Haji Abdikadir (right) leads the Collegiate soccer team with 40 goals. C-J file photo
The road to a first state championship won’t get any easier for the Collegiate boys soccer team this weekend.
After eliminating perennial powers Trinity and St. Xavier in last week’s Seventh Region Tournament, the Titans will get a meeting with defending state champion Covington Catholic at noon Saturday in a state tournament quarterfinal at Lafayette High School in Lexington.
“We realize it’s a different magnitude of game with it being in the state tournament and everything,” Titans coach Chad Wozniak said. “But hopefully our boys will be focused.”
The Titans (24-1-1) – ranked No. 2 in the state – will enter with a 23-match winning streak after dispatching No. 25 Butler 5-0 in Tuesday’s Semistate Four contest. No. 11 Covington Catholic (20-5-2) beat No. 7 Mercer County 3-0 in Tuesday’s Semistate Five game.
Collegiate has a state-record 162 goals this season (6.2 goals per game) and is led by junior Haji Abdikadir (40 goals, 12 assists) and senior Mirza Ugarak (32 goals, 13 assists). Abdikadir, a University of Louisville commit, has been battling a knee injury and is questionable for Saturday’s game, Wozniak said.
Covington Catholic’s top scorer is senior Griffin Lamp (31 goals, 16 assists).
The girls state tournament also will resume Saturday with quarterfinals at Paul Dunbar and Lafayette.
Defending state champion and No. 1-ranked Sacred Heart (17-3-1) will face No. 8 West Jessamine (21-4-1) at 6 p.m. at Paul Dunbar. The Valkyries and the Colts played to a 0-0 tie on Aug. 27 at West Jessamine.
Here are the complete schedules for the state soccer tournaments:
GIRLS
* Saturday at Paul Dunbar – Lexington Catholic (16-8-2) vs. Russell (18-4), noon; West Jessamine (21-4-1) vs. Sacred Heart (17-3-1), 6 p.m.
* Saturday at Lafayette – Lawrence County (18-2-2) vs. Simon Kenton (20-3-1), 2 p.m.; Owensboro Catholic (22-3-1) vs. Greenwood (17-3-1), 4 p.m.
* Wednesday, Nov. 2 at Bryan Station – Lexington Catholic-Russell winner vs. Owensboro Catholic-Greenwood winner, 6 p.m.; West Jessamine-Sacred Heart winner vs. Lawrence County-Simon Kenton winner, 8 p.m.
* Saturday, Nov. 5 at Bryan Station – Final, 5 p.m.
BOYS
* Saturday at Lafayette – Covington Catholic (20-5-2) vs. Collegiate (24-1-1), noon; Paul Dunbar (17-4-2) vs. South Laurel (24-1-1), 6 p.m.
* Saturday at Paul Dunbar – Perry County Central (17-5) vs. North Hardin (18-8-1), 2 p.m.; Daviess County (24-1) vs. South Warren (20-4-2), 4 p.m.
* Thursday, Nov. 3 at Bryan Station – Paul Dunbar-South Laurel winner vs. Daviess County-South Warren winner, 6 p.m.; Covington Catholic-Collegiate winner vs. Perry County Central-North Hardin winner, 8 p.m.
* Saturday, Nov. 5 at Bryan Station – Final, 7 p.m.