Northern Kentucky soccer teams play for regional championships this week. Here is a look at their matchups.
Boys Eighth Region Tournament
Simon Kenton (11-12) will play Carroll County in the quarterfinals Oct. 19. With a win, the Pioneers will play Collins (18-3) or North Oldham (11-6-1), who are the top two teams in the RPI.
Marco Barrios (18 goals) and Nasser Hussein (21) lead the Pioneers' offense.
The semis are 8 p.m. Oct. 22 and the final 7 p.m. Oct. 24, both at Grant County.
Here is the full draw.
Boys Ninth Region Tournament
Oct. 20 (7 p.m.): Cooper at Newport Central Catholic, St. Henry at Covington Catholic, Highlands at Ryle, Beechwood at Dixie Heights.
Oct. 22 (at Tower Park): Cooper/NCC vs. St. Henry/CovCath, 6 p.m.; Highlands/Ryle vs. Beechwood/Dixie, 8 p.m.
Oct. 24 (at Tower Park): Final, 1 p.m.
Here is the full draw.
This tournament can be unpredictable. Ryle and Highlands have been the top two teams in the regional RPI ratings all season. Ryle (18-3-1) has not lost to a Northern Kentucky team all season but Highlands drew 1-1 with the Raiders Oct. 8.
Highlands (11-2-4) was relegated to an early matchup with the Raiders after a 4-2 loss to NewCath (15-5-1) in the 36th District final. Dixie Heights (16-6) beat Beechwood (14-5-1) 4-0 a few weeks ago. Beechwood’s Westin Wyant leads the region with 25 goals and six assists.
CovCath (8-6-7), the defending Ninth Region champ, defeated St. Henry 1-0 this season and Cooper 4-0. Cooper (8-8-4) lost 2-1 to NewCath (15-5-1).
Boys 10th Region Tournament
All games will be played at Campbell County High School
Oct. 20: Montgomery County vs. Harrison County, 6 p.m.; Brossart vs. George Rogers Clark, 8 p.m.
Oct. 22: Campbell County vs. Montgomery/Harrison winner, 6 p.m.; Mason County vs. Brossart/GRC winner, 8 p.m.
Oct. 24: Final, 2 p.m.
GRC, 10-6-4, has the best record and RPI in the region. Campbell County lost 2-1 to GRC Sept. 26, beat Mason County 3-0 and split two games with Mason County. Brossart beat GRC 2-1.
Brossart’s Luke Neltner is one of the top scorers in the region with 20 goals. Greyson Ballinger leads Campbell County with 10 goals.
Girls Eighth Region Tournament
The semis and finals will take place at Grant County High School.
South Oldham (11-1-2) has been one of the top state contenders all season. Simon Kenton (13-5-2) and Walton-Verona (13-4-3) have had strong seasons. SK is fourth in the RPI and WV, fifth. Simon Kenton beat Henry County 9-0 on Oct. 19 and will play the winner of South Oldham and Collins, likely South Oldham. WV plays Woodford County (11-8-3) and will likely play North Oldham (13-6-2).
Aniah Zembrodt leads the Pioneers with 15 goals and eight assists, and Cara Cunningham has 12 and seven. Aubrey Fuller leads the Bearcats with 15 goals.
The semifinals are Oct. 21 and the championship game 5 p.m. Oct. 24, all at Grant County.
Girls Ninth Region Tournament
Oct. 19 (first round): NewCath at St. Henry, Holy Cross at Ryle, Conner at Highlands, Dixie Heights at Notre Dame
Oct. 21 (at Tower Park): Semis, 6 and 8 p.m. Oct. 24 (at Tower Park): Final, 4:30 p.m.
Here is the full draw.
Either Highlands (12-6-2) or Notre Dame (12-5-2) has won this tournament every year in the current alignment. Highlands beat the Pandas 1-0 this season and they could collide in the semis. Ryle (13-6-2) has had an outstanding season and could challenge them. The Raiders lost 1-0 to NDA and beat the Bluebirds 1-0 early in the year.
Girls 10th Region Tournament at Montgomery County
Brossart (13-5-3) and Scott (10-5-3) have the best two records in the region. Brossart has the highest RPI in the region and George Rogers Clark (10-10-2) is second. Neither Brossart nor Scott has played GRC this season. They were both set to play Oct. 19 and with a win, play in the semifinals Oct. 21. Brossart would play Montgomery County (8-8-2) and Scott would play Harrison County (9-7-1). The final is 7 p.m. Oct. 22.
Brossart has one of the state’s most productive offenses again. Kyle Smith has 20 goals, Rylee Fuller 17 and Tessa Hafer 11. Ava Karl leads the Eagles with 11.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: A look at Northern Kentucky's 2026 regional soccer tournament brackets
