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The U15 Chicago Fire Juniors and U18 Eclipse Select both need to fill up the net on Friday morning in order to advance to the championship round at the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships.

Just about anything can happen in the final game for U17 Eclipse Select (1-1), and the team featuring Neuqua Valley's Heather Marik, Naperville North's Haley Krentz and Waubonsie Valley's Claire Hanold will make it through. A loss to Slammers FC (0-2) would make it tough, but even with a loss, U17 Eclipse Select can move on if the Dallas Texans lose or draw.

Defending national champion Baltimore Casa Mia Bays 93, the leader in Pool B, awaits the Fire Juniors (1-0-1). Not only do the Casa Mia Bays (2-0) have a two-point lead over the Fire Juniors, but the five-time Maryland state champs are up six in goal differential over the team with Naperville residents Peter Beasley, Jacob Brindle, Joe Carlson, Sean Mogan, Omel Perchatsch and Carson Swafford.

Neuqua Valley senior Alexa Gaul made three saves today to help the U.S. Under-17 Women's National Team to a 6-0 victory over Costa Rica in the opening match of the 2008 CONCACAF Under-17 Women's Championship at Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya, Trinidad.

The U.S. faces El Salvador at 3 p.m. Sunday as pool play continues.

Two local soccer players -- Alexa Gaul and Casey Short -- were picking up some national notice this week for U.S. Soccer.

Gaul, a senior goalie who attends Neuqua Valley and plays club soccer for Eclipse Select, learned earlier this week she was named to the U.S. U-17 Women's National Team, which competes in the CONCACAF U-17 Women's Championship beginning next Friday in Trinidad and Tobago.

If the U.S. places in the top three there, the team qualifies for the first U-17 World Cup, which begins in late October in New Zealand.

Because of her commitment to U.S. national camps and to Eclipse, high school soccer fans haven't seen Gaul suiting up for the Wildcats. She said Thursday she's considering changing that next spring. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, Naperville Central graduate Casey Short helped the U.S. U-18 Women's National Team to a sweep during its recent European tour. Short, who leaves for Florida State in early August, didn't factor in the scoring during two games against the host Denmark U-19 team on June 30 and July 2, and one against the England U-19 team in France on July 3.

This slide show has nearly five minutes of Waubonsie Valley state championship girls soccer photography for your viewing pleasure. There are some funny voice bubbles added in too.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America just released its final high school girls soccer poll for the spring. And two-time state champion Waubonsie Valley failed to repeat as national champions.

The Warriors are ranked No. 2, behind Parkview of Lilborn, Ga. Last season after Waubonsie won its first Class AA state title, the Warriors were rewarded with a No. 1 ranking by the coaches.

This year the Warriors, who started the season at No. 1, slipped down to No. 11 after a tie with Lincoln-Way Central and were never able to reclaim their top spot.

But take heart Waubonsie fans. StudentSportsSoccer.com continues to feel your Warriors are deserving of the top billing in its poll.

The excitement from this year's Class AA state title probably won't wear off for a while. But people are already asking: How many more titles can Waubonsie Valley win?

The Warriors enter next season with their 58-game unbeaten streak intact. All but three players from the team that just went 26-0-1 will return, including coaches all-state picks Bri Rodriguez and Vanessa DiBernardo. Rodriguez, who tore the ACL in her left knee in the quarterfinals, should be back to full strength long before the season starts.

It's not a stretch to say the Warriors should add to their trophy case next spring.

The worst-case scenario came to bear for Waubonsie Valley midfielder Bri Rodriguez. An MRI this afternoon revealed a torn ACL in her left knee.

She is expected to have surgery in mid to late June after giving the swelling some time to go down. If the surgery and rehabilitation go well, Rodriguez, who finished the season with 13 goals and 25 assists, should be able to return for her senior season.

Regardless of the results of an MRI later today, Bri Rodriguez has already decided she can't play in tonight's championship game.

Rodriguez missed her first varsity game due to injury in Waubonsie Valley's 1-0 victory over Normal West. She'll get an MRI at 3 p.m., but she said her left knee is too damaged for her to play effectively even if her ACL isn't torn.

This is no knock on either Downers Grove South or Belleville Althoff, but the Saturday matchup most people want to see is the second of the Class AA state semifinals.

That game pits Waubonsie Valley, the nation's No. 3 team, against Normal West, the nation's No. 7 team.

It's a rematch of last season's state quarterfinals. Waubonsie earned a 2-0 victory on its way to its first state title in any team sport. But a shot at title No. 2 got a lot tougher Friday night.

Waubonsie Valley enters this weekend's Class AA state finals riding a 55-game unbeaten streak. So where does that put the Warriors' on the IHSA's list of unbeaten streaks?

Well, it took some time to research to make sure the IHSA had its facts straight. And guess what? The record book is a bit misleading.

This weekend's Class AA girls soccer state finals promise lots of entertainment for the fans. Among the interesting items are four teams making their first 2A appearance; two nationally ranked teams on course for a semifinal showdown; a 400-game winning coach - Barry Jacobson of Downers Grove South - seeking his first state title; and a defending state champion - Waubonsie Valley - looking to become the first team with back-to-back unbeaten seasons since New Trier in 2004 and 2005.

Here's a look at the four quarterfinal matchups, which begin at 11 a.m. Friday at North Central College: