The 2018 edition of the San Diego County Cup has kicked off with an impressive line-up of 30 teams, including 12 varsity boys teams, 10 junior varsity boys teams and eight varsity girls teams.
First kicks on the field took place Wednesday, Dec. 26. Pool play continues through Thursday, followed by semifinals in most divisions on Friday and championship games on Saturday.
Hilltop High School and the Quin Murphy Foundation are serving as tournament host.
Olympian defeated Sweetwater, 2-0, to close out play Wednesday night in the Boys Varsity Silver Division. The victorious Eagles received goals from Quais Bader and Armando Valencia in the match played at Sweetwater High School on a cool night in which temperatures dipped into the low 50s by game’s end.
The match was the second on the day for Olympian, which dropped a 4-1 decision to Castle Park earlier in the afternoon.
Sweetwater meets Castle Park on Thursday at 1:45 p.m. at Otay Ranch High School to close out pool play.
Castle Park can win the pool with a win over Sweetwater while a Red Devil victory could force a tie-breaker to decide which team wins the group and which team finishes second.
Castle Park, Olympian and Sweetwater comprise Group C. Group D includes Lincoln, Hilltop and High Tech High Chula Vista.
In Group D openers on Wednesday, Lincoln played Hilltop to a 1-1 tie, Lincoln topped High Tech High Chula Vista, 4-1, and Hilltop blasted High Tech High Chula Vista, 7-0, as all three teams finished pool play.
Hilltop (1-0-1) won the group with 14 points while Lincoln (1-0-1) finished second with 13 points and High Tech High Chula Vista (0-2-0) finished third with one point.
Hilltop improved its overall record to 13-3-1 with its unbeaten tournament start.
The third place teams in each group will play in a consolation game Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Hilltop High School.
Semifinal matches will pit the first place team in Group D against the second place team in Group C at 5:15 p.m. at Hilltop, followed by a match-up between the first place team in Group C and the second place team in Group D.
Second-year Olympian coach Ivan Gonzalez hopes his team can duplicate the effort against Sweetwater to finish the tournament on an upbeat note.
After kicking off tournament play on a sour note with the loss to Castle Park, Gonzalez said the key to his team’s victory against Sweetwater was “connecting.”
“We had to care, we had to play for each other, play as a team,” Gonzalez explained. “This game was about connecting and playing as a team, playing for each other.”
Alexander Bautista made several good saves, including a flying stretch save across the goalmouth, to record the shutout win over the Red Devils.
Gonzalez said his team, which improved to a modest 2-7-2 following Wednesday’s victory, hopes to continue in the right direction.
“We started the season with a lot of injuries and so we didn’t win too many games,” the Eagles coach said. “But hopefully we have turned it around now.”
The Olympian defense was tested in the second half by an unrelenting attack by Sweetwater, which is playing its first season under new head coach Diego Espinoza, a 2009 Red Devil graduate.
Espinoza, who played club soccer for the Nomads Development Academy, has instituted a whole new style of play to the program, one that is very up-tempo and exciting to watch.
Both Olympian goals came on quick counter-attacks, including the game-clincher with two minutes to play in regulation.
“It’s a more possession-based style that allows us to create more offensive plays,” Espinoza said. “But it can be frustrating to watch when we don’t finish.”
The Devils have finished off enough scoring chances to far this season to earn a 7-4-1 record. Sweetwater defeated Mar Vista, 4-2, to win its South Bay League opener on Dec. 20. Atzel Arroyo scored two of the goals for the host Devils while Sergio Blancarte and Jovanni Delgado each scored one goal.
Sweetwater lost, 1-0, to Southwest El Centro in last Saturday’s Grossmont Tournament bracket championship game.
Corner kicks
The Boys Varsity Gold Division includes six teams: Otay Ranch, Bonita Vista and Santana in Group A and Calexico, Granite Hills and San Ysidro in Group B.
The Boys Junior Varsity Division features the following teams: Otay Ranch, Granite Hills and Sweetwater in Group E, Santana, Hilltop and Bonita in Group F, and Eastlake, University City, Hilltop (II) and Scripps Ranch in Group G.
The Girls Varsity Division includes eight teams: Bonita Vista, Montgomery, Southwest El Centro and Health Sciences in Group H and Olympian, Hilltop, Castle Park and High Tech High in Group I.
Bonita Vista won its group with 19 points after recording an 8-0 goal-differential in its pool games on Wednesday. Montgomery (10-2 goal-differential) and Southwest El Centro (6-3 goal-differential) both recorded 10 points while Health Sciences finished with zero points after being out-scored 13-0,
Championship games at Hilltop on Saturday include the Boys Varsity Silver Division at 3:30 p.m., the Girls Varsity Division at 5:15 p.m. and the Boys Varsity Gold Division at 7 p.m.
The Boys JV Division final is scheduled Saturday at Otay Ranch at 5:15 p.m.
A portion of the tournament proceeds will benefit the Quin Murphy Foundation.
Tournament updates are available on Facebook.
Sweetwater also is hosting its own public Instagram page this season at suhi.boys.soccer.
Thursday’s Bracket Standings
Boys Varsity Gold Division
Group A: 1. Santana 17 points, 2. Otay Ranch 11 points, 3. Bonita Vista 1 point
Group B: Granite Hills 13 points, 2. Calexico 9 points, 3. San Ysidro 5 points
Boys Varsity Silver Division
Group C: 1. Castle Park 18 points, 2. Olympian 10 points, 3. Sweetwater 1 point
Group D: 1. Hilltop 14 points, 2. Lincoln 13 points, 3. High Tech High Chula Vista 1 point
Boys Junior Varsity Division
Group E: 1. Otay Ranch 17 points, 2. Sweetwater 10 points, 3. Granite Hills 2 points
Group F: 1. Hilltop 13 points, 2. Bonita 9 points, 3. Santana 5 points
Boys Novice Division
Group G: (in progress) Hilltop 11 points, University City 9 points, Eastlake 8 points, Scripps Ranch 1 point
Girls Varsity Division
Group H: 1. Bonita Vista 19 points, 2. Montgomery 10 points, 3. Southwest El Centro 10 points, 4. Health Sciences 0 points
Group I: 1. Olympian 10 points; (in progress) Castle Park 10 points, High Tech High Chula 1, Hilltop 0
Friday (Dec. 28) Schedule
Otay Ranch High School
JV Boys (consolation): Santana 1, Granite Hills 0 (OT)
JV Boys (semifinals): Otay Ranch 1, Bonita 0
Boys Varsity Gold Division: Bonita vs. San Ysidro, 1:45 p.m. (consol 1)
Boys Varsity Gold Division: Otay Ranch 0, Granite Hills 0 (Otay Ranch wins 4-3 in KFM)
Boys Varsity Gold Division: Calexico 2, Santana 1 (semifinal A)
Sweetwater High School
Varsity Boys Silver Division (consolation): Sweetwater 3, High Tech High Chula Vista (forfeit)
JV Boys (semifinal): Sweetwater 0, Hilltop 0 (Sweetwater wins on KFM)
Hilltop High School (stadium field)
Girls Varsity: Southwest El Centro vs. High Tech High Chula Vista 1, Southwest El Centro 0 (consolation)
Girtls Varsity: Hilltop 7, Health Sciences 0 (consolation)
Girls Varsity: Bonita 4, Castle Park 0 (semifinal)
Girls Varsity: Montgomery 4, Olympian 1 (semifinal)
Boys Novice: University City vs. Hilltop 3:30 p.m. (Group I pool match)
Boys Varsity Silver Division: Hilltop 4, Olympian 1 (semifinal D)
Boys Varsity Silver Division: Castle Park vs. Lincoln, 7 p.m. (semifinal C)
Hilltop High School (grass field)
Boys Novice: Eastlake 3, Hilltop 2 (Group I pool match)
Championship Games
Saturday, Dec. 29
Hilltop High School
Boys Varsity Silver Division: Hilltop vs. Castle Park, 3:30 p.m.
Girls Varsity Division: Bonita Vista vs. Montgomery, 5:15 p.m.
Boys Varsity Gold Division: Calexico vs. Otay Ranch, 7 p.m.
Photo Gallery by Phillip Brents
Olympian 2, Sweetwater 0
