Newman now in favorite’s role after earning No. 1 seed

Newman is a reigning state soccer champion and will enter the Division IV state boys playoffs with the No. 1 seed, set to play 6:30 p.m. Wednesday against No. 32 Riverside.

This is far different from last season, when the Greenies held the No. 10 seed and posted a series of unexpected wins that included defeating No. 1 Pope John Paul II 1-0 in the state final.

“This year our narrative is the same as Pope John Paul’s was last year,” Newman coach Tooraj Badie said about being a No. 1 seed in search of a second consecutive state title. “They were the overwhelming favorite to win it all last year.

“If you’re not ready to win every single game, then anybody can beat you. That’s what we’ve been preaching all year. You can’t turn the switch on and off and expect to win every single game. That’s more important in the playoffs.”

Newman (17-2-4) played several top teams from all divisions during the regular season. The two losses for the Greenies came against No. 1 seeds from other divisions, first against Division II’s Ben Franklin 3-0 on Dec. 10 and then against Division III’s U-High 3-1 on Jan. 7.

Newman played a second match against Ben Franklin and tied 2-2 on Jan. 14.

But the match that grabbed the attention of several Newman players came last week. In a match that decided a district championship, Newman and Country Day played to a 2-2 tie in regulation before the host Cajuns won a shootout.

“We lost in a shootout,” Badie said. “We lost the district championship. The boys were really shaken up by that.”

Newman could get a second chance at facing No. 8 Country Day (9-6-6) if both schools advance to the state quarterfinal round.

“We schedule tough games,” Badie said. “We want to get ready for the playoffs. There is a number of teams in the playoffs you don’t know anything about. Playing tough games throughout the regular season, you prepare yourself to get anything in the playoffs.”

Newman has a 7-0-2 record over the past nine matches. The Greenies capped the regular season Monday by defeating Brother Martin 2-1.

Leading scorers for Newman include sophomore Rylan Claverie (25 goals), sophomore Cole Spady (20 goals) and junior Boyce Batten (22 assists). Other standouts include senior defender Kearney Nieset and junior midfielder Luke Mobley.

Notable

Joining Newman as a reigning state champion with a No. 1 seed are Catholic-Baton Rouge (Division I boys), U-High (Division III boys) and St. Thomas More (Division II girls). Loyola Prep won a girls state title in Division III last season but is No. 1 in Division IV this season. … Sacred Heart, a Division IV champion last season, is No. 6 in Division III. … No. 32 Riverside, Newman’s first-round opponent, has a 1-18-2 record.

New Orleans area boys, girls soccer playoff pairings Boys

DIVISION I

Bidistrict

No. 20 Northshore (10-8-3) at No. 13 Hahnville (14-2-3)

No. 22 Brother Martin (6-9-4) at No. 11 C.E. Byrd (15-6-2), 4:30 p.m. Friday

No. 25 Bonnabel (7-6-2) at No. 8 St. Amant (11-3-3), 7 p.m. Thursday

No. 27 Fontainebleau (8-11-5) at No. 6 Jesuit (12-4-3)

No. 30 Ponchatoula (6-11-5) at No. 3 Mandeville (21-2-5), 7 p.m. Saturday

No. 31 Walker (7-8-5) at No. 2 St. Paul’s (14-1-4), 5 p.m. Saturday

DIVISION II

Bidistrict

No. 17 Belle Chasse (13-8-2) at No. 16 Terrebonne (12-10-5)

No. 21 Lakeshore (10-10-3) at No. 12 Teurlings Catholic (10-8-6), 4:30 p.m. Sunday

No. 22 New Orleans Military & Maritime (8-10-2) at No. 11 Natchitoches Central (9-6-0)

No. 23 Riverdale (10-6-0) at No. 10 David Thibodaux (10-5-4)

No. 26 McKinley (8-5-1) vs. No. 7 Grace King (12-3-5) at Yenni, 4:30 p.m. Saturday

No. 28 Shaw (5-13-2) at No. 5 Holy Cross (17-3-4), 5:30 p.m. Thursday

No. 29 L.W. Higgins (5-10-1) vs. No. 4 East Jefferson (14-5-4) at Yenni, 2 p.m. Saturday

No. 30 Minden (5-10-2) at No. 3 Rummel (19-5-1), 3:30 p.m. Friday

No. 32 A.J. Ellender (7-14-0) at No. 1 Ben Franklin (17-3-3), 7 p.m. Saturday

DIVISIOIN III

Bidistrict

No. 18 Morris Jeff (10-7-2) at No. 15 Tara (13-3-2)

No. 20 Morgan City (7-9-5) vs. No. 13 Kenner Discovery (11-5-3) at Lafreniere Park, 4 p.m. Friday

No. 21 De La Salle (6-12-3) at No. 12 Hannan (11-9-4)

No. 22 Sterlington (10-9-3) vs. No. 11 Haynes (14-4-4) at Yenni, 4:30 p.m. Thursday

No. 23 L.B. Landry (6-6-4) at No. 10 Belaire (14-6-2)

No. 27 Pearl River (3-12-0) at No. 6 St. Michael the Archangel (10-7-4)

No. 29 Livonia (9-16-0) at No. 4 Willow (12-4-5), 6 p.m. Thursday

No. 31 Livingston Collegiate (4-9-2) at No. 2 Bossier (19-2-2), 6 p.m. Friday

DIVISION IV

Bidistrict

No. 18 Ouachita Christian (8-6-3) at No. 15 Northlake Christian (7-7-2)

No. 22 Vermilion Catholic (6-11-2) at No. 11 Pope John Paul II (11-6-3)

No. 23 International (7-11-1) at No. 10 St. Martin’s (10-7-1), 4 p.m. Saturday

No. 25 Dunham (5-9-2) at No. 8 Country Day (9-6-6)

No. 29 River Oaks (4-10-1) at No. 4 St. Charles (15-4-0), 4:30 p.m. Friday

No. 30 Fisher (9-6-1) at No. 3 Episcopal of Acadiana (14-1-3)

No. 31 Thomas Jefferson (5-9-3) at No. 2 Holy Savior Menard (16-4-2)

No. 32 Riverside (1-18-2) at No. 1 Newman (17-2-4), 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

Girls

Division I

Bidistrict

No. 17 New Iberia (13-8-1) at No. 16 Hahnville (11-8-3), 2 p.m. Sunday

No. 18 Barbe (12-10-1) at No. 15 Fontainebeau (12-9-1)

No. 21 Destrehan (10-8-2) at No. 12 Alexandria (11-6-1)

No. 22 Sulphur (10-10-4) at No. 11 Mandeville (19-7-3), 6 p.m. Friday

No. 24 H.L. Bourgeois (10-10-1) vs. No. 9 Mt. Carmel (15-5-3) at Gormley, 5 p.m. Friday

No. 26 Ponchatoula (11-9-2) at No. 7 Northshore (13-6-2)

No. 27 Slidell (10-10-0) at No. 6 Dutchtown (15-2-3), 5 p.m. Saturday

No. 28 Baton Rouge High (8-13-3) at No. 5 Dominican (16-2-6) at Pan American, 5 p.m. Friday

No. 31 Live Oak (13-9) at No. 2 St. Scholastica (18-2-4)

Division II

Bidistrict

No. 17 Belle Chasse (8-4-5) at No. 16 North DeSoto (6-11-3)

No. 18 Natchitoches Central (2-11-1) vs. No. 15 East Jefferson (9-8-0) at Yenni, 6:30 p.m. Thursday

No. 21 Minden (6-12-1) at No. 12 Chapelle (12-5-2)

No. 24 Academy of Our Lady (5-10-1) at No. 9 David Thibodaux (10-9-3), 5 p.m. Friday

No. 28 New Orleans Military & Maritime (10-7-1) at No. 5 Ben Franklin (13-7-2)

No. 29 Riverdale (5-9-1) at No. 4 Caddo Magnet (16-9)

No. 31 Franklin Parish (7-16-1) at No. 2 Lakeshore (14-8-5)

Division III

Bidistrict

No. 17 Cabrini (8-7) at No. 16 Pearl River (8-9-1)

No. 18 Haynes (10-10-0) at No. 15 Kenner Discovery (12-11-1)

No. 19 Ursuline (10-9-3) at No. 14 Cecilia (10-5-3)

No. 21 DeRidder (4-9-3) at No. 12 Willow School (11-7)

No. 24 Patrick Taylor (3-11-4) at No. 9 Sterlington (12-8-1)

No. 27 Bossier (7-11-1) vs. No. 6 Sacred Heart-NO (11-6-3) at Pan American, 5 p.m. Saturday

No. 31 De La Salle (4-19) at No. 2 Parkview Baptist (17-5)

No. 32 St. Martinville (4-19-0) at No. 1 Hannan (11-4-4)

Division IV

Bidistrict

No. 18 Thomas Jefferson (15-5-2) at No. 15 Evangel (7-7-4)

No. 21 St. Charles (11-9-1) at No. 12 Country Day (8-8-4)

No. 23 Northlake Christian (7-6-3) at No. 10 Calvary (12-5-2), 5 p.m. Friday

No. 25 Menard (6-11-2) at No. 8 McGehee (9-6-1)

No. 27 Vermilion Catholic (6-11-1) at No. 6 Newman (15-4-6)

No. 29 Riverside (11-9-1) at Epsicopal-BR No. 4 (13-2-1)

No. 30 Fisher (5-10-1) at No. 3 Pope John Paul II (11-4-1)