COLUMN: Four area soccer teams should make the state tournament

The girls' soccer district tournaments are approaching this weekend, and the Southeast Missouri region is in an optimistic position.

There are four classes in the sport, and I predict that there will be a team within the Southeast Missourian coverage area in each of the four state tournaments.

Starting with Saxony Lutheran, who may not be the strongest among the group but is the top seed of a favorable Class 1 District 2 tournament. The Crusaders start in the semifinal game against the winner of Kelly (4-13-2) and Hancock (1-12). A victory will set them up with a match against the winner between Collegiate School of Med-Bio Science (11-5) and Gateway Science Charter (5-6) for the district championship.

Saxony Lutheran finished the regular season 9-8 and has won four of its last five matches entering the tournament. The Crusaders improved on their 8-14 finish from last season. It was also the Crusaders' first winning season since 2018. 16 players found playing time last year, and their development paid off this year.

Saxony Lutheran coach Chris Crawford said earlier in the season that Saxony Lutheran played a difficult schedule to prepare for a Class 1 field that looks easy by comparison.

"Our schedule is on purpose to play the bigger, faster, stronger teams before the postseason so that we're not shocked when we run into somebody like that,” Crawford said. “That's kind of how we set our schedule."

The last time the Crusaders played in the state tournament was in 2016, which resulted in their second consecutive championship. This will be the year Saxony Lutheran returns to the state tournament.

Perryville enters the Class 2 District 1 as the top seed and the team with the best chance to make the state tournament. The Pirates finished last season in the final four and are primed to return this year.

“I think we got caught up in the whole awe of being at state,” Perryville coach Jerry Fulton said at the beginning of the season. “I believe that experience of us being there and getting our feet wet has ignited a spark in these girls I’ve honestly never seen before.”

What is more impressive about the Pirates' 14-3 record is their 7-1 road split. The Pirates are led by the duo of Brooklyn and Ana Moll. In the regular season finale, Ana scored a hat trick and Brooklyn held Saxony Lutheran scoreless in a 7-0 win.

The Pirates start the tournament with a match against North County (3-14) on Saturday, May 13, at 3:30 p.m.

“They know what’s gotta happen,” Fulton said. “They’re very serious. We have five seniors on this team and they would like to have another opportunity before they leave. It’s very possible but we have a lot of work to do in the meantime.”

St. Vincent won the same amount of games this season as last season but lost six fewer games this time around. Last year was the Indians' first season in the last five years without a district championship. With the leadership of junior Cailyn Prost and the emergence of freshman Lana Adams, the Indians should return to their winning ways this postseason.

St. Vincent coach Todd Strattman said earlier in the season that the difference between the way the Indians play this year and last year is communication.

"We're talking more than we talked as a team last year," Strattman said. "We didn't talk as a team. This year, we're talking as a team and I feel like it's making all the difference on the field."

St. Vincent opens the Class 3 District 1 tournament at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 13 against Sikeston (4-18-1) and will likely face Cape Central (5-9) in the next round.

Jackson was nearly flawless this season. The Indians' only loss this season was against Glendale at the Kickapoo Varsity Tournament by a 1-0 score. Since that loss, Jackson has won seven straight games, outscoring opponents 36-3.

First-year goalkeeper Camryn Alsdorf anchors the impressive Jackson defense that has recorded eight clean sheets this season.

“She’s definitely been a spark for us back there,” Jackson coach Justin McMullen said earlier in the season. “She’s someone that came in really coachable and very athletic and it’s made my job a little bit easier. She’s very calm in a position that can be very nerve-wracking at times, but she’s very calm and she’s made some good saves for us this year.”

Jackson won the district title six of the past seven seasons including five straight. While I am most confident in Jackson's chances of returning to states, the Indians are playing in the toughest field. You know it's a loaded tournament when the No. 8 seed is Poplar Bluff (12-7). Jackson's road to six straight district titles starts with the Mules and could end with a showdown against Notre Dame (13-6-2).

The last year all four classes were represented by a local team in the state tournament was 2019. This is the year it happens again.