The girls soccer playoffs are upon us once again.

This year saw a great deal of parity by the end of the season. Teams that started slowly started picking off teams from the top of their divisions in the final weeks, upending divisional races and injecting a bit of chaos into league tournaments, especially in the Lakes Valley Conference where the shootout led to several upsets and eighth-place Walled Lake Western came within a crossbar (or perhaps more accurately, four crossbars) of winning the whole tournament.

Oakland County once again boasts several title contenders — including most of the Oakland Activities Association Red Division, which had five teams ranked in the top 10 of Division 1 in the May 11 poll. And why not? The OAA Red has produced the last three state champions — Bloomfield Hills, Rochester, and Rochester Adams and has put a team in four straight finals (Troy Athens lost the 2021 final). Elsewhere, Birmingham Marian returns almost everyone from last year’s Division 2 finalists. Detroit Country Day (Division 3) and Royal Oak Shrine (Division 4) are also ranked inside the top-3 of their respective divisions and could make long playoff runs as well.

The first round opens on Wednesday with games spread around to various sites before the remaining teams converge on the host sites for the semifinals and finals.

DIVISION 1

District 6

• Teams: Clarkston, Davison, Flushing, Grand Blanc, Lake Orion, Lapeer, Oxford

• Analysis: This is a competitive district on paper. Lake Orion won it last year and brings back the overwhelming majority of that team. Davison made the final last year and also brings back most of last year’s team. Oxford has a mediocre record against a very tough schedule. But the Wildcats have been better lately and started turning close losses into close wins. Technically, Clarkston is the worst team here on paper, and the Wolves are not a bad team. Still, Lake Orion has wins over most of the teams in this district and are the defending champs.

• Pick: Lake Orion

District 7

• Host: Hartland

• Teams: Bloomfield Hills, Hartland, Milford, Walled Lake Central, Walled Lake Northern, Waterford Mott, West Bloomfield, White Lake Lakeland

• Analysis: There are a number of good teams here. But OAA Red champ Bloomfield Hills has to be the favorite. The Black Hawks enter the postseason unbeaten at 13-0-2. Hartland made the state finals last year, and while the Eagles are not quite as good as last year, they are still a very dangerous team. Waterford Mott won the Lakes Valley Conference in the regular season before being upset in the league tournament, which was won by Walled Lake Northern. Still, the Lakes Valley Conference teams have generally struggled with the OAA this year, so this probably comes down to Bloomfield Hills and Hartland. Hartland reached the state finals last year and have only four losses this season — three of them to OAA Red teams.

Pick: Bloomfield Hills makes the Eagles 0-4 against OAA Red.

District 8

• Host: Farmington

• Teams: Farmington, Livonia Stevenson, North Farmington, Northville, Novi, South Lyon, South Lyon East

• Analysis: Northville are the favorites here. The Mustangs are the top seed and got it by a good margin. Novi are the second seed, but the Wildcats did not fare well against their rivals on the first of the month, losing 5-0. The South Lyon teams are decent, and North Farmington won the OAA Blue in convincing fashion. But none of those teams have a win over anyone on the level of Northville, so it will be a challenge for them to upset the Mustangs.

• Pick: Northville

District 13

• Host: Berkley

• Teams: Berkley, Birmingham Groves, Birmingham Seaholm, Detroit Renaissance, Ferndale, Royal Oak, Southfield Arts and Technology

• Analysis: The OAA White teams — Seaholm, Berkley, Royal Oak, and Groves — have the top four seeds here. Berkley got the top seed, but a late loss to Groves means that Seaholm actually has the top MPR right now among these teams. The Maples were playing the best at the end of the season. Their lone loss in their final five games was 1-0 to Bloomfield Hills, and they picked up wins against Lake Orion and Cranbrook in that span as well. Groves started 0-2 then picked up a couple of late wins — over Royal Oak and Berkley. The Ravens started pretty well but have really struggled to score the past month, having not score more than one goal in any game since they beat Groves on April 15. Ferndale has struggled this year, and both Renaissance and Southfield A & T have good records but are facing a big step up in competition.

• Pick: Seaholm are playing the best right now.

District 14

• Host: Troy Athens

• Teams: Fraser, Sterling Heights, Sterling Heights Stevenson, Troy, Troy Athens, Warren Cousino, Warren Mott

• Analysis: Host Troy Athens gets the first-round bye as the top seed. This almost certainly comes down to Troy and Troy Athens in the final. Stevenson has a good record but were blown out by the only two ranked teams on their schedule, and no one else is near .500. Athens won the first meeting late in league season, so revenge will certainly be on the Colts’ minds against their rivals. The Colts have struggled down the stretch, dropping three of their last four games. But a win over Hartland shows that the Colts are still a dangerous team.

• Pick: Troy Athens edges out their rivals one more time.

District 15

• Host: Rochester Adams

• Teams: Rochester, Rochester Adams, Rochester Hills Stoney Creek, Romeo, Utica, Utica Eisenhower, Utica Ford

• Analysis: This is almost certainly the strongest district in the state. Rochester, Eisenhower, and Adams are all ranked in the top 10. Romeo is another quality side and owns two wins over Eisenhower this year. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 13 in Division 1 but are seeded third here, ahead of Ike. Stoney Creek have had problems scoring, but have generally been able to keep games close, and Utica has 10 wins. No one should be taken lightly here. This could come down to any number of small details or just a bad bounce or two.

• Pick: Rochester got the number one seed, so we’ll take the Falcons in a squeaker.

Division 2

District 27

• Teams: Auburn Hills Avondale, Fenton, Holly, Lake Fenton, Linden, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, Saginaw United, Waterford Kettering

• Analysis: This is one of the most intriguing districts out there. There are no ranked teams and outside of Saginaw United, no one here is clearly better than anyone else. Holly earned the top seed with 11 wins and a third place finish in the Flint Metro League. But all their games against the other FML teams here were close. St. Mary’s is progressing well as a program, and Kettering has also started to turn a corner in recent years though the Captains have won just one of their last five games heading into the state tournament. Avondale also faded down the stretch. Really, this seem like it should come down to Holly and St. Mary’s.

• Pick: St. Mary’s are the hosts are getting hot at the right time.

District 28

• Host: Goodrich

• Teams: Goodrich, Imlay City, Marysville, North Branch, Ortonville Brandon, Port Huron, St. Clair

• Analysis: Goodrich seem head and shoulders above the rest here. The Martians easily captured the first seed and are ranked No. 12 in Division 2. No one else here is ranked or has played their level of competition. The Martians only two losses on the year are to OAA Red teams (Troy Athens and Oxford). Brandon is the lone Oakland County representative here. It was not a good year for the Black Hawks who finished 4-10 after splitting their last four games. Brandon might be able to make a run here, but if the Black Hawks do make the final, it is hard to see them getting past Goodrich.

• Pick: Goodrich

District 29

• Host: Grosse Pointe North

• Teams: Center Line, Grosse Pointe North, Hamtramck, Harper Woods, Madison Heights Lamphere, St. Clair Shores Lakeshore, Warren Fitzgerald, Warren Woods Tower

• Analysis: Lamphere are the top seed here and really should win this. The Rams had a good year and play in a higher division than all of the other MAC teams here, except for Lakeshore whom they beat twice earlier this month. Both games were close, however, and a rematch is not out of the question. Harper Woods is the only other county team here. The Pioneers have been solid defensively but have virtually no offense, so they have lost a long series of one and two goal games.

• Pick: Lamphere

District 30

• Host: Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood

• Teams: Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Farmington Hills Mercy, Garden City, Oak Park, Redford Thurston, Walled Lake Western

• Analysis: The Catholic League teams here are the best. Marian are the top seeds and heavy favorites to win this district. The Mustangs are ranked second in Division 2 and just took down Rochester 3-0 a week or so ago. Mercy and Cranbrook also have solid squads, though Cranbrook has fared poorly outside of the league. Garden City has 16 wins, but many have come against much smaller and weaker teams. The CHSL teams are all more battle tested. Walled Lake Western might have another upset in them though. The Warriors got hot in the LVC tournament and are playing their best soccer of the season. They will need to if they are going to win this district since their draw will likely force them to play all of the Catholic League teams in order to win it. Thurston and Oak Park round out the field, but neither is likely to make a run here.

• Pick: Marian. The Mustangs are on a mission.

Division 3

District 45

• Teams: Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart, Hazel Park, Macomb Lutheran North, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, Warren Regina

• Analysis: Notre Dame Prep is the best team here. The Fighting Irish have been up and down this year at times, but Regina has won only one game but still got the second seed. Lutheran Northwest started the year pretty well, but the Crusaders are currently on an eight game losing streak. Sacred Heart has won four out of their last six, but they have not beaten anyone with a winning record this year. NDP is the only team over .500 here and as the hosts should be clear favorites.

• Pick: Notre Dame Prep

District 46

• Host: Detroit Country Day

• Teams: Dearborn Advanced Tech Academy, Dearborn Heights Star International, Dearborn Henry Ford Academy, Detroit Country Day, Livonia Clarenceville, Wixom St. Catherine

• Analysis: Country Day are the top seeds and the hosts. The Yellowjackets will be the favorites and are as battle tested as anyone at this level based on the schedule they have played. But Wixom St. Catherine should provide solid opposition. The teams tied each other to open the season, and the Stars have had a solid season as well, reaching the CHSL St. Anne Final. Dearborn Advanced Tech has a good record but they have not had nearly as many games against top competition.

• Pick: Country Day

DIVISION 4

District 61

• Teams: Clawson, Detroit Academy of the Americas, Detroit Cristo Rey, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, Madison Heights Bishop Foley, Royal Oak Shrine Catholic, Southfield Christian

• Analysis: Shrine are ranked second in the state in Division 4. But this will not be a cakewalk district. Liggett is ranked No. 6 and Bishop Foley are also in the top 15. Clawson and Southfield Christian are also decent. And Clawson has spent the year playing much bigger schools. But still, when they are firing on all cylinders Shrine is very hard to stop. Having just claimed their first Catholic League title in six years, the Knights are hungry for more. The last time they won the Catholic League, they also won their first state title. This team is good enough to repeat that feat.

• Pick: Shrine

District 62

• Host: Auburn Hills Oakland Christian

• Teams: Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Bloomfield Hills Roeper, Byron, Clarkston Everest Collegiate, Huda Upper School, West Bloomfield Frankel Jewish Academy

• Analysis: Everest got the top seed here. The Mountaineers started hot before dropping three of their last four games, though that also coincided with the toughest part of their schedule. Two of those three late losses were to Shrine and the other Liggett. Oakland Christian are ranked 12th and got the second seed. In theory, those two teams should meet in the final. The Lancers are a good team with a lot of players back from last year’s team that made a deep playoff run. Oakland Christian struggled to score early but have found an offense late. • Pick: Everest sneaks by in the final.