Nevada high school soccer, volleyball state playoff preview

The two-week wait is over for Coronado’s and Faith Lutheran’s girls soccer teams. The state’s top two teams will finally begin their run to a Class 5A state title.

After a 2½-month battle, the soccer and girls volleyball seasons are coming to an end with state tournaments this week.

Action begins with the 5A girls soccer state semifinals Wednesday at Valley High. No. 1-seeded Coronado faces No. 4 Centennial at 4 p.m., and No. 2 Faith Lutheran, the defending state champion, plays No. 6 Shadow Ridge at 6 p.m.

“They’ve been preparing for it all year,” Coronado coach Dana Neel said. “This is the moment that we talk about all year. They’re excited to step on the field and do what they’ve planned to do all year.”

The state title game is at noon Saturday at Valley. Coronado and Faith Lutheran, as the top two seeds in the six-team 5A state tournament, had byes to the state semifinals.

“These playoff games are one-and-done, so it’s what happens on that day,” Faith Lutheran coach Carl Cort said. “As much as we’re fired up for it, we understand that it all boils down to the day. We’ll be out there with that ruthless intent to get the job done.”

Faith Lutheran (16-2) and Coronado (17-1-1) have combined to win the past five state titles in the top classification. Faith Lutheran defeated Coronado 4-1 in last year’s state semifinal on its way to an overtime win over Liberty to win the state title.

Coronado defeated Faith Lutheran 1-0 Oct. 7, which helped the Cougars get the No. 1 seed and snap a four-game skid against the Crusaders. With 5A being just eight Southern teams and no Northern teams, Neel said it forced her team to get better with “no lull” in the season.

“With 5A being so small, the season starts out rather intense, and it just maintains (that) throughout the year,” said Neel, who added her team has leaned on the experience of its 10 seniors. “You just see teams get better throughout the year. They’ve been held to a high standard all year by the other teams.”

Faith Lutheran looked at the positives of the long break. It allowed some of the Crusaders to get healthy, including goal scorers Julia Anfinson and Elliott Lujan.

The Crusaders have most of their team back from last year’s title-winning squad. Cort said at this point in the season, it’s “all mental” and beneficial his team has that experience of winning.

“We’ll always cultivate multiple (scoring) chances in games; it’s just a matter of can we finish them?” Cort said. “Can we stay disciplined enough defensively as a team for what they throw at us?”

Shadow Ridge (5-9-3) upset No. 3 Arbor View 3-2 in a state quarterfinal. Centennial (9-6-1), last year’s 4A state champion, beat No. 5 Bishop Gorman 2-0 in the other quarterfinal.

Here’s a look at the other soccer and volleyball state action this week:

4A: Doral Academy and Palo Verde will head to Reno for the 4A girls soccer state tournament. 4A features Northern and Southern teams. Doral Academy defeated Palo Verde 1-0 in double overtime to win the Southern Region title Saturday.

Doral Academy (19-1-2) lost in the 2022 4A state title game and fell to eventual state runner-up Galena in last year’s state semifinal. Doral Academy, the South’s No. 1 seed, plays Bishop Manogue, the North’s No. 2 seed, at noon in a state semifinal, and Palo Verde (15-4-1), the South’s No. 2 seed, plays Northern champion Galena at 2 p.m.

3A: Cristo Rey hosts the 3A state tournament beginning Friday. Virgin Valley, the Southern Region champion, faces North Tahoe, the North’s No. 2 seed, at 9 a.m. Equipo Academy, the South’s No. 2 seed, plays Northern champion South Tahoe at 1 p.m. The state title game is at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Boys soccer

Coronado’s boys soccer team made history in its 8-1 win over Palo Verde in Saturday’s 5A Southern Region title game. The win was the Cougars’ 53rd straight victory, setting a state record for the most consecutive games without a defeat.

Coronado (23-0) will face Sparks, the North’s No. 2 seed, in a state semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday at Hug in Reno. The Cougars defeated Sparks 7-0 in their season opener Aug. 15. That started another record-breaking season, which includes the state record of 179 goals (and counting) the Cougars have scored this season.

Palo Verde (13-4-3) will face Northern champion Hug, which defeated Sparks in double overtime in the Northern region title game, in the other semifinal at 4 p.m. Friday. Palo Verde lost to Hug 1-0 in last year’s 5A state semifinals.

4A: The 4A boys soccer state tournament is down to its final four. The state semifinals are at 6 p.m. Thursday. One semifinal is at Foothill and the other at Spring Valley.

SLAM! Nevada, the Desert League champion, plays Chaparral, the Lake League’s No. 2 seed, at Foothill. Centennial, the Sky League’s No. 2 seed, faces Lake League champion Sunrise Mountain at Spring Valley. The state title game is noon Saturday at Spring Valley.

The state quarterfinals were Monday. At Foothill, SLAM! Nevada (22-1-1) defeated Desert Pines 1-0 in double overtime, and Chaparral (18-3-7) needed double overtime in a 2-1 win over Doral Academy. At Spring Valley, Centennial (14-6-2) handed Spring Valley (9-1-7) its first loss in a 2-0 win, and Sunrise Mountain (14-2-4) defeated Green Valley 2-0.

3A: Cristo Rey hosts the 3A state tournament beginning Friday. Virgin Valley, the Southern Region champion, faces Truckee, the North’s No. 2 seed, at 11 a.m., and Moapa Valley, the South’s No. 2 seed, plays Northern champion South Tahoe at 3 p.m. The state title game is at noon Saturday.

Girls volleyball

Bishop Gorman (31-8) is heading into the 5A state tournament as the heavy favorite to win its third straight title. Gorman will face Carson, the North’s No. 2 seed, at 6:20 p.m. Friday at Sunrise Mountain in a state semifinal.

Coronado (25-10), the South’s No. 2 seed, plays Northern champion Bishop Manogue at 8 p.m. Friday in the other state semifinal. The state title game is at noon Saturday at Sunrise Mountain. Gorman swept Coronado on Saturday to get the Southern Region title and No. 1 seed in the state tournament.

It’s been a record-breaking year for Gorman. Senior outside hitter Ayanna Watson set a state record for career kills (2,155), and senior setter Trinity Thompson set a record for career assists (4,265). Watson and Thompson are committed to Pitt.

4A: Sunrise Mountain will host the 4A girls volleyball state semifinals Thursday and state title game at 2 p.m. Saturday. Silverado (16-13), the Lake League’s No. 2 seed, faces Sky League champion Coral Academy (25-13) in a state semifinal at 5 p.m. Lake League champion Green Valley (30-11) plays Mountain League champion Sierra Vista (22-12) in the other semifinal at 6:40 p.m.

3A: The Meadows is seeking to win its third straight 3A state title and five consecutive (2021 and 2022 2A titles). Fernley High up North hosts the 3A state tournament. Semifinals are Friday when the Mustangs, the Southern Region champion, plays Dayton, the North’s No. 2 seed, at 8 p.m., and Moapa Valley, the South’s No. 2 seed, plays Northern champion Truckee at 6:30 p.m.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.