One thing is certain about the Region XIV Womens Soccer tournament: for the first time since the 2008 season, the league's longest-running championship-match pairing will not occur.
Once considered as predictable as swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano, monarch butterflies migrating to Michoacan and taxes due on April 15, a Navarro-Tyler final is not the natural inevitability for the league this season.
But the teams could meet in Sunday's semifinals.
Despite its third-best season record, 18th-ranked Navarro enters the tournament as the fourth seed. The Bulldogs (12-4) host fifth-seeded Paris (7-7-1) in a 3:30 pm Thursday quarterfinal at The Roark Montgomery Soccer Complex.
Navarro's posted 10 shutouts this season, including its last eight wins. The Bulldogs shut out Paris twice during the conference season.
Winner of Thursday's match here draws unbeaten, top-ranked No. 1 seed Tyler (17-0-0) for a Sunday match scheduled at TJC's Pat Hartley Field.
The tournament's third seed is LSU-Eunice, based upon an agreement with the NJCAA that allows Region XXIII's only Division I team to compete for post-season honors through Region XIV. Included for the third straight post-season, the 15th-ranked LSU-E Bengals (9-3-1) host sixth-seeded Jacksonville (5-10-1) at 2:30 pm Thursday at the Bengal Soccer Complex in Eunice.
Thursday's other quarterfinal sends No. 7 seed Blinn (6-9) to Lufkin to challenge the second-seeded Angelina Lady Roadrunners (13-2-1). AC, ranked No. 12 nationally, has won four consecutive matches and 11 of its last 12. The 'Runners swept regular-season matches (1-0 and 2-0) from Blinn, which is making its third straight tournament appearance.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up