Soccer playoff capsules

Girls Class 3A regional finals

Pensacola (14-10-3) at Ponte Vedra (20-4-3)

Road here: Pensacola d. Choctawhatchee 2-1 in OT; Ponte Vedra d. Stanton 2-0

Winner gets: Winner of Eustis-River Ridge matchup in the state semifinals Friday.

Players to watch: Pensacola, GK April Westwark, sr.; Ponte Vedra, F Brooke Sharp, jr.

Glance: On paper, Ponte Vedra appears in good shape to return to the final four for the third time in four years. The Sharks won a state title in 2009, lost to Bartram in the quarterfinals in 2010 and reached the state semifinals last season before falling to Merritt Island. Pensacola, on the other hand, is playing in the regional finals for the first time in program history. The Tigers needed an overtime victory to get here, scoring with three minutes left in regulation and three minutes into the first overtime. Ponte Vedra has been cruising so far in the playoffs. The Sharks opened with a dominating 4-1 victory over Paxon and manhandled Stanton 2-0 in the semifinals. The keys for the Sharks are defense and an opportunistic offense that runs through Brooke Sharp. Coach Dave Silverberg is undefeated in regional final games he's coached.

Boys Class 1A regional quarterfinals

Circle Christian (12-5-1) at St. Joseph (11-4-1)

Winner gets: Winner of Master's Academy-Oak Hall Friday in the regional semifinals.

Players to watch: St. Joseph, MF Will Jones, sr.; Circle Christian, D Austin Schlutermann, sr.

Glance: The surging Flashes rolled through a new district this season. That included the regular season, when they were undefeated, and the district tournament, where they demolished both of their opponents. The Flashes are riding the momentum they gained from making the playoffs last year with a very young squad. Now, they appear ready to move past the quarterfinals. St. Joseph should have a good chance to do so. Circle Christian is in the playoffs for the first time.

Boys Class 3A regional quarterfinals

Ponte Vedra (11-6-1) at Suwannee (12-7-2)

Winner gets: Winner of Nease-Stanton matchup Friday in the regional semifinals

Players to watch: Ponte Vedra, MF/F Dean Nixon, sr; Suwannee, F Zach Dennison, sr.

Glance: The Sharks face a tough test to open the playoffs in Suwannee. The Bulldogs knocked off Stanton 1-0 in overtime to secure their third straight district crown. They are very stout defensively and will give Ponte Vedra a tough back line to deal with. The Sharks, however, have no shortage of offensive options. The problem for Ponte Vedra at times has been converting chances. The Sharks have no issue creating them. If they can get capitalize early, it could open things up as the game progresses.

Stanton (17-6) at Nease (17-5-1)

Winner gets: Winner of Suwannee-Ponte Vedra matchup Friday in the regional semifinals

Players to watch: Nease, D Taylor Hayes, jr.; Stanton, Ben Gross, so.

Glance: The Panthers returned to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus, beating Ponte Vedra 2-1 in overtime to secure the district title. Last year's miss was only the second time in 12 years the Panthers stayed home for the postseason. The Panthers won state titles in 2007 and 2008 and were runner-ups in 2009. This year, Nease looks poised to make another deep run. The Panthers are deep and dangerous throughout the lineup.