WIAA State Girls Soccer Tournament Preview

THE TOURNAMENT:  The 40th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Girls Soccer Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, June 15-17, at Southeast Sales Powersports Stadium at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee, Wis.

TICKET INFORMATION:  Ticket prices for the tourney are $11 per game plus online fees and must be purchased on-line on the WIAA website through GoFan, the WIAA ticketing partner, at:  

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION:  The single-elimination tournament features four teams in each of the four divisions. Below are the seeds, pairings and time schedule of games.

Division 1

Friday, June 16
#1 Muskego (16-1-2) vs. #4 Bay Port (13-7-3) – 11 a.m.
#2 Divine Savior Holy Angels (17-2-2) vs. #3 Kettle Moraine (14-2-2) – 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 17
Championship Game – 4:35 p.m.

Division 2

Thursday, June 15
#1 Oregon (21-0-2) vs. #4 Cedarburg (14-6-3)- 4:30 p.m.
#2 Whitefish Bay (19-4-1) vs. #3 Sauk Prairie (13-4-4)  – 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 17
Championship Game – 1:35 p.m.

Division 3

Thursday, June 15
#1 Edgewood (18-1-2) vs. #4 Ashland (20-2-2) – 11 a.m.
#2 New Berlin Eisenhower (11-2-4) #3 Plymouth (19-1-2) – 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 17
Championship Game – 11:05 a.m.

Division 4

Friday, June 16
#1 Cedar Grove-Belgium (19-2-2) vs. #4 Lodi (14-7-1) – 4:30 p.m.|
#2 Kiel (26-0-1) vs. #3 Brookfield Academy (15-3-1) – 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 17
Championship Game – 7:05 p.m.

SEMIFINAL GAMES STREAMED LIVE:  The semifinals of all four divisions of the WIAA State Girls  Soccer Tournament will be streamed live on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network on a consumer subscription basis. To purchase a subscription to the live programming, log-on to www.wiaa.tv or www.nfhsnetwork.com and click on the subscription image near the top of the page.

FINALS LIVE ON BALLY SPORTS WISCONSIN:  Watch the WIAA State Girls Soccer Tournament finals of all four divisions live on either Bally Sports Wisconsin or Bally Sports Wisconsin Extra. The Division 3 and Division 4 championship final will be aired at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, on Bally Sports Wisconsin. The Division 2 and Division 1 title games will be aired on Bally Sports Wisconsin Extra at 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area. The championship finals will also be streamed live on the Bally Sports app. Register for the app and sign in with your cable or satellite authentication to stream on mobile devices. The finals can also be watched digitally on Bally Sports Wisconsin Plus through a subscription to the service. To subscribe, visit ballysportsplus.com.

TOURNEY NOTES:  Catholic Memorial has captured the State crown a membership-leading 11 times. Whitefish Bay has won nine titles, and Brookfield Central has won six championships with Madison West and Divine Savior Holy Angels each possessing five titles. Homestead and Ozaukee have each claimed four championships. Whitefish Bay has now qualified for 23 State Tournaments to lead all programs. Catholic Memorial and Neenah have qualified 15 times with Brookfield Central and Notre Dame qualifying 14 times. Next on the list is Divine Savior Holy Angels, Madison Memorial and Madison West with 12. Homestead and Xavier have appeared at State 11 times.

LAST TIME:  Muskego won the Division 1 championship in 2022. The Warriors edged former defending champion Divine Savior Holy Angels 2-1 in the title game. Oregon defeated former defending champion Whitefish Bay 1-0 to win the Division 2 championship. In Division 3, New Berlin Eisenhower beat Notre Dame 6-1 in the championship final to earn the State title, and Lake Country Lutheran was crowned champion in Division 4 with a 3-1 win over The Prairie School in the title game.

DIVISION 1 NOTES:  Top-seed and defending champion Muskego has qualified for the eighth time and for the second year in a row. The Warriors had a six-year string of appearances that ended in 2019 with the Warriors winning the championship. Their five experiences prior to that resulted in losses in the semifinals. They rolled to a 4-0 victory over Kenosha Bradford/Reuther in the sectional final held at Kenosha Bradford to earn the opportunity to defend their crown. They finished second behind Kettle Moraine, the #3 seed in the bracket, in the Classic Eight Conference this season. Last year’s runner-up Divine Savior Holy Angels is the #2 seed in the bracket. The Dashers qualify for the State Tournament for the 12th time overall and essentially for the fourth time in a row after the 2020 season and tournament was canceled because of COVID-19. They have won five State championships. The most recent was in 2021. The Dashers won titles back-to-back in 2008-09 and added championships in 2014 and 2016. They also advanced to the championship game in 2019 and finished runner-up. This season, they are the champions of the Greater Metro Conference. The Dashers have advanced to State with a 4-0 win over Hamilton in the sectional final held at DSHA. Third-seeded Kettle Moraine will make its fifth State appearance and its first since 2021. The Lasers’ most notable tournament experiences came in 2015, which represents their furthest advance towards a title. This season, they are the champions of the highly competitive Classic Eight Conference. Their return to the State semifinals is the result of a 1-0 shutout over Verona in the Waunakee Sectional final. Fourth-seeded Bay Port is making its sixth State appearance overall and its first since 2019. The Pirates won their only title in 2018 after placing runner-up in 2017. This season, the Pirates finished fourth in the Fox River Classic Conference standings. Their advance to the State semifinals comes virtue of a 3-0 victory over Eau Claire Memorial in the Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln Sectional final.

DIVISION 2 NOTES:  The bracket features the same four teams that participated in the State Tournament in 2022. Defending champion Oregon is seeded #1 in a bracket. It’s essentially the Panthers eighth consecutive appearance, which also accounts for their overall total. Four of their other previous State experiences ended in the championship game. Their two titles came in 2015 and 2019, and their two runner-up finishes were in 2016 and 2018. The Panthers’ return to the tournament this season comes after shutting out Union Grove 3-0 in the sectional final played at Oregon. They are the champions in the West Division of the Badger Conference this spring. Last year’s runner-up Whitefish Bay is the second seed. The Blue Dukes are making their membership-leading 23rd appearance in the State Tournament and essentially their fourth consecutive trip with the cancellation of the 2020 season and tournament. They have won nine State titles, which also leads the membership. Five of their titles have come in Division 2 from 1998-2000 and again in 2017 and 2021. Four came prior to the expansion of the tournament to more than one division (1983-85, 1994). They have claimed second-place finishes in 1997, 2001, 2005, 2019 and 2022. This season, the Blue Dukes downed Pewaukee 3-2 in the sectional final played at Whitefish Bay to return to the tournament field. They are the North Shore Conference champions this spring. Sauk Prairie, the third seed, qualifies for State for the third year in a row and its fourth time overall. The Eagles’ are seeking to advance past the State semifinals for the first time. This spring, the Eagles finished runner-up in the West Division of the Badger Conference behind top-seeded Oregon. They tied River Falls 1-1 and advanced via a 4-3 advantage in the shootout in the final of the Marshfield Sectional. Fourth-seeded Cedarburg is making the school’s seventh appearance in the State Tournament overall and its second straight. The Bulldog’s first four experiences came in Division 1 when there was only one division of play. They finished runner-up in 1994 and 2004, and then won the championship in 2013 prior to qualifying to Division 2 in 2014, which resulted in a loss in the semifinals. The Bulldogs qualify this season with a 2-0 win over West De Pere in the Pulaski Sectional final. They finished second in the North Shore Conference standings this year behind Whitefish Bay, the 2022 Division 2 runner-up and the #2 seed in the bracket.

DIVISION 3 NOTES:  Edgewood is the #1 seed in the bracket. The Crusaders will be making their seventh overall appearance in the tournament and its first since finishing runner-up in 2019. They have won two State championships. Both of those came in Division 2. The first came in 2009 and then again in 2011. The Crusaders also advanced to the State final in 2006 and finished runner-up. Prior to joining the WIAA, they were runners-up in WISAA in 1987. They continue pursuit of a third State title after a 3-1 win over McFarland in the sectional final played at McFarland. The Crusaders are the runners-up in the West Division of the Badger Conference behind Oregon, the defending champion and #1 seed in the Division 2 bracket. Defending champion New Berlin Eisenhower was issued the #2 seed in the bracket. The Lions will make their third consecutive appearance at State and their eighth overall. Their most notable experience in the tournament prior to winning the gold trophy last season was a runner-up finish in 1999. They finished third in the West Division of the Woodland Conference standings this spring. The Lions qualify for the tournament field in their quest to repeat as champions following a 3-1 win over Catholic Memorial in the Shorewood Sectional final. Third-seeded Plymouth makes its second State appearance in the past three seasons. The Panthers finished runner-up in 2021. In their only other experience at State 2000, they were eliminated from title contention in the semifinals following a tie and the subsequent shootout. The Panthers shutout last season’s State runner-up Notre Dame 1-0 in the sectional final game played at Plymouth to earn their berth in the State semifinals. They are the champions of the East Central Conference this spring. Fourth-seeded Ashland returns to the tournament bracket for the second time in three seasons and for the seventh time overall. The Oredockers are attempting to advance past the semifinals for the first time. They posted a 3-0 victory over Rice Lake in the Medford Sectional final to return to State. The Oredockers are the champions of the Heart O’ North Conference this year.

DIVISION 4 NOTES:  Top-seeded Cedar Grove-Belgium makes its third appearance in the State Tournament. In their previous two experiences they finished runner-up in 2018 and 2021. The Rockets are back at State following a 4-0 win over St. Mary’s Springs in the Kohler Sectional final. They are the champions in the Big East Conference this year.  Second-seeded Kiel makes its second appearance in the State Tournament after qualifying for the first time last season. They were eliminated from title contention by a 4-3 shootout following a 1-1 tie in the semifinals. They advance to the semifinals this season with a 5-0 shutout win over Lourdes Academy/Valley Christian in the St. Mary Catholic Sectional final. They are the champions of the Eastern Wisconsin Conference this year. Brookfield Academy, the #3 seed, qualifies for the State Tournament fourth time overall and for the second time in three years, having won the title in 2021. The Blue Knights’ also won the Division 4 crown in 2017. They edged last year’s runner up The Prairie School 3-2 in the sectional final played in Racine to continue their quest for a second title in three seasons. The Blue Knights placed first in the Midwest Classic Conference this spring. Fourth-seeded Lodi will experience the State Tournament for the first time following the Blue Devils’ 5-2 victory over Regis/McDonell Catholic in the final of the Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln Sectional final. They finished runner-up in the Capitol Conference this season.

NEED RESULTS?:  The quickest way to get results will be to access the girls soccer home page on the WIAA website at :  Tournament and choose the appropriate link.

FOLLOW STATE MEET ON SOCIAL MEDIA:  Receive updates of the State Girls Soccer Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaasoccer. Also like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram at wiaawi.

ORDER STATE MEET APPAREL ONLINE: Apparel sales for the 2023 WIAA Girls Soccer State Tournament will be available online and at Uihlein Soccer Park through Tier 1 Sports. The link to the online store is:  Pre-orders to be picked up at the venue must be placed by June 12 at 11:59 p.m. The store will re-open for post-tournament orders.

SELECT IS THE OFFICIAL BALL:  The Select “Royale” soccer ball is the official ball of the 2023 Girls Soccer State Tournament. For more information on Select soccer items, access the Select website at:  www.selectsportamerica.com.