Wisconsin Soccer Central

Higher-seeded teams have advanced in nearly 89 percent of games – 118 of 133 – through the first two rounds of the WIAA boys soccer playoffs this year.

However, two state sectionals each saw three lower-seeded sides earn spots in Thursday's regional finals.

In the Division 1 Chippewa Falls sectional, 10th-seeded Menomonie (1-0 over New Richmond), 11th-seeded Stevens Point (3-2 over Wisconsin Rapids) and 12th-seeded Eau Claire North (3-0 over Schofield D.C. Everest) all posted upset victories in Tuesday's regional semifinals. And fourth-seeded Rice Lake barely held off another upset bid, battling past 13th-seeded Wausau West 5-3 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie.

Meanwhile, in the Division 2 Mount Horeb sectional, No. 12 Cambridge-Deerfield topped No. 5 Lodi 2-1 and No. 9 West Salem edged No. 8 West Salem by 2-1 scorelines, while No. 11 Dodgeville-Mineral Point ousted Sugar River 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

The lowest-seeded team to move on was 13th-seed Madison La Follette, which stopped fourth-seeded Sun Prairie 4-3 on penalty kicks in Division 1 play following a 1-1 tie. The highest-seeded team eliminated was No. 3 Arcadia, which lost to sixth-seeded Northland Lutheran 2-1 in a Division 3 match.

Heading into regional finals, higher seeds are 114-13-6 – Division 1 teams are 54-5-4, Division 2 teams are 28-6-1 and Division 3 teams are 32-2-1. Sectional semifinals are Oct. 18 with sectional finals on Oct. 20 and the 31st annual WIAA state tournament Oct. 25 to 27 in Milwaukee.

• Milwaukee Marquette's Steve Lawrence was one of six coaches selected for the second annual Choices Hotel High School All-American Game, which is Dec. 8 in Birmingham, Ala. Lawrence will coach the West team with Mike Gauvain of St. Louis Chaminade and Matt Longo of Quincy, Ill.
• After having its 53-game unbeaten streak – the longest active streak in the nation – snapped with a 4-3 loss to Cleveland St. Ignatius on Saturday, Marquette slipped in both of the national rankings this week. The Hilltoppers fell two spots to No. 15 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll and dropped four places to 10th in the Elite Soccer Report Top 50. St. Ignatius, now undefeated in 31 games, moved up to sixth in the ESR Top 50 and stayed put at 17th in the NSCAA poll.
• Marquette remained second in this week's NSCAA Region VI poll, which also includes Middleton at No. 6, Green Bay Preble at No. 10, Muskego at No. 12 and Madison West at No. 14. The Hilltoppers, Cardinals and Hornets also ranked as the top three teams in Wisconsin by ESR.