Ranked teams, state qualifiers battle in soccer tournaments

The Hays boys soccer team, which finished last season with a losing record, seems to be turning around its fortunes.

Hays defeated Wichita Trinity, a state qualifier last year, in the McPherson Invitational on Saturday and claimed the tournament championship. The victory lifted Hays’ overall record to 4-0.

The Indians blanked Trinity 2-0, and Hays keeper Hunter Wilkens tallied 10 saves. Trinity placed third at the Class 4-1A state tournament and completed its 2008 season 17-3-1.

Another member of the Western Athletic Conference - Great Bend - was less successful in its tournament outing, but after concluding last year with only one win, the Panthers already have matched that total. They edged Wichita North in the first round of the Titan Classic’s red bracket and then succumbed to the eventual champ, Hutchinson.

Great Bend placed fourth in the Titan Classic and now stands at 1-2. Incidentally, the Panthers’ only victory last year was against Hays.

The WAC team that fared best, Liberal, just missed the tournament title in the blue bracket Saturday. After dominating the defending Titan Classic champion, Wichita Southeast, Liberal struggled against Maize in the final. However, the Redskins should be a force this season.

In all, last weekend’s area tournaments featured five teams that qualified for state in 2008. Maize, Liberal and Southeast advanced to quarterfinals in the Titan Classic blue bracket, where Maize – the third-place finisher from Class 6A – prevailed.

Salina Central – which claimed fourth place in Class 5A – also finished fourth in the Goddard/Campus Invitational after losing several seniors to graduation. Newton blasted Winfield 5-0 for the invitational crown.

Two of those teams are represented in the Kansas Soccer Coaches Association rankings: Maize (No. 3 in Class 6A and No. 4 overall) and Liberal (No. 2 in 5A).

Hutchinson, which eked out a 1-0 win over Emporia in the Titan Classic red bracket finale, has replaced Emporia at the No. 5 position in 5A.