The general conversation regarding the 2015 Division I state boys soccer tournament is it's wide open. Recent history tells a different story with Brophy and Hamilton popping up routinely in the semis if not the finals. One difference for 2015 is neither Brophy or Hamilton are the No. 1 or No. 2 seed. They are, however, 3 and 4 and on opposite ends of the bracket so another title showdown is a possibility. No worse than the No. 6 seed has reached the final in the last five years and that was a 4 vs. 6 matchup in 2012 between Hamilton and Brophy. A 1 or 2 or both have qualified four of the last five years for the final.

Carrying the 1-2 burden are Alhambra and North, respectively. A great year for Metro Phoenix schools in the sport. Other schools have enjoyed a moment or two from December to now with a winning streak or invitational triumph, but it comes down to health, momentum and stringing together four solid matches. Will a team or two steal the thunder from Brophy and Hamilton come Valentine's Day? Opening-round matches are Wednesday Feb. 4, followed by quarterfinals Saturday Feb. 7 and semifinals Thursday Feb. 12. The final is Saturday Feb. 14.  Here's a look at the D-I boys qualifers in brief via first-round matchup:

No, 16 Corona del Sol at No. 1 Alhambra (7 p.m.) -- There's no knocking Alhambra. The Lions are 17-0, the only unbeaten, untied team in the division. They've faced five of the 16 playoff qualifiers. They are solid in front, midfield and the back with decent experience led by striker Josias Ortiz, 24 goals and 13 assists. They bowed in the semis last year to Brophy in PKs. Corona has endured a topsy-turvy season. The Aztecs started slowly at 0-3. Since the Arizona Showcase where they reached the semis in late December their record is 10-3-1. That includes a win over Gilbert and tie with Brophy. Corona missed the playoffs last year.

No. 9 Sandra Day O'Connor vs. No. 8 Tolleson (at Alhambra 5 p.m.) -- SDO was highly touted in preseason and has lived up to the billing with a 9-1-2 record in power-ranking matches. The Eagles, led by Musa Morris and Jackson Jellah (combined 19 goals and 10 assists), haven't lost in a month. They reached the semis last year, losing to Hamilton. Tolleson sports a young roster, but has competed well with its three power-ranking losses to the top-three seeds Alhambra, North and Brophy. The Wolverines are led by sophomore Armando Valdez (19 goals) and Anthony Hernandez (13 assists).

No. 12 Perry vs. No. 5 Gilbert (at Campo Verde HS 5 p.m.) -- Perry made a late charge to qualify and has played tough schedule, one that includes a 2-1 victory over Gilbert. The Pumas have been able to overcome an excessive number of injuries, which has not allowed them to start the same lineup more than two games in succession. A next-man-up philosophy has been a battle cry. Perry is led by Triston Smith and Zach Johnson. Gilbert has enjoyed another solid season, winning 10 of 12 power-ranking matches. It's two losses were to Perry and Highland and it defeated Hamilton and Chandler. The Tigers shared a state title in 2004 and last played in a title match in 2007. Gilbert doesn't have a player with a huge number of goals, spreading around its scoring. The leader is Luke Boudreau with nine. Keeper Dylan Fedor is solid, racking up seven shutouts.

No. 13 Trevor Browne at No. 4 Hamilton (7 p.m.) -- Trevor Browne managed to hang on to a playoff spot down the stretch, doing so in a season that it lost 12 seniors from last year's playoff squad. The Bruins haven't had much success knocking off playoff qualfiers during the season (1-6 record). Trevor Browne is led by Max Vasquez (10 goals and seven assists) and keeper Oswaldo Machado (five shutouts). Hamilton has played for the big-school title four of the last five years, winning one of the four. The Huskies won the elite bracket of this year's Arizona Showcase and played in a prestigious tourney in Florida the middle of January. They dropped three matches in a row (two in Florida and one to Gilbert in mid-January), but finished the season with four successive wins. Hamilton still managed to win its section with a loss. Kalvin Parr leads the Huskies on the attack. These teams met in the Showcase with Hamilton winning, 7-0.

No. 14 Liberty at No. 3 Brophy (7 p.m.) -- This is Liberty's first trip to the big-school state tournament and the Lions draw is tradition-rich and dfending champ Brophy. Liberty struggled scoring in December, but has picked up the pace in January and gained confidence. Liberty has only two losses - North Canyon and Ironwood. LIke many lower seeds it must prove it can beat an upper-echelon foe. Senior Gerves Fagan leads Liberty with 28 goals and seven assists. Ten different players have scored for the Lions. Keeper Jake Geremia (senior) has eight shutouts. Brophy isn't as talented as recent years, but still good enough to come away with a trophy. The Broncos were 10-0-2 in power-ranking matches, tying Corona del Sol and D-II Notre Dame Prep. They received plenty of seasoning in two California tournaments in late December, finishing second in in the San Clemente Lotto Western Showcase. Brophy's leading scorer is freshman Carter Clemmensen. Brophy has only played two of the 15 other schools in the this year's field.

No. 11 Sunnyslope vs. No. 6 Highland (at Queen Creek HS 5 p.m.) -- Sunnyslope is another newcomer to the D-I tournament. Over the past three seasons improvement has arrived (three wins in 2013, eight in 2014 and 11 this year).  Sunnyslope has peppered the nets to the tune of 73 goals -- near the top in D-I. Sunnyslope has two wins over Trevor Browne and losses to Alhambra, North and Tolleson. The Alhambra and North losses were by a goal each. Sebastian Arellano has 17 goals and 13 assists and Tucker Fenton has 12 goals and eight assists. Highland used late December and early January to recover from bumps and bruises as the result of 12 games in 22 days just before Christmas. That covered a semifinal finish at the Coyote Classic and winning the Jackrabbit Invitational. The Hawks are led in scoring by Spencer Turley and Cutter Zaugg with seven goals apiece. Austin Wagner has seven shutouts in goal.

No. 10 Ironwood vs. No. 7 Chandler (at Hamilton HS 5 p.m.) -- Despite losing 15 seniors and fielding a young, inexperienced squad, Ironwood has gradually improved since December. Whether or not the Eagles are title worthy is another matter. They've managed to be competitive in most every match. Top goal scorer is Stephen Church (19 goals), back-row standout Colton Kimbell and midfielder Ethan Eberson (eight goals, six assists). Chandler coach Sasha Hunter believes this may be the Wolves' year. It's his fourth guiding the program and with 15 seniors thinks his athletes believe in themselves and the program. Chandler won the only tournament it played in (5-0 in the Coyote Classic). Leading the team in scoring is Don Tchilao (18 goals, nine in a game last week vs. Mesquite). Andrew Layton has added eight goals, three assists and Carter Rumsey is right there with seven goals and five assists.

No. 15 Goldwater at No. 2 North (7 p.m.) -- Goldwater is the sixth team team to qualify in D-I that didn't do so last year. The Bulldogs have had their way with non-playoff qualifiers, but are winless against the rest of the tourney field. North's been a consistent participant in state tournament play (18 of last 22 seasons), but last year was not one of those. The Mustangs are back with an 11-1 power-ranking record and bring a 14-match winning streak to the big dance. The lone blemish is a 3-2 loss to Alhambra. North is senior-heavy with 17 seniors, 11 of whom are back from last year. The Mustangs haven't faced a rigorous schedule, but are confident of living up to their No. 2 seed. Dominic Reyna 13 goals, Joshue Merino nine goals and Shane Aranda seven goals lead the attack.

D-I playoff qualifiers record vs. other D-I playoff qualifiers this season: Alhambra 5-0; North 3-1; Brophy 1-0-1; Hamilton 4-1-1; Gilbert 3-3; Highland 2-3-1; Chandler 3-1-2; Tolleson 3-4; Sandra Day O'Connor 4-0-1; Ironwood 2-4-2; Sunnyslope 2-3; Perry 2-4; Trevor Browne 1-6; Liberty 2-3; Goldwater 0-4-1; Corona del Sol 2-3-1.