High School Soccer Tournaments Begins This Week

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) girls soccer state championship semifinals and finals get under way Wednesday on Eastern Florida State College’s Melbourne Campus soccer facility.

The girls tournament will involve 20 teams from throughout the state in five classes – 5A through 1A – from Wednesday, Feb. 5 through Saturday, Feb. 8.

The boys tournament also will involve 20 teams in the same five classes from Wednesday through Saturday Feb. 12-15.

EFSC’s Melbourne Campus facility also hosted the NJCAA Women’s Division I Soccer National Championship Tournament in November and will do so through 2016.

Hosts for the high school tournament include Eastern Florida, Melbourne High School, Melbourne Central Catholic High School and Space Coast Sports Promotions. However, all tournament matches will be played at the Eastern Florida State College Melbourne Campus Soccer Facility located at 3865 North Wickham Road.

Melbourne High was the site of the girls and boys finals in February.

Melbourne High’s girls are the defending Class 4A champions and play a Class 4A semifinal game against Lakewood Ranch at 12:30 p.m. Friday.

The Class 4A girls championship game will be at 3 p.m. Saturday.

On Thursday, Merritt Island’s girls play in the Class 3A semifinal against Matanzas at 12:30 p.m. With a win, Merritt Island would play for the title at 8 p.m. Friday.

Games will be played at 10 a.m. and 12:30, 3 and 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. and 12:30, 3, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Friday; and 3 and 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

The schedule will be the same for the boys tournament next week.

Tournament admission is $9 per session.

There also will be a charge for parking in the southeastern portion of the college’s main parking lot for tournament attendees. The lot will be open without charge to faculty, staff and handicap parking upon identification. Faculty and staff need to show their EFSC badge to gain access.

Bright House Sports Network will carry the state finals live on channel 47 and HD channel 1147. The finals also will air on Cox Sports Television and Comcast Charter Sports Southeast. The semifinals and the finals will also be shown live via webcast by PlayOn! Sports at www.nfhsnetwork.com.