Neuse News Sports Soccer Playoff Matchups: 10 Teams Qualify, Three Earn Byes
Ten Neuse News Sports teams are in the 2026 NCHSAA boys soccer playoffs. Seven open Monday, Nov. 2, while Jones Senior, Spring Creek and C.B. Aycock have first-round byes and begin Thursday, Nov. 5.
Five local teams host first-round games: South Lenoir, Goldsboro, Greene Central, Eastern Wayne and North Lenoir. Rosewood and Southern Wayne travel for their openers.
Records below are the current reported varsity records checked Oct. 29. Dates are the NCHSAA round dates; kickoff times remain unconfirmed. Series notes cover verified recent meetings, not all-time records.
First round: Monday, Nov. 2
2A East: No. 22 Rosewood (4–16–2) AT No. 11 Lakewood (17–7)
When and where: Nov. 2 at Lakewood. Kickoff: TBA.
Previous meetings: Lakewood won 3–2 on Aug. 24. The Leopards also won both 2024 meetings 4–3. Rosewood won both 2023 meetings 9–0. No 2025 meeting appears on Rosewood’s reported schedule.
Common opponents: Neuse Charter, North Duplin, Midway and American Leadership Academy-Johnston. Rosewood beat North Duplin 5–2 and tied 2–2; Lakewood beat the Rebels 6–2 and 8–0. Both beat Neuse Charter. Rosewood split with ALA-Johnston, while Lakewood won 9–0. Both lost to Midway.
3A East: No. 22 Northeastern (7–11–3) AT No. 11 South Lenoir (13–8–1)
When and where: Nov. 2 at South Lenoir. Kickoff: TBA.
Previous meetings: The teams did not meet this regular season. No meeting was found in South Lenoir’s reported 2023–25 schedules.
Common opponents: None were found among their completed 2026 varsity games.
Next: The winner travels to No. 6 Spring Creek on Nov. 5.
3A East: No. 19 Beddingfield (10–6–2) AT No. 14 Goldsboro (9–11)
When and where: Nov. 2 at Goldsboro. Kickoff: TBA.
Previous meetings: Goldsboro won 2–1 at Beddingfield on Sept. 3. The Cougars also won 5–0 in 2025. The teams split in 2024, with Beddingfield winning 3–1 and Goldsboro winning 2–1.
Common opponents: Princeton is the shared opponent on their reported 2026 schedules. Goldsboro won 4–1 and 7–2; Beddingfield lost 4–1 and 1–0.
3A East: No. 18 Louisburg (8–6–5) AT No. 15 Greene Central (9–9–2)
When and where: Nov. 2 at Greene Central. Kickoff: TBA.
Previous meetings: No meeting appears on their 2026 schedules or Greene Central’s 2024–25 schedules.
Common opponents: None were found on their reported 2026 schedules.
Greene Central went 8–1–1 over its final 10 reported results after a 1–8–1 start. That stretch includes a forfeit win over Kinston.
4A East: No. 23 Southwest Edgecombe (7–15–1) AT No. 10 Eastern Wayne (11–5–1)
When and where: Nov. 2 at Eastern Wayne. Kickoff: TBA.
Previous meetings: This is the teams’ third meeting of 2026. Eastern Wayne won 7–1 on Sept. 22 and 7–1 on Oct. 14. In 2025, the Warriors won 3–1 and tied 4–4. Southwest Edgecombe won both 2024 games, 5–0 and 2–1.
Common opponents: North Johnston, North Lenoir, North Pitt, Washington and West Craven. Eastern Wayne went 5–4–1 against those teams; Southwest Edgecombe went 1–9, including a forfeit loss to North Pitt. The Warriors split with North Johnston and North Lenoir and swept West Craven.
4A East: No. 19 Bunn (4–7–1) AT No. 14 North Lenoir (7–8–5)
When and where: Nov. 2 at North Lenoir. Kickoff: TBA.
Previous meetings: No completed meeting appears on the teams’ 2026 schedules. No Bunn matchup was found in North Lenoir’s reported schedules from 2021 through 2025.
Common opponents: None were found among their completed 2026 varsity games.
5A East: No. 22 Southern Wayne (6–13–1) AT No. 11 Fike (10–9–3)
When and where: Nov. 2 at Fike. Kickoff: TBA.
Previous meetings: Fike swept this year’s conference games, 4–2 on Sept. 28 and 3–1 on Oct. 21. The teams split in 2025: Southern Wayne won 3–2, then Fike won 9–0. They also split in 2024, with Fike winning 1–0 and Southern Wayne winning 2–0.
Common opponents: C.B. Aycock, Gray’s Creek, Hunt, Northern Nash, Rocky Mount, South Central and Southern Nash. Southern Wayne split with Aycock and Hunt, while Fike lost both games against each. Both swept Rocky Mount, beat South Central, split with Southern Nash and lost twice to Northern Nash.
First-round byes: Thursday, Nov. 5 openers
1A East: No. 9 Bear Grass Charter (7–10–1) AT No. 8 Jones Senior (13–8–1)
When and where: Nov. 5 at Jones Senior. Both teams have first-round byes, so the Trojans’ second-round opponent is already set. Kickoff: TBA.
Previous meetings: They did not meet this regular season. Jones Senior won 4–1 in 2024 and 5–4 in 2023. No meeting appears on Jones Senior’s 2025 schedule.
Common opponents: Southside, North East Carolina Prep and Washington Montessori. Jones Senior split with Southside, losing 3–1 and winning 4–1; Bear Grass lost 1–0 and 2–1. Both beat North East Carolina Prep and Washington Montessori.
3A East: No. 6 Spring Creek (14–7–1)
When and where: Nov. 5 at Spring Creek. Kickoff: TBA.
Possible opponents: No. 11 South Lenoir (13–8–1) or No. 22 Northeastern (7–11–3). Those teams meet Nov. 2 at South Lenoir.
If South Lenoir advances: Spring Creek won their Sept. 3 meeting 6–1. The Gators also beat the Blue Devils 4–0 in the 2025 playoffs. Their shared 2026 opponents include Clinton, East Duplin, Goldsboro and North Lenoir. Spring Creek swept Goldsboro and beat North Lenoir; South Lenoir lost to Goldsboro and tied North Lenoir. Both beat East Duplin at least once and lost to Clinton.
If Northeastern advances: No 2026 meeting or shared completed opponent was found on their reported schedules. No Northeastern matchup was found in Spring Creek’s 2023–25 schedules.
5A East: No. 4 C.B. Aycock (12–6–3)
When and where: Nov. 5 at C.B. Aycock. Kickoff: TBA.
Possible opponents: No. 13 Southern Nash (10–11) or No. 20 Durham School of the Arts (6–10–3). Durham School of the Arts travels to Southern Nash in the first round Nov. 2.
If Southern Nash advances: The conference opponents split this season. Southern Nash won 1–0 on Sept. 16; Aycock won 3–0 on Oct. 12. Aycock won all three 2025 meetings, 5–1, 2–1 and 6–2, with the last coming in the playoffs. They share five 2026 opponents: Fike, Hunt, Northern Nash, Rocky Mount and Southern Wayne. Aycock went unbeaten against Fike, Hunt and Northern Nash; Southern Nash was 1–5 against those three teams.
If Durham School of the Arts advances: No 2026 meeting or shared completed opponent was found on their reported schedules. No matchup was found in Aycock’s 2023–25 schedules.
2026 NCHSAA boys soccer playoff dates
- First round: Nov. 2
- Second round: Nov. 5
- Third round: Nov. 9
- Fourth round: Nov. 12
- Regional championships: Nov. 17
- State championships: Nov. 19–21 at Durham County Memorial Stadium