Texas HS State Tournament Preview: 4A Girls

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The big moment has arrived in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) Texas High School soccer season as, after almost four months of action, we're set to crown the 2024 state champions in the Lone Star State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Only four of the hundreds of teams that started the season with title aspirations in each of the six divisions still stand and they will battle this week in Georgetown, with matches taking place at Birkelbach Field from Wednesday to Sunday in the State Tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The best of the best will be action over the next few days and we've prepared previews for each division to get you ready to follow the climax of high school soccer in the state of Texas this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Division 4A Girls</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Semifinals - Wednesday, April 10</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>11:00 am - Celina (Region 2) vs. Lumberton (Region 3)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1:30 pm - Salado (Region 1) vs. Boerne (Region 4)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Championship Game - Thursday, April 11</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2:30 pm - Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Team Previews</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Salado</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lady Eagles from Salado are back in the State Tournament for the first time since 2021, set to make their third appearance - they also fought for the title in 2016. Representing Region 1, Salado were the best team in District 5 and have 31 wins and just one loss in the entire season - their offense scored 134 goals and their defense allowed just 17. The team overcame Alvarado, Decatur, Benbrook, Wichita Falls and Waxahachie Life in the playoffs to earn the right to compete in Georgetown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to Watch:</strong> Leyla Peralta (senior defender), Izzy Blancaflor (sophomore forward) and [player_tooltip player_id='26356' first='Shelby' last='Hollywood'] (junior forward)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/SaladoSoccer/status/1775100976313057491","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/SaladoSoccer/status/1775100976313057491 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Celina</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lady Bobcats from Celina will try to win their third-straight state title - they also appeared in the State Tournament in 2021. They emerged from Region 2, finishing first in District 11 and having a season record of 24 wins, one loss and two ties, with 140 goals scored and just eight conceded. In the playoffs, Celina topped Sunnyvale, Pinkston, Aubrey, Jacksonville and Panther Creek, outscoring their opponents by 20-2.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to Watch:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='26334' first='Kaitlyn' last='Gustafson'] (senior goalkeeper), Sammy Quiroz (junior defender) and [player_tooltip player_id='112593' first='Hannah' last='Holland'] (freshman forward)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/CelinaSoccer/status/1776442128870023479","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/CelinaSoccer/status/1776442128870023479 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lumberton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lady Raiders from Lumberton are back in the State Tournament for a third straight and fourth overall time. The Region 3 side dominated District 17 with an undefeated campaign of 12 wins and has 22 victories and four losses in the season - with 114 goals scored and 19 allowed. Lumberton faced Hargrave, Bellville, East Chambers, Bay City and Vidor in the postseason, handling them with 22 goals scored and none conceded.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to Watch:</strong> Maddie Huebel (junior defender), Brenya Tyson (senior midfielder) and Tessa Christopherson (junior forward)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/ladyraidersoc/status/1776697746868633982","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/ladyraidersoc/status/1776697746868633982 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Boerne</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Greyhounds from Boerne are set to make their first State Tournament appearance - they also qualified in 2015, 2017, 2022 and 2023. In order to become the top team in Region 4 this season, they ranked second in District 26 and amassed 21 wins, one loss and three ties with 99 goals scored and 11 conceded during the season. Their playoff push included victories over Marble Falls, La Vernia, Wimberley, London and Davenport.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Players to Watch:</strong> Kinsley Sawyer (junior goalkeeper), [player_tooltip player_id='26462' first='Anna' last='Darling'] (junior midfielder) and Isabella Pettet (freshman forward)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://x.com/Boernehs/status/1776458337283956998","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://x.com/Boernehs/status/1776458337283956998 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->