by Chris Pfaff, Xavier Sportswriter
Under head coach Barb Chura, Xavier Soccer has won nine state championships, including the last four in a row. Winning five consecutive state soccer titles would be an accomplishment only one high school in Arizona has topped. Seton Catholic won six in a row at the 1A-3A level.
This year, the AIA added the Open Division Championship (the top 32 teams coming from the 4A, 5A, and 6A conferences combined). Each of the five conferences from 2A to 6A will still crown conference champions.
So, this year, instead of going for the 6A title, Xavier is going for the Open State Title. In the Open top ten, Xavier is the 3rd seed. 5A teams are ranked #2 and #8, a 4A team is ranked #6, and the remaining top ten teams come from the 6A conference.
The Gators have a 10-1 record this season (including six shutouts), losing only to Boulder Creek back in December. Boulder Creek has two losses and is ranked #7.
#3 Xavier begins their quest for another State Championship today on Petznick Field at 6:00 pm when they play #30 Sandra Day O’Connor. If they advance to Round 2, they will play at home again Thursday at 6:00 pm.
You can follow the tournament on the Open State Championship bracket provided by the AIA on AzPreps.
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