The Arcadia High School boys soccer team has earned the No. 3 seed in the Division 4 bracket of the WIAA state tournament this week.
The Raiders, who placed second to Holmen in the MVC this season, will put a 20-2-4 record on the line against second-seeded Sturgeon Bay (20-3-2) in the second of two semifinals at the Uihlein Soccer Complex in Milwaukee on Thursday.
Top-seeded Oostburg (18-1-1) and the fourth-seeded Madison Country Day co-op (11-6) compete in the first semifinal at 4:30 p.m. The Raiders will try to win a semifinal for the first time in their game at 7 p.m.
Arcadia is making its third state appearance, and Sturgeon Bay is making its ninth. The Clippers have won two Division 4 titles, and this is their first appearance since winning the second of those in 2019. The Raiders lost semifinals in 2020 and 2021.
Arcadia closed out the regular season with a loss and a tie, but it hasn’t allowed a goal in the postseason. The Raiders beat Plainfield Tri-County 9-0, Nekoosa 9-0, Amherst 2-0 and Three Lakes/Phelps 5-0.
Senior forward Christopher Urbina has scored a whopping 60 goals and assisted on 28 others to help Arcadia record a dominant season.
Junior forward Ony Zaragoza has added 26 goals and 21 assists as the Raiders, who are ranked seventh in Division 4 by the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association, have outscored their opponents 122-25.
Senior defender Jerson Sanchez has eight goals to go with 11 assists, senior forward Santiago Martinez seven goals and seven assists and senior midfielder Johncarlos Uribe 18 assists for Arcadia, which started its season with a 14-0-1 record.
Senior Alec Conrad has played the majority of minutes in goal and has allowed 20 goals while stopping 60 shots.
The sixth-ranked Clippers, who advanced on a shootout win after going scoreless against Appleton Xavier in a sectional final, have allowed 13 goals this season and haven’t lost since a 1-0 setback against Division 1 Germantown. They are 12-0-2 since.
Junior forward Finn Stevenson has scored a team-high 18 goals, and sophomore midfielder Jaxzen Black follows with 10. Junior midfielder Joni Ismaili has six assists and junior midfielder Daniel Wienke five.
Semifinal winners match up to play for the championship at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
