Wausau Pilot & Review
MILWAUKEE – The 2023 WIAA State Boys Soccer Tournament will be held Thursday, Nov. 2, through Saturday, Nov. 4, at Uihlein Soccer Park.
Play begins in the 42nd annual tournament on Thursday with semifinals in Divisions 3 and 2. Semifinals in Divisions 1 and 4 will be played Friday, with the four divisional championship games slated for Saturday.
The quarterfinals and semifinals of the WIAA State Boys Soccer Tournament will be streamed live on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network on a consumer subscription basis for $11.99 per month. To purchase a subscription to the live programming, visit WIAA.TV and click on the subscription graphic on the page.
Watch the delayed broadcast of the WIAA State Boys Soccer Tournament finals Sunday on the WIAA State Television Network of stations, which includes WAOW 9.2 of Wausau (Spectrum 14/610, TDS 35/1035, DISH 10, Solarus 10). The Division 3 championship is scheduled to air at 11 a.m. with the Division 2 title game to follow at 1:30 p.m. The Division 1 final will be shown at 4:30 p.m. with the Division 4 game at 7 p.m. The finals will be streamed live at waow.com and the News 9 WAOW app.
Notebook courtesy of the WIAA:
THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: Brookfield East was awarded the top seed. The Spartans are making their 19th appearance at State, which ranks second-most among all member schools. They qualify for the first time since finishing runner-up in Division 2 in 2019. The Spartans have won three State titles. The titles in 1995 and 1997 were in Division 1, and the championship in 2014 was in Division 2. In addition, they have finished runner-up eight times, including 1982, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1999, 2003, 2006 and 2019. The Spartans edged Homestead 3-2 in the final of the Nicolet Sectional to advance to the tourney field. They were the regular-season champions in the Greater Metro Conference this season. Last year’s runner-up Marquette is the #2 seed. The Hilltoppers advance to the State Tournament in pursuit of their 17th State championship. They have now qualified for State in nine of the past 10 seasons and for a membership-leading 22 times. Their 16 championships are more than any other member school. In addition to the most recent two championships in 2020 and 2021, the Hilltoppers won five consecutive titles from 2014-18 and a string of four crowns from 2000-03. They also won three straight titles from 2010-12 to go with championships in 2005 and 2008. In addition, they have finished runner-up in 2004, 2007 and 2022. Prior to joining the WIAA, The Hilltoppers won 14 titles as a former member of WISAA. Those came in 1974, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984-86, 1989-90, 1992, 1994-97. They qualify this year by shutting out Franklin 3-0 in the Kenosha Bradford Sectional final. The Hilltoppers were the runners-up in the Greater Metro Conference this season behind Brookfield East, the top-seed in the bracket. Third-seeded Middleton qualifies for State for the14th time and for the first time since 2016. The most notable of the previous experiences was winning the State championship in 2004. The Cardinals advanced to the title game and finished runner-up finish in 2000. The Cardinals qualify as the representative from the Madison Memorial Sectional, advancing with a 2-1 overtime triumph over Arrowhead in the final. They were the champions in the Big Eight Conference this season. The fourth seed, De Pere, makes its 10th overall appearance at State and its third in the past four seasons, including the alternate season in 2020-21. The Redbirds have won one State championship. That came in 1993 when they captured the Division 2 championship. They also have two runner-up finishes, one in Division 2 in 1992 and the other in Division 1 in the 2020-21 alternate season. The Redbirds advance to the State Tournament this year with a 4-2 advantage in a shootout following a 1-1 tie versus Hudson in the Kaukauna Sectional final. De Pere placed second in the Fox River Classic Conference this spring.
THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Top-seeded Waukesha West will appear in its second straight State Tournament and its sixth overall. The Wolverines’ first two appearances came in Division 1 in 2002 and 2010, which resulted in losses in the quarterfinals. In their previous three appearances in Division 2, they have not advanced past the semifinal round. The Wolverines qualify this year by defeating Wauwatosa East 2-1 in the sectional final hosted by Nicolet. The Wolverines finished first in the Classic Eight Conference standings this season. DeForest, the #2 seed, returns to State for the second time and for the first time in 30 years. The Norskies fell in the semifinal in their only other appearance that came in 1993. They blanked New Richmond 1-0 in the final of the Sauk Prairie Sectional to gain their berth in the State Tournament this season. The Norskies are the champions in the Large Division of the Badger Conference this season. Union Grove was issued the third seed. The Broncos will be appearing in the program’s first State Tournament following their 3-2 win over Greendale in the Elkhorn Sectional final. They have advanced to the State semifinals after tying for third-place in the Southern Lakes Conference this year. Fourth-seeded West De Pere will make its first-ever appearance in the State Tournament. The Phantoms began celebrating the opportunity to continue playing for a State title after defeating New Richmond 1-0 in the sectional final game played at Sauk Prairie. The Phantoms tied for the Bay Conference championship this fall with Xavier.
THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: Pius XI Catholic has been issued the #1 seed. The Popes are making their third appearance at State and the first since winning the Division 3 championship in 2018. In their only other State experience, they fell in the quarterfinals in Division 1 back in 2000. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Popes won three Division 1 championships as a member of WISAA in 1980, 1988 and 1993. They also finished runners-up in 1990 and 1992. This season, they downed last season’s champion New Berlin Eisenhower 2-0 in the final of the Big Foot Sectional to continue pursuit of a State title. The Popes placed third in the West Division of the Woodland Conference this fall. Plymouth was issued the second seed in the bracket. The Panthers qualify for the first time since 2018 and for the sixth time overall. The Panthers’ Division 2 championship in 2002 has been their most notable experience in the State Tournament. They qualify this year after shutting out last year’s runner-up Notre Dame 1-0 in the sectional final hosted by the Tritons. The Panthers were the champions in the East Central Conference this season. Third-seeded Somerset will experience the State Tournament for the first time. The Spartans earned their initial berth by edging Lakeland 2-1 in the Merrill Sectional final. They were champions of the Middle Border Conference this season. Fourth-seeded Belleville/New Glarus makes its return to the State Tournament for the first time since its only other appearance in 2004. That experience resulted in a loss in the semifinals. They embark on their second trip to State following the Wildcats’ 2-1 triumph over Edgewood in the Wisconsin Dells Sectional final. They finished atop the Capitol Conference standings this year.
THE DIVISION 4 FIELD: St. Mary Catholic, the top seed, advances to State for the third time in the program’s history. The Zephyrs first two appearances came back-to-back in Division 3 in 2004 and 2025. They finished runner-up in 2004 and fell in the semifinals in 2005. This season, the Zephyrs eliminated Xavier 3-1 in sectional final played at St. Mary Catholic to gain their berth in the State semifinals. They were co-champions in the Big East/Eastern Wisconsin Soccer Conference with Oostburg this fall. Second-seeded Shoreland Lutheran is back in the tourney for the first time since its only other appearance in 2007 when the Pacers raised the gold ball in celebration of the Division 3 championship. They return to State as a result of their 5-1 win over St. John’s Northwestern/Chesterton Academy in the sectional final hosted by The Prairie School. The Pacers finished runner-up in the Metro Classic Conference this fall. Last season’s runner-up Sheboygan Christian/Sheboygan Lutheran is the third seed in the bracket. The Eagles qualify for State for the third straight season and for the fourth time in the co-op’s history, all coming since 2016. They won the State championship in 2021 and fell in the semifinals in 2016. Prior to the formation of the co-op arrangement, Sheboygan Christian was a three-time qualifier, all coming successively in Division 3 from 2001-03. The string of appearances produced back-to-back titles in 2002 and 2003. The Eagles advance to the State semifinals this season with a 1-0 blanking of Oostburg in the Kohler Sectional final. They finished sixth in the Big East/Eastern Wisconsin Soccer Conference this season. Washburn/Bayfield is the #4 seed. The co-op advances to the State Tournament for the first time in program history. The Castle Guards accomplished the feat by defeating Columbus Catholic 3-1 in the Arcadia Sectional final. They were the champions in the Heart O’ North Conference this season.
Here is a look at the state tournament schedule:
2023 WIAA State Boys Soccer Tournament
Nov. 2-4, at Uihlein Soccer Park, Milwaukee
Thursday, Nov. 2
Division 3 Semifinals
No. 1 Milwaukee Pius XI Catholic (17-4-3) vs. No. 4 Belleville/New Glarus (18-2-1), 11 a.m.
No. 2 Plymouth (14-3-2) vs. No. 3 Somerset (23-1), 1:30 p.m.
Division 2 Semifinals
No. 1 Waukesha West (15-2-3) vs. No. 4 West De Pere (17-3-2), 4:30 p.m.
No. 2 DeForest (15-1-5) vs. No. 3 Union Grove (18-4-1), 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 3
Division 1 Semifinals
No. 1 Brookfield East (19-0-1) vs. No. 4 De Pere (17-3-4), 11 a.m.
No. 2 Milwaukee Marquette (14-4-2) vs. No. 3 Middleton (17-4-1), 1:30 p.m.
Division 4 Semifinals
No. 1 Neenah St. Mary Catholic (20-1) vs. No. 4 Washburn/Bayfield (15-0-2), 4:30 p.m.
No. 2 Shoreland Lutheran (17-4-1) vs. No. 3 Sheboygan Christian/Sheboygan Lutheran (15-5-2), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 4
Championship Games
Division 3, 11 a.m.
Division 2, 1:30 p.m.
Division 1, 4:30 p.m.
Division 4, 7 p.m.
