Soccer teams prepare for first round playoff games

HERNANDO – The Hernando Tigers soccer team will get ready to stand off with Ridgeland High School tonight in a first round playoff game at the school.

Hernando, fresh off a district championship last week, will look to pick up a 4A playoff victory over the Titans.

The game was scheduled for Tuesday, but the ice storm forced the game to back two days. Hernando comes into the game riding a nine-game winning streak. The Tigers finished the regular season 8-0 in district play.
“We’ve had a special season,” Hernando head coach Randy Reiter said. “These boys have bought into the belief of knowing they can win. The chemistry is there with this team. They believe they can win.”

The team practiced inside on Tuesday. Reiter decided to reschedule the game for tonight to put his team in the right frame of mind.

“We could’ve played Tuesday, but I didn’t want to put the boys through that weather,” Reider said. “It’s supposed to be about 48 degrees. We had a good practice and our seniors told the rest of the team, we want to keep going. Ridgeland is a challenge, but we’re going to play hard for 80 minutes. There’s no question about that.”

The Desoto Central Lady Jaguars will host NW Rankin tonight. Desoto Central comes in with a 7-1 record as the one seed in their division. The two seed, Southaven, fell Tuesday in the first round to Madison Central 6-1.

The Lewisburg Lady Patriots will go after a first round playoff win when the team host Madison St. Joe tonight at the school.

Horn Lake dropped their first round playoff game to Madison Central 4-1 Tuesday. Horn Lake finished the soccer season with a perfect 6-0 record in district.

“We accomplished our goal of winning conference,” Horn Lake head coach Cameron Glenn said. “We knew Madison Central was tough, but we hung in there.”

After an injury to their keeper, the Eagles turned to striker Tim Winston.

“Tim did a good job considering he plays a different position,” Glenn said. “Joseph Judd and Ulyssess Vazquez are two juniors who filled in also. I was happy to see some of the younger guys get in there and gain some playoff experience.”

Olive Branch slipped in their playoff tilt with NW Rankin 3-0. The Center Hill Mustangs ended their season against Pearl 6-0.