Wisconsin State Playoff Preview: Division 1

Postseason play began Tuesday in Wisconsin, and today we take a look at Division 1, which features some of the Midwest’s top soccer programs with elite level talent. <strong>The Favorite:</strong> Marquette No surprise here. The Hilltoppers have been by far the most consistent program in the state. Unbeaten in Wisconsin this season. The team will rely on [player_tooltip player_id="32548" first="Nick" last="Magner"], [player_tooltip player_id="18488" first="Miguel" last="Gonzalez"], [player_tooltip player_id="18515" first="Valentin" last="Sandoval"], and [player_tooltip player_id="18504" first="Owen" last="Marshall"] up top. While [player_tooltip player_id="30972" first="CJ" last="Deslongchamps"] and [player_tooltip player_id="18509" first="Sam" last="Magner"] lead a stellar defense. Marquette defeated West Allis Nathan Hale in the first round on Tuesday. <strong>The Top Contenders:</strong> Verona, Arrowhead, Green Bay Preble, Bay Port All four of these teams are more than capable of knocking off Marquette. For Arrowhead, one of their only losses came 1-0 at Marquette on Sept. 3. Arrowhead’s only other loss came the following day to Division 2 power Whitefish Bay. Since then, Arrowhead has been unbeaten. The team will rely on MSOE Commit [player_tooltip player_id="18443" first="Enzo" last="Bova"], Brown Commit [player_tooltip player_id="18476" first="Langdon" last="Gryglas"], and [player_tooltip player_id="18484" first="Luke" last="Behringer"]. Verona sits at 12-1-2 and is the top seed in their sectional. The team has relied heavily on midfielder Max Lynch for their success. Bay Port earned a bye for their sectional. Senior Payton Schilz and junior Ryan Amond lead the team up top with double-digit goals apiece. Junior keeper Brady Wazny has a GAA of 0.85 to lead a strong, underrated defense. And lastly, Green Bay Preble has a strong, consistent group that can lead them far in the playoffs. At least 17 players either scored or assisted this season while its trio of goalkeepers has a GAA of 0.9. <strong>Super Sleepers:</strong> Homestead, Sun Prairie, Brookfield East These programs are seeded a little lower in their sectionals, but can definitely make some noise. Homestead can very well be placed in the tier above. Recently drawing to state power Whitefish Bay to share a conference title with them. The team is led by Jr Jack Gruen up top and Sr’s Sam Walton and John Watzka in the Midfield. Gabe Voung is an all-state player for Sun Prairie with 25 goals and 15 assists this season. Its lone loss this season came to Verona. Brookfield East has played a tough schedule, but only lost 2-1 to Marquette.