Two Wilmington teams will compete for state championships this week as Hoggard’s girls soccer and boys lacrosse programs chase title trophies on Thursday and Friday.
The Vikings girls soccer team is seeking its first state championship in program history while making its first title-game appearance in 15 years.
Meanwhile, Hoggard boys lacrosse will play for a state title for the first time ever, continuing a breakthrough year for the Vikings following the NCHSAA’s expansion to eight classifications.
The championship action begins Thursday, May 28, at Durham County Memorial Stadium, where Hoggard girls soccer faces Western champion Myers Park at 7 p.m. in the NCHSAA 8A state final. The two programs have never met in the MaxPreps era.
Less than 24 hours later, and roughly 150 miles west, Hoggard boys lacrosse will take on Western champion Ardrey Kell at 2 p.m. Friday on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory.
Topsail boys lacrosse could also join the state-title field if the Pirates defeat Cardinal Gibbons in the NCHSAA 7A East Regional championship on Wednesday, May 27.
Here’s everything you need to know about Wilmington’s state championship matchups this week.
The top seed from the East will face the No. 2 seed from the West in the first-ever NCHSAA 8A girls soccer state championship matchup.
Until the final 10 minutes of its Eastern Regional title win over Millbrook on May 21, Hoggard (19-1-1) had not allowed a goal in nearly two months. The Vikings surrendered two late goals after building a 3-0 lead, but the brief lapse has done little to overshadow one of the strongest seasons in program history.
Hoggard enters the state title game with 15 shutouts and just one loss this spring, a 4-2 defeat to Hough early in the season.
That same Hough squad is one Myers Park (18-2-3) knows well. The Mustangs and Huskies split their regular-season meetings in the Greater Charlotte 7A/8A Conference before Myers Park claimed the Western Regional title with a 2-0 victory over Hough on May 21.
Led by Indiana commit Amaya Falzarano and her 25 goals, Myers Park cruised through the second and third rounds of the playoffs before knocking off Hough for a spot in the championship.
Because of the common opponent, Myers Park will likely enter Thursday as the favorite. But teams often look far different at the end of May than they did in March.
With two elite defenses squaring off, expect a low-scoring battle for the 8A crown.
Records
Hoggard: 19-1-1Myers Park: 18-2-3
Goal differential
Hoggard: 115-11Myers Park: 100-12
State championships
Hoggard: One appearance (2010), zero winsMyers Park: One appearance (2021), one win
Two programs still chasing their first boys lacrosse state championship will meet for the NCHSAA 8A crown at 2 p.m. Friday, May 29, at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory.
Ardrey Kell (17-3) returns to the state final for the first time since 2019, when the Knights fell 12-5 to Cardinal Gibbons in the program’s only previous championship appearance.
The Knights have survived a pair of tight postseason battles to get back there, holding off Apex Friendship 13-9 before edging Green Level 6-5 in the Western Regional final.
Leading the way is junior North Carolina commit Cole Stankavage, one of the nation’s top prospects in the Class of 2027. Stankavage has scored 89 goals this spring.
Hoggard (18-2) counters with plenty of firepower of its own. Senior Noah Hansen has scored 82 goals this season, while fellow senior Jackson Burgee has added 55 goals and 33 assists. Junior Logan Petty, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the state’s top faceoff specialists.
The Vikings are making the first state championship appearance in program history after stunning top-seeded Millbrook 18-7 in the Eastern Regional final on May 22.
The programs have not met since 2009, when Hoggard earned a 17-6 victory.
As is often the case in high-level lacrosse, possession could decide the outcome. Both teams have the offensive talent to score in bunches, placing most of the questions on turnovers and transition in this one.
Records
Hoggard: 18-2Myers Park: 17-3
Goal differential
Hoggard: 322-117Myers Park: 309-144
State championships
Hoggard: First appearanceMyers Park: One appearance (2019), zero wins
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Hoggard girls soccer vs Myers Park 2026 NCHSAA 8A state title preview
