The following previews cover the girls' state semifinals on Saturday, May 24:

SEMIFINAL #1

11:30am - Stevenson vs St Ignatius

The Patriots and Wolfpack face off in the rubber match of their season series with a berth in the state title game on the line. The teams split their two regular season meetings in the 2014 campaign, so flip a coin and try to predict who will win and then enjoy the show at Stevenson High School at 11:30am.

Stevenson rolled to a 13-2 triumph over New Trier on Friday, as their top playmakers (Allison Travetto, Melissa Gartenberg) combined to score 9 goals in the win. Head coach Jeff Wimer will likely call on both players to perform at the same level against SICP on Saturday. Later in the evening, the Wolfpack used a balanced approach to get past Lincoln-Way East, as Diana Fernandez scored 4 times and Beca Martinez netted 3 goals in a 15-4 victory over the Griffins.

When the two teams met in early April at the Fenwick Tournament, Tammy Stelnicki paved the way for Ignatius to earn a 13-7 win over the Patriots with a five-goal performance. While she played more of a distributor and defender on Friday against LWE, expect her to take charge again on the offensive end if the Wolfpack hope to get to the state title game. Meanwhile, Travetto scored 4 times and Becky Callen made 15 saves when Stevenson beat St Ignatius 9-7 in Lincolnshire in a late-April contest. Callen will probably need to have a big game in goal if the hosts hope to get to the title game.

All in all, both teams have a legitimate shot at a state title by the time the dust settles on Saturday night. Whichever team gets off to a favorable start in this contest could be in the driver's seat to advance to the final round.

SEMIFINAL #2

12:45pm - Fenwick vs Mother McAuley

The historic rivalry between Fenwick and Mother McAuley will add another chapter to an already epic saga when the Catholic League teams square off in a state semifinal game on Saturday afternoon.

Fenwick faced a tough challenge on Friday night, as they overcame a 6-5 halftime deficit with a big third quarter to emerge with an 11-8 victory over Naperville North. Colleen Barron totaled 5 goals and Janie Angelini came up big with 3 scores to push the Friars into the semifinal round. The Mighty Macs also faced a stern test from Palatine before pulling away in the second half to claim a 13-8 win. Clare Bryar recorded 7 goals and Fran Williamson netted 5 scores in the victory for Mother McAuley.

The Friars got the better of the Mighty Macs twice in 2014, as they earned a 14-4 win back in early March and also edged Mother McAuley 8-6 at the Fenwick Tournament in early April. Barron totaled 9 goals and Catie Wallace scored 7 times in the two games, so McAuley's strategy will likely focus on shutting down both of Fenwick's playmakers this time around. Bryar and Williamson scored 8 of the 10 goals for the Mighty Macs in the two losses, so while both will need to once again have top-notch performances, the team will likely need additional contributions from players like Julie Olivares and Maggie Hennigan.

One thing is for sure: the team that advances from this game to the state finals will have an excellent chance to the win the title. Which team will have that when all is said and done on Saturday afternoon?