Division II Seeding Discussion

[kippo]

Why did Vanderbilt jump up the seedings any ideas?

[lashowcase]

Seeding doesn’t sit well with Lady Saints soccer team
Last Modified: Wednesday, February 01, 2012 12:36 PM

BY RACHEL WHITTAKER / AMERICAN PRESS

Surprise was the reaction from the St. Louis soccer camp when the Louisiana High School Athletic Association girls’ playoff seedings were announced Tuesday.
The Lady Saints notched the No. 3 seed in the Division II bracket after the team was ranked No. 1 throughout the regular season. The top eight seeds get a first-round bye, so St. Louis will host a regional game Feb. 8 against the winner of No. 14 Cabrini and No. 19 Pearl River.

Vandebilt Catholic is the No. 1 seed, and Teurlings Catholic is No. 2. St. Louis tied and beat both teams this regular season, and Vandebilt and Teurlings tied 1-1 in their head-to-head matchup.

St. Louis Athletic Director Jason Oertling said he thinks the coaches didn’t quite get the seeding right. Soccer is the only LHSAA sport that doesn’t use a power-rating system to determine playoff seeding, instead opting to use coaches’ votes.

“Our girls fought so hard to get the No. 1 ranking, and it looks like that was taken away from them,” Oertling said. “We’re the only one out of the three that head-to-head has beaten both of them, and still we’re seeded behind them. We just have to fight the same way in the playoffs to try to achieve No. 1 at the end of the year, which they won’t be able to take away.”

Teurlings is the defending Division II girls state champ and knocked St. Louis out of the playoffs in the semifinals last season.

St. Louis girls soccer coach Duncan McDonald said he doesn’t expect the team’s seeding to have any effect on the team’s performance in the playoffs, though.

“It’s a shame the system let us down and we have to go into the playoffs as the No. 3 seed rather than the No. 1 seed, but that just gave us a little more of a push to go out and work a little harder than everybody else,” McDonald said. “We’ve got a real mean offense and a rock-hard defense and a midfield that’s not going to let anything through.”

Oertling said soccer could benefit if the playoff brackets were determined by power ratings.

“Last year we felt like Teurlings was the best girls team in the state, and they didn’t get the No. 1 seed, and then this year we felt like we had proven it on the field, and the same thing happened,” he said. “That’s two years in a row, so maybe it’s time for soccer to get in line with every other sport.”

The boys soccer playoff brackets will be unveiled today.

Also in Division II, Leesville is the No. 15 seed and will host No. 18 E.D. White on Friday. Barbe is No. 24 in Division I and will travel to No. 9 East Ascension Friday.

[Deleted]

Why is it that in all three divisions there are teams from the same District playing each other? Example Wild card cabrini playing Pearl River wild card. in D 3--Riverside Playing St, Charles,

How is that or what formula is used to seed teams.
I quess just get in and let the politics begin?

HAs anyon thought of TWO divisions for the state instead of THREE?
Why not have just district champs the only sure playoff seeds and everyone else ranking system.
Would minimized the less qualified teams from weaker district or 3 team districts getting in playoff ..Example like EAST St JOHN in D1...where there are more quailfied teams out there for sure..

[the insideR]

You're soooo right soccerdadoncrack. In Div I, Central Lafourche certainly deserved a wildcard slot instead of East St. John. Unfortunately, CL were squeezed out in the new "bayou" district--coming in fourth behind Terrebonne, Westgate and New Iberia. In Div II, district foes Morgan City and South Terrebonne will play for a third time.......you did say it was the witching hour!!

[lashowcase]

Article From Daily Advertiser

Lafayette, Teurlings earn top two seeds

From staff reports

Last Friday's overtime victory at St. Thomas More may have served two purposes for the Lafayette High Lady Lions' soccer team.

First of all, it secured the district soccer championship.

Secondly, it may have been the final piece in Lafayette High earning the No. 1 seed in Division I for the 2012 LHSAA state playoffs.

The distinction marks the first time in the program's history that the Lady Lions were ranked or seeded No. 1. In fact, this recent stretch is the first time LHS had been ranked as high as No. 4 in the ranking in any given week.

Now that it's happened, LHS coach Katie Breaux sees the good and the bad.

"Teams are going to want to knock off the No. 1 team," Breaux said. "If you don't play well, people are going to say, 'See, they're not as good as their ranking.' That just comes with the territory of being ranked No. 1. The expectations are just so much higher for the No. 1 seed.

"The girls were excited when they saw that we were seeded No. 1, but then it was right back to business. There was no hype at practice."

Lafayette High will host No. 32 East St. John tentatively on Friday.

The area's only other top three seed is defending Division II state champion Teurlings Catholic, which received a bye and will play the Leesville-E.D. White winner in the regionals.

"I'm surprised that we're the No. 2 seed," Teurlings coach Lance Peltier said. "Actually, I kind of figured that we'd be the No. 3 seed and St. Louis would be No. 1 (with Vandebilt No. 2). Instead, it ended up just like last year."

Peltier's expectation was based on head-to-head meetings between the three teams this season, which seemed to favor St. Louis with a virtual draw between Teurlings and Vandebilt.

The Lady Rebels (17-5-3) only have two seniors in Brooke Conque and Maddie Weber and eight seasoned juniors. Kristen Charpentier and Hannah Savoie join Conque as the three leading scorers.