The #15 ranked PCHS Girls Soccer Team will open combined Class A/AA sectional play in Region 3 Section 1 on Monday, October 17, at #11 ranked Midland Trail in Hico, Fayette County, for the second straight year.

The 2010 #9 ranked Lady Warriors opened sectional play last year at then #6 ranked Midland Trail and won 2-1 without the services of Erin White and Erica Rebinski and with Sam Walton playing with a nagging hip injury. Lyndsey Barlow is out for the season, and PCHS beat the Patriots at Trail two weeks ago by a 2-1 score. The match on Monday begins at 6 p.m.

Section 1 is the tougher section with four of the five top ranked Region 3 teams, but #2 ranked PikeView is in section 2. Each girls' section has four teams, and if PCHS beats Trail on Monday, they will play the winner of #4 Shady Spring vs unranked Oak Hill on Wednesday. PCHS only lost by two points, 2-4, at then #1 Shady Spring in early September, so don't count the Lady Warriors out. PCHS also lost by only one point, 2-3, at Pikeview.

The #13 ranked PCHS Boys Soccer Team will open sectional play on Tuesday, October 18, at #10 ranked Shady Spring in Beckley at the YMCA Soccer Complex. The 2010 unranked Warriors opened sectional play at then # 8 ranked Shady Spring and lost by one point, 0-1, in the famous slowed-down game with no ball boys and constant subbing by Shady's coach. The Warriors also thought they scored a goal in the match when Shady's goalie leaned back into the goal. PCHS lost this season to then #8 Shady Spring at Dunmore in early September by two points, 2-4. The match on Tuesday also begins at 6 p.m.

Section 1 is also the tougher boys section with three of the four top ranked Region 3 teams, but #4 Pikeview is in section 2. Section 2 has five teams and Section 1 has four. If the Warriors beat Shady on Tuesday, they will play the winner of #3 Oak Hill vs unranked Independence.

The Warriors' only loss this season by more than two goals was at Oak Hill in late August by seven goals, 1-8. PCHS has one more scoring weapon now in junior German exchange student Georg Faerber, but (11-3-1) Oak Hill, ranked #3 behind undefeated defending state champion #1 Charleston Catholic and #2 one-loss Huntington St. Joseph, is now considered the public school to beat with #4 Pikeview right behind.

Looking ahead to what might be someday-- If the SSAC had split Class A from Class AA in soccer and put private schools in their own class or a higher class this season, the PCHS boys would currently be ranked #3 behind Williamstown and South Harrison in Class A, and the PCHS girls would be ranked #2 behind Midland Trail, whom they beat this season.

Go, Lady Warriors and Warriors, on Monday and Tuesday.

ﾠ