The promise of the San Diego Section’s new competition tier playoff format is to offer every team an equal chance of recording a victory, especially in the early playoff rounds.
It also appears to be working in the later playoff rounds as teams have begun to find a common middle ground in divisions that are no longer based on school enrollment size but on quality of competition.
South County schools continue to benefit.
The current winter sports season has been an example of that.
A total of 52 South County teams qualified for the winter sports playoffs in boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball and girls water polo.
Forty-two semifinal playoff games took place Tuesday and Wednesday throughout the section in boys and girls basketball and boys and girls soccer. The Metro Conference was fairly well represented with 12 teams (four in boys basketball, three each in boys soccer and girls soccer and two in girls basketball. Six teams advanced to compete for division championships this weekend.
•Montgomery will play for the Division II boys soccer title Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at Mission Bay High School.
•Olympian will play for the Division IV boys basketball championship Friday at 11 a.m. at the University of San Diego’s Jenny Craig Pavilion.
•Mater Dei Catholic will play for the Division I girls basketball title Friday at 8 p.m. at USD.
•Eastlake will play for the Division I girls soccer title Saturday at 7 p.m. at Mesa College.
•Otay Ranch will play for the Division III girls soccer championship Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Mesa College.
•Montgomery will play for the Division IV girls soccer title Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Mission Bay High School. The South Bay League champion Lady Aztecs carry an undefeated record into their finals match.
The seventh-seeded Montgomery boys soccer team (15-3-4) will play fifth-seeded Mission Hills (16-7-3).
The second-seeded Olympian boys basketball team (28-2) will play top-seeded Brawley (25-7).
The third-seeded Mater Dei Catholic girls basketball team (20-11) will play fifth-seeded San Marcos (19-10).
The second-seeded Eastlake girls soccer team (15-6-2) will play ninth-seeded La Costa Canyon (7-11-4).
The third-seeded Otay Ranch girls soccer team (14-8-2) will play top-seeded Our Lady of Peace (25-1-1).
The second-seeded Montgomery girls soccer team (19-0-6) will play top-seeded San Dieguito Academy (14-7-4).
Knockout rounds
Of 21 playoff games held on Tuesday, only one of five South County teams won.
Eastlake (Division II boys soccer and Open Division girls basketball), Southwest (Division V boys basketball) and Olympian (Division III boys soccer) all ended their playoff runs in the semifinals while Montgomery (Division II) boys soccer advanced.
The Aztecs got the nod as they defeated Eastlake in an all-Metro semifinal match-up.
Of 21 semifinal playoff games held on Wednesday, five South County teams advanced from a pool of six area teams.
Olympian advanced due to an all-Metro semifinal pairing against Hilltop, which ended its run in the semifinals.
The number of finalist teams represents a good percentage; the number of semifinalist teams from South County remains encouraging.
Overall, the system appears to be working.
The report card on the 2016-17 winter sports playoffs includes some eye-popping numbers. Teams advancing to the championship round in soccer and basketball include five third-seeded teams, one fourth-seeded team, four fifth-seeded teams, one sixth-seeded team, two seventh-seeded teams, one eight-seeded team, two ninth-seeded teams, two 10th-seeded teams and one 11th-seeded team.
That’s quite a bit of parity going on, it seems.
Final conflict
This weekend’s soccer finals are being held at two sites: San Diego Mesa College and Mission Bay High School.
Friday’s championship soccer games feature Division V girls at 5 p.m. and Division V boys at 7:30 p.m. at Mission Bay High School and Open Division boys at 5 p.m. and Open Division girls at 7:30 p.m. at Mesa College.
Saturday’s soccer finals include four games at Mission Bay High School: Division IV boys at 11 a.m. and Division IV girls at 1:30 p.m., Division II boys at 4:30 p.m. and Division II girls at 7 p.m. Four division finals will also be played at Mesa College: Division III boys at 11 a.m. and Division III girls at 1:30 p.m., Division I boys at 4:30 p.m. and Division I girls at 7 p.m.
USD will once again host the bulk of the basketball finals. Ten games in total will be played there.
Friday’s schedule features five games: Division IV boys at 11 a.m., Division IV girls at 1 p.m., Division III girls at 3 p.m., Division II girls at 6 p.m. and Division I girls at 8 p.m.
Saturday’s schedule also includes five games: Division III boys at 11 a.m., Division II boys at 1 p.m., Division I boys at 3 p.m., Open Division girls at 6 p.m. and Open Division boys at 8 p.m.
The Division V boys and girls finals were scheduled to be played Thursday, March 2, at San Marcos High School.
For complete playoff brackets, visit www.cifsds.org.
Eastlake captures second CIF itle in girls soccer on late goal
The Eastlake High School girls soccer team captured its first San Diego Section Division I championship with a 1-0 win over top-seeded Carlsbad in 2013 at San Diego Mesa College.
The Lady Titans returned to the same venue Saturday night to capture the school’s second Division I championship with a 1-0 lead over ninth-seeded La Costa Canyon.
While Eastlake used a whole lot of defense and the stellar exploits of goalkeeper Jojo McCaskill to tame Carlsbad, the Lady Titans, seeded second in the 2017 playoff field, used a balanced slate of timely offense and defense to claim their latest CIF title.
EHS goalkeeper Glo Hinojosa made a pair of sensational saves in the first half and McKenzie Kimmel scored the only goal of the match with about eight minutes left in regulation play to provide the highlights for Eastlake, the reigning 2017 Mesa League champions.
“It’s been a magical season,” EHS coach Mark Koziahr explained. “We knew at the start of the season that we were going to be good but it took hard work all around to make it happen.
“The girls worked hard for each other and played for each other. That’s what allowed us to be a champion.”
With the teams engaged in a scoreless tie, the Lady Titans received a free kick near the touchline well away from the Lady Mavericks net. Team co-captain Fernanda Osorio took the kick and drove the ball to the opposite side of the field where teammate Leyla McFarland flicked a pass to Kimmel, who then drove a laser beam shot from about 15 yards out into the top far corner of the net.
Eastlake fans promptly roared their approval.
Kimmel was obviously elated about scoring the game-winning goal.
“We had a lot of talent on this team this year, and it was fun to play with everyone,” Kimmel explained. “I’m proud of everyone to make it this far; I’m so proud to be a part of this team.
“To finally be CIF champions again is just the most amazing feeling in the world.”
Eastlake improved to 17-6-2 with the win while La Costa Canyon dropped to 7-12-4.
The Lady Titans earned a berth in the upcoming Southern California regional tournament and will play Tuesday, March 7, at second-seeded Vista Murrieta in the Division II quarterfinal match at 4 p.m.
Cornerkicks
Eastlake advanced to this year’s final after capturing a 4-3 shootout win over third-seeded Patrick Henry in semifinal-round play on March 1. Jennifer Pham, Kimmel and McFarland each scored regulation goals, but the Lady Patriots tied the game with two late goals to send the match into overtime.
After a scoreless 15-minute overtime period, the teams proceeded to the kicks from the mark tiebreaker where McFarland scored the winning goal.
Hinojosa was credited with nine saves in the match.
The Lady Titans blanked seventh-seeded Coronado, 2-0, in quarterfinal action on Feb. 25. McFarland scored both goals in the game while Hinojosa made three saves to record the shutout victory.
Eastlake tuned up for the playoffs with a 7-1 win against visiting Southwest on Feb. 16 to close out Mesa League play. Veronica Avalos led the scoring parade with three goals and one assist while McFarland chipped in with two goals and one assist.
Tiana Knox also scored twice while Osorio collected two assists. Kimmel and Pham were credited with one assist each.
Hinojosa and Mia Shalit each played a half in front of the net.
McFarland leads the team in season scoring with 17 goals and five assists while Hinojosa has recorded eight shutouts.
Aztec boys sccer team rallies to claim Division II championship title
The Montgomery High School boys soccer team owned a lower seeding than its opponent in Saturday’s San Diego Section Division II championship game at Mission Bay High School but, to a man, the Aztecs believed they had the better team.
That belief was proven correct as seventh-seeded Montgomery (16-3-4) scored three unanswered goals, including two goals in the final 24 minutes, to emerge with a hard-fought and wildly satisfying 3-1 victory against the fifth-seeded Mission Hills Grizzlies (16-8-3).
“Everybody worked hard and this was the result,” explained an ecstatic Julian Castro, who scored an insurance goal in injury time to put the game away while also adding an assist on his team’s first goal.
“At the beginning of the season, we set a goal to win CIF and worked hard every day in practice to make it happen,” Castro added.
The CIF title is the second in three years for the Otay Mesa school. Montgomery won the Division IV championship in 2015.
Castro was a member of both championship teams.
“It feels amazing,” he said.
Aztec head coach Gaston Vazquez called the championship-clinching victory “a great feeling.”
He said his team did exactly what it needed to do to win the game. That he said, was “to play the ball.”
The Grizzlies took a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute when Andy Galvan converted a penalty kick.
Montgomery, employing a very skillful short passing game, tied the game in the 25th minute when Enrique Salazar cashed in on a cross from Castro.
The game-winning goal developed off a throw-in from the right attacking side in the 56th minute.
The ball first bounced off the head of a Montgomery player, then off the head of a Mission Hills player before setting at the feet of Jesus Salazar, who promptly redirected the ball to the top near corner with a swift right-footed kick.
The Mission Hills goalkeeper made a key save three minutes later to prevent his team from trailing further.
The Aztecs then weathered two great Grizzly scoring chances to preserve their one-goal lead.
Castro’s insurance goal came against the run of play as Mission Hills was desperately pushing the attack forward in search of the equalizer in stoppage time.
Castro gained possession of the ball on the left attacking side near the midline and rushed down field, turning in toward the corner flag before charging in front of the net to deliver the final blow against the Grizzlies.
That brought chants of “Ole, ole, ole” from the Montgomery fans and, when the whistle to end the game finally blew, cries of celebration from Aztec players and coaches on the pitch.
Winning the championship while moving up two competition divisions obviously says a lot about the school’s soccer program.
“The boys keep raising the level of competition,” Montgomery High School assistant principal of student activities Daniel Cohen said. “We have some good competition in the South Bay now. It raises everyone’s level.”
Despite winning the section championship, the season isn’t quite over for Montgomery. The Aztecs received the No. 2 seed in the Southern California regional playoffs and host seventh-seeded Saddleback Tuesday, March 7, at 4 p.m.
Tuesday’s Division III quarterfinal winner advances to Thursday’s semifinals. The championship game is scheduled Saturday, March 11.
It’s a win-win situation for Montgomery High School soccer teams
Four Metro Conference teams took the pitch in Saturday’s San Diego Section soccer finals. Two walked off the field with division championships.
Montgomery captured the Division II boys title with a 3-1 victory against Mission Hills while Eastlake claimed the Division I girls championship with a 1-0 win over La Costa Canyon.
As for the other two teams, Montgomery finished runner-up to San Dieguito Academy by a 1-0 score in the Division IV girls final while Otay Ranch finished runner-up to Division III girls champion Our Lady of Peace after absorbing a 5-1 defeat.
All four local teams are to be congratulated on advancing to the championship round.
Montgomery’s boys and girls teams, however, deserve special recognition.
The school set a precedent by appearing in a championship double-header at Mission Bay High School. Never before in school history had the school’s girls soccer team advanced to the CIF finals, much less play alongside the school’s boys soccer team in a championship double-header.
The second-seeded Lady Aztecs marched onto the synthetic turf field at Mission Bay High School for its 1:30 p.m. match against top-seeded San Dieguito Academy carrying a school-record 25-game unbeaten streak (19 wins, six ties). The Montgomery boys followed at 4:30 p.m.
The Lady Aztecs came up short in their game, though not for lack of effort.
Daniel Cohen, Montgomery High School’s assistant principal of student activities, said the school’s girls soccer team made a turnaround when current head coach Jennifer Tamayo was hired to coach the team three years ago.
“It’s the most successful three years of girls soccer we’ve had at the school,” Cohen remarked. “We’ve done better each year. This is the first year we’ve made it to the finals.”
The Lady Aztecs, previously longtime doormats of the conference, did not embarrass themselves.
San Dieguito Academy owned the run of play for the first 10 minutes of the match before Montgomery (19-1-6) was able to settle down and generate an attack.
Both teams exchanged scoring chances after that.
The Lady Mustangs (15-7-4) scored the lone goal in the match in the 53rd minute on a sensational individual effort by sophomore Julia Lucero.
Lucero took possession of the ball at midfield, then proceeded to break away along the right attacking flank. She cut in near the corner flag and brought the ball right out in front of the Lady Aztec net. Lucero’s final act was to tuck the ball beyond the reach of Montgomery starting goalkeeper Alexis Espino.
Espino, who received her team’s sportsmanship award, made a sliding kick save in the 61st minute to preserve her team’s one-goal deficit on the scoreboard.
Prior to the San Dieguito Academy goal, Montgomery had its best scoring chance denied when Lady Mustang ’keeper Makena Garvey absorbed a point-blank shot by Klarysa O’Hara.
The shot hit Garvey in the midsection, doubling her over and requiring a time out before she could return to play.
Espino later had to leave the game following her kick save, but returned to active duty 10 minutes later.
Despite pressure by the Lady Aztecs, the SDA defense remained well organized throughout the game.
The Lady Mustangs rejected another point-blank salvo fired by Montgomery in the final stages of regulation time.
Though there were understandably tears after the game on the part of the Lady Aztecs, Montgomery athletic director Troy Beale told the team to be proud of what it accomplished this season.
“All the teams that come after you this year will look up to this team,” he said.
The 19 wins are a school record, as is the 25-game unbeaten streak in regular season play.
Success was immediate upon Tamayo’s arrival.
The Lady Aztecs advanced to the Division V semifinals two years ago and made it to the Division IV semifinals last season.
“We really pushed the girls to play the ball and never give up,” Tamayo noted.
Montgomery finished 7-0-3 in league play with 24 standings points – one point behind Mar Vista (8-1-1 in league play, 25 points) for the league lead.
Mar Vista (18-5-3) suffered elimination in the opening round of the Division IV playoffs. The seventh-seeded Lady Mariners came up short in a 3-2 setback to 10th-seeded Orange Glen.
O’Hara, a sophomore, had tallied 29 goals through the Lady Aztecs’ quarterfinal playoff game against Orange Glen on Feb, 25.
Espino had recorded 14 shutouts and 16 wins in her team’s initial 22 games this season.
