Saturday four clubs representing different conferences in the Central Region will take center stage at San Jacinto Community College outside of Houston.

Tti: Bluebonnets are hosting the regonal. Tti: Bluebonnets managed to punch its ticket to a second-consecutive playoff appearance.

The home team, which features on a grass pitch, will take on the Chicago Red Stars Reserves. The challenge has Tti: Bluebonnets as the underdogs, for the Red Stars Reserves went undefeated during the regular-season, topping the North Conference.

Chicago has no problem finding the back of the net. During the regular season, Red Stars Reserves players tallied 45  goals. Head coach Brian Kibler leads the club.

Paul Box, general manager of the Reserves and an assistant coach, said that despite some injuries and overseas contracts, Chicago remains confident.

“The girls coming in last night helped in terms of travel times and getting loose,” Box said. “The girls had a great season, and they started off really strong. We were able to tweak some things and try new things, like getting the younger players some experience and having more experienced players coach a bit more.”

Box said that forward Jenna Szczesny and centerback Dominique Randle are currently out of the match with foot injuries. For the second year in a row, Emily Wauer sustained an ACL injury.

However, Brianna Visalli, Chicago’s leading goal-scorer, made the move overseas, signing a contract with West Ham Ladies.

Tti: Bluebonnets will represent the South Texas Conference. The match is slated to begin at 8 p.m. CDT.

FC Dallas vs. Fire & Ice SC

However, before the home team steps out in front of its crowd, the defending champions of the WPSL will take the pitch first. Fire & Ice SC, led by Lindsey Eversmeyer, begin the fight to keep its WPSL title against FC Dallas Women.

Fire & Ice SC narrowly earned the Heartland Conference title with a final-weekend victory over the KC Courage and a draw with the Kansas City Athletics. Fire & Ice SC finished the group with 18 points.

Meanwhile, FC Dallas claimed the Southwest Conference with 25 points. FC Dallas went unbeaten the entire year, drawing only once with Fortuna Tulsa on June 5.

Throughout the 2018 WPSL season, FC Dallas scored 39 goals, which is the second-most of the semifinal teams, after the Chicago Red Stars Reserves.

Tyler Powell, FC Dallas head coach, said that most of his college players have reported back to their respective schools. However, he has reserves, including youth players for the FC Dallas organization club teams.

Powell added the match should be interesting.

“We’re intrigued to see how they respond playing against some older players,” Powell said. “It should be fun. We’ll see how it goes. We’re going to approach it like we do all the other games. We’re going to attack and not be concerned with what they’re doing. We want them to be concerned with what we’re doing. That’s always been our approach and our mentality going into the game.”

The match will start at 5:30 p.m. CDT.