By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Sports
The Christmas break marked the halfway point of the soccer season, the perfect time to review the top prep soccer teams in the Shreveport-Bossier Journal coverage area.
GIRLS
The Division I Captain Shreve Lady Gators (18-1) are second in the LHSSA power rankings. They have a trip to Mississippi this weekend, where they will face nationally-ranked Gulfport. Shreve also is hosting a “Battle of the Border”-style tournament in two weeks.
D-I 7th ranked Byrd (9-3-3) has just returned from the Mandeville Holiday Tournament, where the Lady Jackets defeated Mandeville 2-1, Baton Rouge 2-0, and tied Central Lafourche 0-0. MyJoi Anderson scored all four goals for the Lady Jackets, with Ellie Lawrence being credited for two assists. Byrd has two more trips down south to face state powers Dominican, Mt. Carmel, Lakeshore and Southside in addition to their annual battle with Loyola coming up this month.
D-I No. 18 Benton (9-6-2) is about to feel the challenge of moving to DI, as it faces Shreve and Byrd back-to-back in mid-January, this after an early faceoff with Loyola this week. These games will define the path of the Lady Tigers’ season.
D-II No. 3 Caddo Magnet (9-6) will be traveling to the EIL College Showcase tournament this weekend in Lafayette. They should face some high-level state powers. Besides their district matches, Magnet will play Shreve, Byrd and Loyola this month. The Lady Mustangs should be battle-tested come playoff time.
D-II No. 10 Parkway (4-5) will hope the New Year will bring some much-needed wins, as the Lady Panthers concentrate on their District schedule, with a final showdown with Magnet, which is most likely a winner-take-all game for the district title.
D-IV No. 2 Loyola (7-1-3) will also travel to the EIL Tournament this weekend. They also have scheduled matches vs D-II No. 2 Teurlings and D-III No. 2 St Louis Catholic. With the local matches against Byrd, Shreve and Magnet yet to play, there is no break for the Lady Flyers.
D-IV No. 7 Calvary (7-2-1) will be staying close to home, to prepare for the playoffs. Their new district competitor Loyola will be the featured game of the month. They will be heading to Monroe to face D-III No. 9 Sterlington later this month.
BOYS
D-III No. 3 Bossier (12-1-2) is spending the month playing mainly local teams, with a couple of runs over to Monroe. Coach Orlando Medellin did mention an effort to find a southern power to meet in Alexandria, but nothing has yet been set.
D-I No. 9 Byrd (7-3-2) will be at the EIL Tournament this weekend, in hopes of improving its ranking. The Yellow Jackets will have Jan. 19 circled as the district title will most likely be settled that night against rival Shreve.
D-I No. 21 Shreve (7-3-3) will be joining Byrd at the EIL Tournament. Coach Greg Palmer is putting his Gators to the test this month, with a match against Bossier, and a trip to Lafayette the day after the Byrd game to face D-II No. 6 St Thomas More and D-I No. 5 Acadiana.
D-I No. 31 Benton (5-8-1) is holding on for its state tournament life in its first year in D-I. The Tigers will need to get some good results against district foes and hope for an upset or two against some of their opponents to hold on to their playoff spot.
D-II No. 11 Magnet (3-2-2) is the final local team going to the EIL Tournament this weekend. With a bunch of district games left the Mustangs don’t have a lot of room to spare but will face Loyola twice this month.
D-II No. 16 Parkway (7-3-1) will test themselves against Bossier and D-I No. 2 West Monroe, with its new district showdown with Magnet. The Panthers will try and keep a playoff home game alive, a great reason to show off the new turf field.
D-IV No. 18 Loyola (4-9) has struggled with injuries all season. The Flyers hope almost three weeks off will be what they needed. They face Byrd and Magnet to end the season. Those games will go a long way to determine what kind of playoff success they will have.