Much has been said about the virtues of playing on a synthetic surface, especially in soccer where players are always searching for the “true” bounce and one-touch pass. Playing on natural grass? Well, it often becomes a two- and three-touch game.
The Chula Vista Spartans have proven they can win – and tie – on both this season. They defeated host Castle Park, 1-0, Thursday evening on natural grass to claim sole possession of this year’s Metro-Pacific League championship title and, with that, a berth in the upcoming Open Division playoffs.
As the projected No. 2 seed in the elite eight-team Open Division field, Chula Vista would have home-field choice until the championship game.
CVHS coach Ruben Oliveira said he would like to have the Spartans’ opening playoff game played on a synthetic surface for the aforementioned reasons. Playing sites could include either Olympian or Otay Ranch high schools.
The Spartans (15-2-6 overall) would have home-field advantage but would essentially be playing an away match.
“Playing on turf keeps the game moving faster,” Oliveria explained. “It’s been hard playing on these grass fields, even our own.”
Chula Vista captured this year’s league title with three wins and three ties (after winning last year’s inaugural league title with two wins and four ties).
Three of the four Metro-Pacific League teams have grass fields: Chula Vista, Hilltop and Castle Park. On those three fields, the Spartans finished 2-0-3.
Chula Vista remains undefeated in Metro-Pacific League play over the past two seasons (5-0-7). The Spartans celebrated their third consecutive league championship Thursday after previously winning the South Bay League title prior to the formation of the Metro-Pacific League.
Chula Vista extended its marathon unbeaten streak to 21 matches (15-0-6) on the strength of Giovanni Garcia’s goal in the 32nd minute and the shutout performance by goalkeeper David Loya.
Despite playing on bumpy fields, the Spartans have refused to lose.
“If we can keep this streak going, we’ll win CIF — we need three more wins,” Oliveria said. “I think we have the team to do that.
“The games are going to be tough. We’ll be playing those bigger teams from up there (the North County region) but I like the match-ups. I think we’ll do well against whichever team we play.”
Despite the loss, Castle Park also looks to have a favorable playoff seed in the Division II field. The Trojans finished regular season play 2-3-1 in league, 12-7-3 overall.
Castle Park is currently sixth in the division power rankings, but would have home-field advantage in the opening round.
CPHS coach Jose Cobian Jr. personally congratulated the Chula Vista players on their league championship and wished them well in the upcoming playoffs that start Tuesday, Feb. 24, for the Open Division and Wednesday, Feb. 25, for Division II teams.
“During league, we’re out to beat each other, but now in the playoffs, we cheer for each other,” Cobian explained. “We’re all friends and want to see each other do well. I think the South Bay will represent itself well in the playoffs. There’s the reason right there for the teams to support each other.”
Mater Dei Catholic (4-2-2 in Metro-Mesa League play, 8-5-5) is currently ranked fourth in Division II while Olympian (0-6-2 in Metro-Mesa League play, 5-13-4) is ranked 14th and appears out of the playoff picture entering Friday’s slate of final regular season games.
Hilltop finished runner-up in the Metro-Pacific League standings with a 3-1-2 record. The Trojans defeated the Lancers, 1-0, in a key league match-up on Tuesday to drop Hilltop from the league lead and open the door for Chula Vista to claim this year’s league title.
“We have two great teams in our league – Hilltop and Chula Vista,” Cobian said. “Hopefully, we can get a good playoff seed (in our division). I think we’re heading in the right direction. I’m proud of my boys. We had a slow stretch in the middle of the season, but we’re finally healthy. We’ve been fighting through injuries.”
