The Southern Nevada high school girls soccer playoffs open Saturday with the Class 4A Southern Region round of 16, while the Class 5A state tournament begins Wednesday with quarterfinal games. Faith Lutheran enters as the team to beat in 5A despite earning the No. 2 seed behind Bishop Gorman on a tiebreaker with Arbor View. The Crusaders, who returned most of last year's championship roster, are attempting to become the first top-classification team to win three consecutive state titles since Arbor View captured five straight 4A crowns from 2012 to 2016.
Bishop Gorman (19-2-1) secured the top seed and sits alongside Faith Lutheran (14-2-3) as the two most complete teams in 5A, setting up a potential championship matchup between the private-school powers. Gorman, which won back-to-back 4A titles in 2018 and 2019 but has not reached a final since, is led by sophomore Aleah Warner, who is tied for the 5A scoring lead with 22 goals, and junior goalkeeper Lyvea Caceres, who has recorded 11 shutouts while allowing only four goals in 16 games.
Faith Lutheran arrives at the tournament after a 2-2 tie with Arbor View and a 4-1 loss to Centennial last week, results the source attributes to key players missing time for club commitments. Freshman Obriella Ojeda shares the 5A scoring lead with 22 goals, while senior Julia Anfinson has added 16. The Crusaders received a bye to the Nov. 4 semifinals and would face the winner of the Arbor View-Shadow Ridge quarterfinal.
On the other side of the bracket, Gorman will meet the winner of Wednesday's Centennial-Coronado quarterfinal. Arbor View (16-2-3) features a strong senior core including goalkeeper Emily Marks and Sophia Sachs, who has 24 goals and 16 assists. Coronado has reached the state final in each of the past five seasons with two titles, while Centennial returned most of a team that made last year's semifinals.
In Class 4A, the 16-team Southern Region tournament will determine two state qualifiers. Sierra Vista (15-2, 12-0 in the Mountain League) and Palo Verde (13-3, 12-0 in the Desert League) have separated themselves as the clear favorites throughout the regular season.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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