CARY- Three North Carolina High School Athletic Association women’s state soccer championships will be decided this weekend in the 21st annual NCHSAA finals at SAS Soccer Park.

The 4-A championship will be played Friday night at 7:30 p.m., and then a doubleheader on Saturday will feature the 3-A and the 1-A/2-A title games.

The 4-A championship sends perennial power Raleigh Broughton (25-0-1) against Charlotte Providence (19-2-2).

Amazingly, Broughton is in the finals for the 13th time in 15 years and the Caps are seeking their ninth NCHSAA women’s soccer championship. Defender Katie Evans and goalkeeper Molly Baird anchor an unbelievably tough defense that has yielded but eight goals all season long.

Kelly Attayek is Broughton’s leading goal scorer with 32 goals and 13 assists, and senior all-American Casey Noguiera has national team experience.

Providence is in the finals for the third time, with a 1-1 record in previous finals and both times against Raleigh Broughton. The Panthers have a very well balanced attack, with four players who have scored 10 goals or more, and are a veteran team that will start eight seniors.

The 3-A championship starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, sending Southwest Guilford (15-8-2) against Jacksonville White Oak (20-2-1). White Oak won the 2003 3-A championship and was runner-up last year.

White Oak gets great production from Tandy Banks, who has knocked in 60 goals and handed out 28 assists this season. Southwest is really the “Cinderella” team in these finals, as the Cowgirls opened the season 0-4-1 but have gotten hot at the right time to make it to the state finals.

Southwest Guilford has been tough in women’s soccer championships, though, with a 4-1 mark in previous state title games with its last appearance in 2002.

The Class A/AA championship will kick off at 2 p.m., with Wilkes Central (25-2) making its first trip to an NCHSAA final against Swansboro (22-1-1).

Wilkes Central’s potent offense is powered by Katie Andreski, who has had one of the most prolific scoring seasons in North Carolina prep soccer history with 74 goals and 24 assists. The 74 goals breaks the existing record of 72 by Sarah Winslow of Wilson Fike, but Winslow had 76 this season to establish a new mark.

Sam Dunn leads Swansboro with 35 goals and 12 assists, and keeper Ashley Mixon sports a brilliant 0.55 goals-against average. It’s the second trip to a state women’s soccer final for Swansboro, which was the 1-A/2-A runner-up in 1999.

This will be the 13th year in a row that the event has been held in the Raleigh area. The Raleigh Sports Consortium serves as the primary host city partner for the women’s soccer championship, and Wendy’s and the Carolinas Ford Dealers are the presenting sponsors for the NCHSAA sports program.

NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

21st ANNUAL WOMEN’S SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS

SAS SOCCER PARK, CARY

FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2006

Class AAAA: Charlotte Providence (20-2-1) vs. Raleigh Broughton (25-0-1), 7:30 pm

SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2006

Class AAA: Southwest Guilford (15-8-2) vs. Jacksonville White Oak (20-2-1), 11 am

Class A/AA: Wilkes Central (25-2) vs. Swansboro (22-1-1), 2 pm

NCHSAA FastFacts

Event: NCHSAA Women’s Soccer Championships

Date: May 26-27, 2006

Site: SAS Soccer Park

Game Times: 7:30 on Friday, 11 am and 2 pm on Saturday

Admission: $8 at gate

First Held: 1986

Qualifiers: Eastern and Western champions meet for state titles; 48 schools qualified for playoffs in 3-A and 4-A classifications. 64 in combined 1-A/2-A

Defending champions: Raleigh Broughton (4-A), Jamestown Ragsdale (3-A), Western Guilford (1-A/2-A)

Of Interest: Broughton has an unbelievable record in women’s soccer postseason play. The Caps have won eight previous state titles and have an amazing 67-7 record in playoff action.