The Tribune

The semi-final matchups are all set following the official draw and just eight teams remain to vye for the national soccer championship in their respective divisions.

The 2018 Sam Haven National Soccer Championships, presented by the IL Cares Foundation, will move into the penultimate round tonight at the Roscow A L Davies Soccer Field. In the Senior Girls’ division, the BAISS champions Queen’s College Comets and Lucaya International Buccaneers both had automatic byes to the semis and will be joined by the GSSSA champions CR Walker Knights and BAISS runners-up Aquinas Aces.

In Senior Boys’ play, the Tabernacle Baptist Falcons will make their tournament debut in the semis and will be joined by the BAISS champions St Andrew’s Hurricanes, GSSSA runners-up Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves and BAISS runners-up Lyford Cay Dragons.

Match play begins at 4:30pm this afternoon with the QC Comets and CR Walker Knights in a matchup of senior girls champions.

The Knights advanced with a 4-2 win on penalty kicks over the visiting Bishop Michael Eldon Warriors Tuesday night. They will be followed by the first Senior Boys semi, the AR Timberwolves against the ST Andrew’s Hurricanes at 5:55pm.

The Hurricanes got the tournament off to an exciting start Monday afternoon with a 2-1 win over Abaco’s Patrick J Bethel Marlins while the Timberwolves pulled off a 2-1 upset over the GSSSA champions CR Walker Knights.

In semi-final three, the LIS Buccaneers will face the Aces at 7:25pm. Aquinas advanced with a 1-0 win over the CV Bethel Stingrays on Tuesday. Tonight’s final match will feature the TBA Falcons and the LCIS Dragons at 8:45pm. The Dragons eliminated the Jack Hayward Wildcats with a 3-0 win in round one.

Each of the semi-finals will feature interleague play, something that Adam Miller, assistant general secretary of the BFA, said the tournament’s format would provide - maximum exposure for the participating teams. “Four games each day is a lot of games in a short period of time, but hopefully the teams are prepared for it. It was unfortunate we were unable to host in 2017 due to resources being focused on the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, but a lot of teams who felt like they should have been in it are looking at opportunities to win this year,” Miller said. “It’s always good to see teams compete against ones they are not used to playing against so it should present some interesting matchups.”