Earlier season matchup won't sway the St. Paul's, Brother Martin quarterfinal

And that’s where Watkins’ knowledge about the match ends. The game could go either way.

“The first game, we tied them,” said Watkins, who is the St. Paul’s coach. “The second game, we beat them 2-0. They’ve got good goalkeeping, a strong defense and dangerous forwards.

“Because we beat them doesn’t mean we’re taking them for granted.”

St. Paul’s has advanced thanks to a 1-0 first-round win over Hahnville, followed by a 2-0 win over Rummel. Brother Martin’s quarterfinal trip came via a 5-0 win over Bonnabel and a 4-3 overtime victory against Catholic-Baton Rouge.

Two years ago, the scenario was much the same. St. Paul’s took a regular season meeting against the Crusaders only to fall to them in the opening round of the playoffs.

To win, Watkins said his Wolves must stay the course and not change what got them to this point.

“We’re not going to do anything differently or special or change anything because of Brother Martin,” he said. “Our guys are finally healthy. For two or three week when guys were ill, they were not playing to their potential.

“We’ll have to play well and play on of our better games to beat them. The guys are ready.”

St. Martin’s at St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Martin’s coach Matt Millet is fairly certain today’s match against St. Thomas Aquinas will be one of his team’s toughest this season. But that’s OK. Games are supposed to be tough in the quarterfinals.

Knowing that doesn’t make it any easier for St. Martin’s, however. Aquinas rolled into the third round by virtue of a combined score of 9-0.

“We need to play mistake-free,” Millet said. “We’re playing a good team. They have been playing well all season. They’re one of the top two or three teams in the state. They offer a bunch of problems.”

Yet, the Saints have done all right lately, Millet said.

“We started off shaky,” he said. “But towards the end and last month, we had a pretty good run. That’s good to be going into the playoffs on a bit of a streak. We had a good playoff game last week against Ben Franklin and that’s good momentum.”

Newman vs. St. Charles
The last time these two teams met, the Greenies took a 3-2 win. Matt Jacques hopes that happens again, and the way Newman is playing, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

The Greenies beat Ecole Classique 5-0 in the opening round before going on to a 2-0 win over Northlake Christian in the regional.

“The last half of the season and these two games, we’ve clicked and really come together at the right time,” Jacques said.

It’s not just one player, either. He said it starts with his keeper and includes the play of his defense, midfield and forwards.

“Been pretty strong defensively and that has helped us attack out of the back and that puts more pressure on the opposing team,” Jacques said. “The midfielders are distributing the ball well and the strikers have been finishing their opportunities.”

Against St. Charles, finishing is a must, he said.

“We’ve just got to make sure we play smart sound and just be able to match up with their athleticism and physical part of the game.”