New H.S. Girls' Soccer Elite 8 (8/27)

Here is the new Elite 8 poll:

1. USJ (0-1) – The Lady Bruins lost to last year’s Class AAA semifinalist Houston, but still good enough to be No. 1. Last Week: No. 1

2. JCS (1-0) – The Lady Eagles opened the season with a victory over Lausanne. Last Week: No. 2

3. Westview (1-0) – The Lady Chargers opened the season with a win over Lexington as Kayla Guthrie scored three times. Last Week: No. 4

4. Madison (1-0) – The Lady Mustangs won the rematch of last year’s region title game against Chester County. Last week: No. 5

5. Chester County (0-1) – The Eaglettes did not start the season win a win, but they have plenty of time to come back. Last week: No. 3

6. Sacred Heart (2-1) – The Lady Knights played three games on opening week with big wins over McNairy Central and previously ranked Crockett County. Last Week: No. 6

7. Lexington (2-1) – The Lady Tigers picked up two district wins, but lost to a Westview. Last week: No. 8

8. South Gibson (2-0) – The Lady Hornets kept up winning ways after losing a large group of seniors last year with two wins in the opening week. Last week: Unranked

Fell out of rankings: Crockett County (0-1-1)

How Soccer Elite 8 performed in Week 1

1. USJ (0-1) – Lost to Houston 2-1

2. JCS (1-0) – Beat Lausanne 4-0

3. Chester County (0-1) – Lost to Madison 3-2

4. Westview (1-0) – Beat Lexington 3-2

5. Madison (1-0) – Beat Chester County 3-2

6. Sacred Heart (2-1) – Beat McNairy Central 4-1; Beat Crockett County 8-1; Lost to Bartlett 5-2

7. Crockett County (0-1-1) – Tied TCA 3-3; Lost to Sacred Heart 8-1

8. Lexington (2-1) – Beat Fayette-Ware 6-1; Lost to Westview 3-2; Beat Scotts Hill 5-1

Preseason H.S. Girls' Soccer Elite 8

The high School girls' soccer season begins today, so who are the top teams in West Tennessee? Here are my thought entering the first week of the season:

 

1. USJ – The Lady Bruins are two-time defending Division II-A state champions. USJ did lose some top players like Honeye Heydari, Shelby Jordan and Carrie Cobb. The Lady Bruins also have a new coach in Paul Conway.

2. JCS – The Lady Eagles have a strong junior and senior class on the field this season. JCS is also under new leadership as Scott Sinclair takes over as coach after being an assistant at Sacred Heart. The Lady Eagles will be led by goalkeeper Lauren Cherry, midfielder Anna Ross and forward Jasmine Riley.

3. Chester County – The Eaglettes are coming off a first-ever trip to the Class A-AA state tournament. Chester County returns many of their skill players like senior Darby Miskelly and junior Baylie Pruett. The Eaglettes are looking to build off last year and become one of the top programs in West Tennessee.

4. Westview – The Lady Chargers fell one game away from the state tournament last year. Westview returns scorer Kayla Guthrie and a stout goalkeeper in Makenzie Vincent. With nine starters returning, the Lady Chargers have the potential to exceed last year’s final.

5. Madison – The Lady Mustangs lost a large group of seniors from last year’s team including Abby Bailey, Amber Elmore, Lidia Smith, Madison Eggenberger and Michaela Connors. Madison will be looking to rebuild under Will Hanna, who becomes the first coach to stay for a second season in eight years. Jordan Rowlands will be tough at forward and Carmen Day should anchor the defense.

6. Sacred Heart – The Lady Knights finally have a large group of upperclassmen that have two years of experience. Amber Winkleman, Tarason Moore, Sadie Odom and Alice Nelson have the ability to control the flow of play in a match.

7. Crockett County – The Lady Cavaliers return two tough attackers in Carli Sisson and Katie Williams. This could be the year that Crockett County makes a run in the postseason. Jake Nichols is the new coach of the Lady Cavaliers.

8. Lexington – The Lady Tigers are always tough and should again contend for the District 15 A-AA South Division title with Chester County.