Four area high school girls soccer teams will play tonight in the region semifinal round of the state playoffs.
And all four of those teams will face opponents they've already played -- three times.
The region semifinals in 1-2A, 1-3A and 1-4A all are rematches of the district championship games that took place last week.
That means that not only did the teams see each other twice during the regular season, but they've also already played each other once in the postseason.
Region 1-3A
The semifinal between the District 1-3A champion Gulf Breeze Dolphins and runner-up West Florida Jaguars (13-7-2) will take place at 7 p.m. at Dolphin Stadium. The Dolphins (21-3-4) topped the Jaguars 3-1 for the district championship, plus by 2-1 and 1-0 scores during the regular season.
"It's difficult to play the same team four times," said Gulf Breeze coach Ryan Davenport. "We know how good West Florida is, and I told the girls that just because we beat them three times, that doesn't mean a whole lot. This is the game that matters. The previous three games don't really matter."
And the fourth game should be just as close, with senior Allison Proctor leading the Dolphins and junior Andrea Rivera leading the Jaguars. Proctor has scored 21 goals this season. Rivera has 12 goals and 12 assists and scored two goals for the Jaguars in their 3-1 win against Choctawhatchee in the region quarterfinals.
For West Florida coach Peter Stephens and the Jaguars, the game is another opportunity to prove themselves against a team that's been to the state playoffs 22 times. Last year, the Jaguars beat the Dolphins in the district tournament and went on to win the championship.
"Last year was a good experience for them," Stephens said. "They won districts, but this year, we've gone one step farther, because even though we didn't win the district title, we still made it to the semifinals. Last year, we were knocked out after the first round.
"This is a great process for the kids. Hopefully, we can build a tradition similar to Gulf Breeze's."
Region 1-4A
Perhaps no team is more ready for a rematch than the Pace Patriots.
The squad lost 1-0 in overtime to Niceville in the District 1-4A championship game. And the goal -- scored by the Eagles' Brooke Sneller -- was one Pace thought it had knocked out before it crossed the goal line.
Pace just beat District 2-4A champion Panama City Mosley 2-1 in the region quarterfinals, while Niceville struggled against 2-4A runner up Lincoln. The Eagles took the Trojans through two overtimes before finally winning in penalty kicks, 5-4.
Region 1-2A
Catholic hosts Panama City Bay at 5 p.m. today in the Region 1-2A semifinals.
The Crusaders (19-3-4) ran past the Tornadoes 7-1 for the District 1-2A championship last week. The two teams tied 0-0 during one of their regular-season games, but that was when Catholic was without four of its starters.
Catholic dominated in the region quarters, blanking Tallahassee Florida High, 5-0, led by two goals and two assists from University of Florida commitment Katie Richmond.
For more from Jamie Secola, follow him on Twitter: @jamiesecolaPNJ. or on Facebook: Jamie Secola - PNJ.
