North Carolina teams affect MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Girls Soccer Rankings

Ardrey Kell High School has reached the North Carolina state title game and has jumped up all the way to No. 2 in the most recent Maxpreps Xcellent 25 Girls National Soccer Rankings. A win over Leesville Road could help AK finish as the top-ranked team in the country.

However, Leesville Road is not a slouch, as the Pride are the defending state champions and will present a tough task for the Knights, who look to finish their season unblemished when the teams square off Friday night at 8 p.m. eastern time.

North Carolina isn't the only state coming close to crowning a champion, as a handful of state tournaments are winding down. A group of states have crowned state champs, while others have yet to begin their state playoffs.

Loyola Academy joins the Top five, while Novi and Leesville Road both rejoin the Top 10. Deep Run continues to establish itself as the top team in Virginia, going unbeaten and untied in its first 15 matches, climbing into the Top 10 for the first time this year.

MaxPreps Girls Soccer State Championships Update

California had two teams win Sac-Joaquin Section titles as Davis won the Division I crown and Rio Americano won the Division III title, so both are safely in the top 15. Colorado's Mountain Vista joins the Top 15 for the first time. It faced newly ranked Dakota Ridge in the 5A title game Wednesday night, and the Eagles jump into the rankings after reaching that championship match.

Northville of Michigan also joins the rankings for the first time this year, while Blue Valley Northwest gets back into the Xcellent 25 after a few weeks off following a loss to Shawnee Mission West. Those two are on a collision course to meet for the Kansas state title.

Conway won an Arkansas 7A state title, and though Arkansas is not historically a highly regarded girls soccer state, a 22-0-0 season warrants some notice and the Wampus Cats move into the Top 25.

MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 NATIONAL GIRLS SOCCER RANKINGS

1. (Last week No. 1) Neuqua Valley (Naperville, Ill.) 24-0-0
The Wildcats advanced through the regional playoffs with a 9-0 win over Plainfield East and then a 1-0 win over Benet Academy, moving to the Aurora Sectional semifinal where they easily took care of Waubonsie Valley 5-1. The No. 1 team in the country has shown no signs of slipping and will play Naperville North in the sectional final on Friday.

2. (4) Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.) 25-0-0
The Knights stayed the course in their search for a state championship, beating Southeast Guilford 3-1, and then beating East Forsyth 1-0 and finally beating Hough 2-1 to win the Western area and advance to the state title game.

3. (2) Wando (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) 23-1-0
It's now back-to-back championships for head coach Shannon Camp and the Warriors, who won the South Carolina 4A title again after a 1-0 win over Mauldin on Friday.

4. (3) Harrison (Kennesaw, Ga.) 21-0-2
The Hoyas finished their season prior to last week's rankings as they beat North Gwinnett 1-0 for the 5A title.

5. (6) Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.) 23-0-3
Loyola Academy won its regional final, winning the two games by a combined score of 14-0 over Maine West (3-0) and Mather of Chicago (11-0). In the Evanston Sectional semifinal, the Ramblers beat Evanston Township 3-0.

6. (11) Novi (Mich.) 14-0-2
After a draw with Plymouth last week, the Wildcats bounced back in fine fashion, winning four games. They won the four games by a combined 27-4 score, beating South Lyon 8-0, South Lyon East 8-1 and Skyline of Ann Arbor 5-1. The fourth game was a first-place crossover game with Plymouth Canton, which resulted in a 6-2 win thanks to three goals by Nikki Greenhalgh and two assists by Nicki Caruso.

7. (7) Spain Park (Hoover, Ala.) 25-3-1
The Jaguars won their third consecutive 6A state title, already completing their season.

8. (8) Cumberland Valley (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) 21-1-0
The Eagles look ready to roll into the Pennsylvania state playoffs next week as they topped Conestoga Valley for the second time, winning 5-0, and then beat a top-notch Hershey team 1-0.

9. (13) Leesville Road (Raleigh, N.C.) 23-1-1
The Pride made a big statement in the North Carolina state playoffs by beating Green Hope, the No. 5 ranked team in the country, 3-1. Then Leesville Road beat East Chapel Hill 4-1 to advance to the Eastern final, where they beat New Bern 3-0 to move to the state title game to face No. 2 Ardrey Kell.

10. (12) Deep Run (Glen Allen, Va.) 15-0-0
The Wildcats head into the district playoffs with a perfect record after an 8-0 win over Maggie Walker. Deep Run had five players selected to the all-district team, including freshman phenom Elizabeth Ball, who was voted District Player of the Year.

11. (9) Bishop Kelley (Tulsa, Okla.) 17-1-0
The Comets' season has already ended, beating Deer Creek 1-0 in the 5A title game.

12. (10) Edmond North (Okla.) 15-2-1
The Huskies' season already ended with a 3-2 win over Union in the 6A title game.

13. (14) Davis (Calif.) 25-1-1
The Blue Devils finished off a spectacular season, doing so in fine fashion. After advancing to the Sac-Jaoquin Section semifinals, they pounded Pitman 8-0 and then two days later beat St. Francis 1-0 to claim the Division I crown.

14. (16) Rio Americano (Sacramento, Calif.) 19-0-0
The Raiders finished of a perfect season with an unblemished record and a Sac-Joaquin Section Division III title after a 2-0 win over Benicia last Saturday. Prior to that they beat Rodriguez 5-0 in the semifinals.

15. (18) Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) 16-0-2
The Golden Eagles reached the Colorado 5A state title game, beating Denver East 2-1 in the quarterfinals and then beat Pine Creek 2-0 in the semifinals.

16. (15) Union (Tulsa, Okla.) 15-2-0
The Redskins' season ended on May 14 with a 3-2 loss in the 6A final.

17. (20) West (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) 17-1-1
The Vikings move up a few of spots, beating Washburn Rural 7-0 in the Kansas quarterfinals. Prior to that, they beat Shawnee Mission North 10-0 in the first round of the regionals, and then beat Shawnee Mission Northwest 1-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.

18. (21) Broad Run (Ashburn, Va.) 16-1-0
The Spartans finished off regular season district play with a 4-1 win over Dominion, clinching the regular season district title behind two goals from Whitney Church. The next day they started district tournament play with a 4-0 win over Park View thanks to a hat trick from Erin Brady.

19. (22) Forest Hills Central (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 12-0-0
The Rangers won two more games to keep their perfect record in tact as regional playoffs in Michigan are rapidly approaching.

20. (24) Lyons (LaGrange, Ill.) 20-4-1
The Lions are rolling right now, winning their last three games by a combined score of 20-0. In their regional playoffs they beat Proviso West 9-0 and then Trinity 6-0, advancing to the Elmhurst Sectional final by beating Hinsdale Central 5-0 in the sectional semifinal.

21. (NR) Northville (Mich.) 13-1-2
With the Mustangs moving into the rankings, Michigan keeps three teams in the Top 25. Northville has only lost to No. 6 Novi this season, and has only allowed eight goals on the year.

22. (NR) Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 16-3-0
The Huskies return to the rankings, opening up Kansas regional play with a 9-2 win over Shawnee Mission South, then a 3-2 win over sixth-ranked Olathe East help them advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, Blue Valley Northwest may have played its best game of the year, beating third-ranked, and second-seeded, Shawnee Mission East 4-0 behind Hannah Chadick, who was named Kansas' Gatorade Player of the Year.

23. (NR) Dakota Ridge (Littleton, Colo.) 16-1-1
The Eagles jump into the Xcellent 25 after avenging their only loss of the season, beating Arapahoe in the Colorado 5A state semifinals.

24. (25) Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) 20-2-0
The Mustangs' season has already been completed, winning a Nebraska state title.

25. (NR) Conway (Ark.) 22-0-0
The Wampus Cats finished off a very spectacular season and did a lot to put Arkansas girls soccer on the map this year. They finished undefeated and won the Arkansas 7A state title by running through the playoffs by a combined 10-0 score in the three wins, beating Bentonville 3-0 in the finals.