It doesn't take a long look into the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association girls soccer tournament draw to spot an inherent flaw in the way teams are seeded and how it may force two ranked teams to play in the quarterfinal or second round of the regionals.

Severna Park, ranked No. 4 in this week's Sun poll, got the top seed in the 4A East region, when the field was unveiled yesterday. In most tournaments, such a seeding would mean a fairly easy path through the early rounds, and the Falcons did receive a first-round bye. However, Severna Park may face a second-round game against No. 15 South River, which incredibly got the eighth regional seed.

Thanks to Oakland Mills boys coach Brett Cutler for writing in to correct something from the earlier post this morning. While seeding in the soccer tournament is determined by points, those points are not awarded by the size of the school that is beaten, but by the victory alone. Each team gets a point per win and a half-point for a tie, with the total divided by the number of games played. The top four teams are seeded, with the rest of the draw determined at random.

Still, I've said it before and I'll said it again: It shouldn't take much to set up a panel of 3-to-5 athletic directors and coaches who can seed the field in all sports by classes, a la the NCAA basketball tournaments. Sure, there may be squabbles here and there, but at least the draw will be consistent and true throughout, not haphazard.

Rant over.

As far as the rest of the field goes, the 3A East region appears to be the strongest among those with local teams. No. 6 Fallston is the top seed in the region, with No.7 Centennial drawing the second seed, setting up a restaurant-quality regional final, assuming the seeds play out. Tenth-ranked Catonsville is the top seed in the 3A North region, with Western getting the No. 2 seed.

In the 2A classification, Loch Raven, ranked 14th, is the No.1 seed in the North region, with 11th-ranked Eastern Tech coming in with the second seed. Both teams drew byes all the way to the regional semifinals, meaning they'll only have to win one game each to face each other for a shot in the state semifinals. No. 5 River Hill, the reigning 3A champion, is the second seed in the South region.

Finally, in 1A, Carver is the top seed in the North and has a bye to the regional semifinals, while Harford Tech is the top seed in the South. Glenelg, which won the 2A championship last year, is the third seed in the region.

As with the boys, regional tournament play opens with the first round Friday, followed by the quarterfinals next Tuesday.The regional semifinals are scheduled for Nov. 2 and the finals are slated for Nov. 6, with all games to be played on the site of the higher remaining seed.

The regional winners advance to the state semifinals, to be played Nov. 8-9-10 at South River and Broadneck in Anne Arundel as well as Tuscarora in Frederick County. The 4A and 3A championships will be played Nov. 15, with the 2A and 1A title matches taking place on Nov. 17, all at Broadneck.