Five things to watch at Kansas state boys soccer

… at Kansas state boys soccer1 Saints seek perfection

St. Thomas Aquinas has had its share of dominant teams, state championship teams and nationally ranked teams. But only once in program history — 1994 — have the Saints finished a season undefeated. Despite a grueling schedule that included top-flight out-of-state competition, Aquinas takes a sterling 19-0 record into the Kansas 5A semifinals tonight at the Hummer Sports Park in Topeka. The Saints, who play 13-5-1 Emporia at 5 p.m., are vying for their seventh consecutive state championship and the 13th overall for the boys program since 1992. Emilio Quezada has a team-high 12 goals and goalkeeper Colby Martin has a 0.52 goals-against average for the Saints, who have outscored their opponents 44-3 in their last 12 games.

2 Lawrence Free State ventures into uncharted territory

The third time was the charm. Lawrence Free State, which reached the state quarterfinal round in 2001 and 2005, advanced to the Kansas 6A semifinals for the first time in program history with a 2-1 win Tuesday against BV West, a program the Firebirds had never played. Coach Jason Pendleton has stressed to his players to continue playing within themselves and executing, which has worked well in the playoffs. Lawrence Free State, 15-4, is the top seed in 6A from eastern Kansas and faces another unfamiliar foe, 16-3 Dodge City, at 6 tonight at the Blue Valley District Soccer Complex.

3 Cougars seek further revenge

SM Northwest’s boys soccer team will continue its redemption tour in the state semifinals tonight. The Cougars, who won the Sunflower League but lost in the playoffs to Olathe East last year, knocked out the Hawks in the regional finals. Then, led by goalkeeper Shawn Miles, SM Northwest avenged a pair of regular-season losses to Olathe South with a win in the quarterfinals Tuesday. Next up is 18-1 Washburn Rural, whose 1-0 victory in Topeka dropped the Cougars to a season-worst 5-6 on Oct. 3. SM Northwest, 12-7, has won seven of eight games since that loss to the Junior Blues.

4 Bishop Miege earns its return

When Bishop Miege takes the field tonight in Topeka — 7 p.m. against 16-3 Liberal — the Stags will be making their first state semifinals appearance since 2000. In a resurgent season for the program, Miege placed second in the stacked East Kansas League and takes a 14-4 record into 5A state tournament play tonight. Devin Zvosec leads the team with nine goals, while 12 different players have scored for the Stags this season. Brad Deghand, Beau Ramirez and Jon Lee all have eight assists for the balanced offense. And goalkeeper Zach Pettet has recorded 10 shutouts in 18 games.

5 De Soto, St. James in hunt

Making its second consecutive trip to the 4A-1A state semifinals at 5 p.m. today, St. James Academy (10-9) gets a rematch with 16-1 Rose Hill — the team that knocked the Thunder out of the tournament last season. St. James has been powered this postseason by the return of midfielder Zach Kohlrus, who after missing the bulk of the season with a stress fracture, has come back strong to score four of the team’s five goals over its last two wins. In the other 4A-1A semifinal at Circle High School in Towanda, 12-7 De Soto takes on 14-4 Berean Academy at 7 p.m. De Soto is making its first state semifinals appearance since 2003.

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