Their seed says No. 3.

Their minds, however, say No. 1.

“The girls are excited about sectionals,” said Auburn girls soccer coach George Cosentino, who is making his fourth straight postseason appearance. “They think they can win it all this year.”

Cocky? No.

Confident? You bet.

Sure, Cosentino said the top six teams in the Section III, Class AA tournament have a realistic shot at taking the crown because they are all so close in record and talent. But Auburn - which hosts No. 6 Fayetteville-Manlius at 7 p.m. Thursday, at Holland Stadium - has something on its resume that no one else does: a win over Cicero-North Syracuse.

The Maroons handed the state-ranked Northstars their only defeat in the final game of the regular season. C-NS is in the No. 2 slot, and the only other team ranked ahead of Auburn is No. 1 Christian Brothers Academy. But CBA spent most of its season beating up on Class A opponents, playing the minimum four games against Class AA teams - the Brothers went 2-1-1 in those games. Because seeding is based on overall record, CBA took the top spot.

So what does that mean for the Maroons?

“They're very confident coming in,” Cosentino said of his squad. “This is the type of play they are capable of playing and they feel they can build off (the C-NS win).” Before they can worry about a title, though, they have to focus on F-M, their first-round opponent.

Cosentino said the key against the Hornets will be controlling the midfield.

“They're fast and they have a good midfield, so we have to mark up and step up on their forwards - not let them move freely,” he said. “We have gotten better at it as the year's progressed, especially the way we played against C-NS.

“If we can win the ball at midfield, it'll give us opportunities up top to score.”

Many of those opportunities will come off the foot of Jordan Pelc.

She leads the Maroons with nine goals, and Cosentino praised Pelc - one of the team's four captains - for the energy and passion she brings to the field.

Also helping create scoring chances will be Laura Taylor. The sophomore is already in her third year on the team, and what a difference she makes.

“She's an excellent scorer and an excellent distributor of the ball,” Cosentino said.

At the other end, the Maroons will rely on Marissa Slayton, a central part of Auburn's defense who typically shadows the opponent's top player.

Even though Cosentino will count on his stars, the coach knows it'll take an entire team effort.

“They're just united. They want to win,” Cosentino said. “They're all confident and they know if they're working together it's only going to make them better.”

No one exemplifies that more than goalkeeper Virginia Porten, a three-year starter who has been through all the big games and been in this situation before.

“They all love Virginia,” Cosentino said. “She's very athletic and she brings a lot to the table. She's made some huge saves for us this year. When she makes a big save, everyone gets excited and they know they have to do their part. If the goalie's working her butt off, it motivates the other girls.”