

The Chiefs (17-1) kick off the 2010 playoffs with a home game against Clarke Central (10-6-1) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. McIntosh has scored 92 goals and allowed eight in 2010. They have won six games in a row since falling to Whitewater 1-0 on Mar. 26. Clarke Central, 3-1-1 over their last five games, has scored 42 goals and allowed 25 this season. They are 0-3 against ranked opponents this season. McIntosh is ranked first in Class AAAA and third in the state. The winner meets the winner of Hillgrove and North Springs next Tuesday.

Whitewater’s girls (15-2-1) took on four teams ranked in the top 13 in the state over the last two weeks and went 2-1-1. The Lady Wildcats beat St. Pius (ninth in the state) 2-0 and Westminster (13th in state) 3-1, lost to Walton (the top team in the state) 3-2 and tied Harrison (seventh in the state) 0-0. Whitewater has scored 98 goals and allowed eight. They host Loganville (12-6), 3-2 over their last five games, Wednesday at 6 p.m. The winner meets the winner of Sequoyah and Chamblee next week.

Starr’s Mill’s boys and girls both open the playoffs at home. The boys (14-3-1), ranked second in Class AAAA and 12th in the state, hosts Apalachee at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Panthers went 4-1 over their last five. The loss was at Woodward on Apr. 19. They have scored 60 goals this season and allowed 20. Apalachee is 3-2 over their last five games. They lost to Habersham Central, ranked sixth in Class AAAA, 5-1 on Apr. 14. They have scored 41 goals this season and allowed 35. The winner of this game meets the winner of Dalton and Chamblee in the second round.

Starr’s Mill’s girls (16-2) host Winder Barrow at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The Lady Panthers, second in Class AAAA and sixth in the state, have won nine games in a row, including three over ranked opponents. Of those nine wins, five were shutouts. Starr’s Mill has scored 103 goals and allowed 10. Winder Barrow (14-2-1) has won eight games in a row but is 0-2 against ranked opponents this year, falling to sixth ranked Heritage 4-1 and fifth ranked Salem 4-0. They have scored 64 goals this season and have allowed 18. The winner of this match takes on the winner of South Paulding and Forsyth Central next week.

If you’re up for a road trip, the McIntosh Lady Chiefs and the Whitewater Wildcats will play in a double header at Heritage on Wednesday. The Lady Chiefs (14-4), ranked fourth in Class AAAA, will meet the sixth ranked Heritage girls (14-3-1) at 6 p.m. McIntosh is 2-3 against opponents ranked in Class AAAA or the state this season, most recently taking out fifth ranked Salem, the region champion from Heritage’s region, 3-1. Heritage is 4-1 over their last five games. They lost to Union Grove (15-2) 1-0 last Tuesday. McIntosh has scored 91 goals and allowed 12 while Heritage has scored 60 and allowed eight. The winner of this game takes on the winner of Marist and Allatoona.

Whitewater’s boys (9-8-1) are 1-4 over their last five games, but those four losses came at the hands of some of the top teams in the state, including third ranked Lakeside, DeKalb (1-0). They will take on Heritage (10-5-2) at 8 p.m. Heritage is 2-2-1 over their last five games, losing to Brookwood (3-0) and Union Grove (2-1) to close out the regular season. The winner of this game meets the winner of Lakeside, DeKalb and Osborne in the second round.

Be sure to keep visiting www.thecitizensports.com for updates on the state soccer playoffs.