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 The state's top-ranked team and the reigning state champion were among the teams eliminated in WIAA Division 1 girls soccer sectional semifinals Thursday night.
Mequon Homestead, ranked first in the final Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association poll of the season, lost to No. 8 Cedarburg 2-1.
The Bulldogs earned a rematch with another North Shore Conference rival, Grafton – Cedarburg is the only state team to beat the second-ranked Hawks this season, posting a 1-0 victory on May 26.
Meanwhile, ninth-ranked Verona, which beat Homestead 2-0 in last year's state final, fell to No. 5 Madison Memorial 1-0 in overtime.
The Spartans move to to play No. 6 Waunakee (20-1-5) in the Middleton sectional final, a matchup of two teams that haven't lost since late April at the Tournament of Champions in Burlington, Iowa. The Warriors are 14-0-3 since the tournament, while Memorial is on a 12-0-3 run.
All five of the state's unbeaten teams won to move within one game of the state tournament.
That includes River Falls, which edged Eau Claire Memorial 1-0 in overtime in a Division 1 match for its 16th straight shutout, and Winnebago Lutheran, the state's top-ranked Division 3 side. The Vikings cruised to their second convincing win over No. 2 Menasha St. Mary Central, winning 6-2.
In the 1 vs. 2 matchup in Division 2, No. 1 Waukesha Catholic Memorial blanked No. 2 Pewaukee 2-0. The rankings held, too, as No. 3 Madison Edgewood topped No. 4 Sugar River 1-0.
At least two teams with losing records will play for state berths: Bay Port in Division 1 and Lake Mills in Division 3. Port Washington, which plays its Division 2 sectional semifinal Friday, could make it a trio.
One interesting team to watch in Division 3 is Eau Claire Regis, which has advanced to the Stevens Point sectional final in its first season as a WIAA program.
The Ramblers and opponent Wisconsin Rapids Assumption are among the seven teams that will be seeking their first state appearances on Saturday: River Falls, Schofield D.C. Everest, Kettle Moraine and Milton in Division 1 and Mayville in Division 3 are the others.
Friday's sectional semifinal
DIVISION 2
Pewaukee sectional
Port Washington (7-11-0) at Shorewood (11-7-2), 4:30 p.m.
Saturday's sectional finals
DIVISION 1
River Falls (19-0-1) vs. Schofield D.C. Everest (16-5-1) at Wausau East, 4 p.m.
Bay Port (8-13-2) vs. Kimberly (19-5-1) at Kaukauna, 3 p.m.
Waunakee (20-1-5) vs. Madison Memorial (16-5-5) at Middleton, 3 p.m.
Appleton North (20-0-0) at Oshkosh West (14-4-2), 7 p.m.
Grafton (22-2-3) vs. Cedarburg (15-3-1) at Brookfield East, 3 p.m.
Milwaukee DSHA (13-9-1) at Whitefish Bay (13-8-2), 5 p.m.
Waukesha West (19-0-3) vs. Kettle Moraine (9-9-2) at Sun Prairie, 4 p.m.
Milton (15-6-1) at Kenosha Tremper (15-6-1), 6 p.m.
DIVISION 2
Ashland (21-0-0) vs. Appleton Xavier (17-2-0) at Stevens Point, 4 p.m.
Green Bay Notre Dame (13-7-3) at Plymouth (15-8-3), 3:30 p.m.
Sauk Prairie (14-5-1) vs. Madison Edgewood (14-2-6) at Mount Horeb, 4 p.m.
Port Washington or Shorewood vs. Waukesha Catholic Memorial (18-6-2) at Pewaukee, 1:30 p.m.
DIVISION 3
Eau Claire Regis (9-9-4) vs. Wisconsin Rapids Assumption (13-3-1) at Stevens Point, 2 p.m.
Winnebago Lutheran (21-0-0) at New Holstein (14-8-4), 3 p.m.
Lake Mills (7-10-0) vs. Mayville (10-7-2) at Hustisford, 6 p.m.
Racine St. Catherine's (11-7-2) at Kettle Moraine Lutheran (14-6-1), 3 p.m.
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