Two local high school boys soccer squads captured regional crowns last week, but the goal is to keep kicking on.

Columbia (22-3-1) moved its unbeaten streak to 23 games with two recent playoff victories.

Last Wednesday, the Eagles survived a thrilling Class 1A regional final against Marquette in Alton. The match was scoreless after regulation, and then Liam Bivins put Columbia on the board in the first overtime. Marquette answered in the second OT, however, sending the match into penalty kicks.

The Eagles outlasted Marquette in PKs to win the regional plaque. 

On Saturday, Columbia won 1-0 over Murphysboro at the Murphysboro Sectional. Hayes van Breusegen netted a first half goal, and the Eagles defense was able to stymie the Red Devils the rest of the way.

Up next for Columbia is the sectional final against Father McGivney on Wednesday night. The match will be played in Granite City. 

Columbia won 3-0 over Father McGivney when the two teams met on Sept. 21.

The winner of Wednesday’s match advances to the Columbia Supersectional, which takes place 11 a.m. Saturday for a berth in the Class 1A state tournament set for Nov. 7-9 in Hoffman Estates.

The leading scorer for the Eagles this season is van Breusegen with 30 goals and seven assists. Bivins has 17 goals and nine assists. Micah James has 13 goals and 17 assists.

Waterloo (11-8-2) won its third straight Class 2A regional championship Friday night at home over Freeburg. 

The Bulldogs got two goals from Caeden Wille in the 5-1 victory. 

Waterloo opened Class 2A regional play with a 7-0 win over Mt. Vernon last Tuesday. Ty Kinzinger scored twice for the ‘Dogs.

Up next for Waterloo is another date with Triad at the Triad Sectional on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs lost twice previously this season to their Mississippi Valley Conference nemesis.

The winner of Wednesday’s match plays Saturday in the sectional final against either Althoff or Carbondale. 

The winner of this sectional advances to Tuesday’s Illinois College Supersectional in Jacksonville.

Wille is the leading scorer for the Bulldogs this season with 19 goals and five assists. Trent Glaenzer has 10 goals and three assists.

In other local soccer action, Gibault (9-12) ended its 2024 campaign with a 6-0 loss to Mater Dei in the Class 1A Gibault Regional final played last Tuesday at Oerter Park in Columbia.