The rest of this week promises to be a special time for fans of high school soccer in New Berlin.

First, the annual city battle between New Berlin West and New Berlin Eisenhower is set for 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, at Eisenhower. This meeting carries plenty of significance in the Woodland Conference, as both teams come in at 5-1 in the conference, trailing Wauwatosa West (6-0) for the lead.

West is 9-1-1 overall and is rated fourth in Division 2 by state coaches, while Eisenhower is 8-2 and receives honorable mention in the poll.

The two local squads will also enjoy big weekends. Eisenhower plays host to an invitational on Friday and Saturday, May 9-10, meeting East Troy at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, West Allis Hale at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Waukesha South at 11:15 a.m. Saturday. All Eisenhower games will be played on field one.

A special feature of the tournament will be Operation Soccer Ball, organized by Danielle Quigley, a former Lion soccer player who is now serving her country in Iraq. Soccer balls will be collected at the tournament for distribution to children in Iraq. "We would like to encourage as many people as possible to stop by the fields during the tournament to drop off a donated soccer ball and enjoy some great soccer while they are there," coach Jim Keller said.

Also this weekend, the Vikings will take on two-time defending WIAA Division 2 champion and top-rated Catholic Memorial (15-1-1) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Waukesha South High School.

This should be a challenging period for both teams, which are enjoying fine seasons and starting to gear up for upcoming state tournament action.