FORFEIT MARS NCS DIVISION I BOYS SEMIFINALS
The anticipated boys soccer match between Dougherty Valley and Berkeley on Wednesday turned into a disappointing shock for all involved. The Yellowjackets were forced to forfeit the North Coast Section Division I semifinal for using an ineligible player.
Berkeley co-athletic director Ross Parker said they learned around lunch time Wednesday that one of their players might have played for a club team prior to an NCS first-round match against Vintage on Feb. 19.
“These things move very fast,” Parker said. “We started an investigation.”
A short time later, the Berkeley players learned their match would be forfeited. It had promised to be a good one with the top-seeded Wildcats (17-3-2) hosting No. 4 seed Berkeley (18-4-1).
The two teams played in last season’s NCS championship match, with the Yellowjackets winning in overtime 1-0.
“Everybody’s heartbroken, disappointed,” Parker said. “It impacts a lot of good kids, good coaches. It’s not a good feeling.”
NCS bylaw 600 specifically states that players can’t play for club teams during the high school season, Parker said. But players aren’t always aware of the rules, and the consequences that follow, he added.
Parker said club teams know the rules. “You’d like to think they do their due diligence. Maybe they do.”
Said Parker, “This was a special team. We were on a 14-game win streak. But it is a bylaw, and NCS is very consistent about enforcing them.”
Dougherty Valley will host No. 2 seed De La Salle for the NCS title on Saturday at 2 p.m.
– Mike Lefkow
TWO QUICK GOALS HAVE DE LA SALLE HEADED TO FINALS
For 79 minutes on Wednesday, the De La Salle offense was very quiet. As the clock wound down in the NCS semifinal between the second and third seasons, Clayton Valley had the game’s only goal.
That changed in the 80th minute when Namir Shlah scored to even things up. Five minutes later, in the first overtime, Ronan Rattigan got his foot on the rebound from his own missed penalty kick and booted it home from 18 yards out.
The Ugly Eagles played a man down during the final 15 minutes after receiving a red card.
Until the late outburst by the Spartans (17-3-3), a 13th minute goal by Clayton Valley’s Giovanni Negrete had accounted for the game’s only score. The Ugly Eagles are 17-3-1 and are expected to land an at-large berth in the soccer NorCals that will be announced on Sunday.
– Mike Lefkow
MONTE VISTA’S CINDERELLA RIDE CONTINUES
As the No. 10 seed in the NCS D-I bracket, not much was expected of the Monte Vista girls. But this is a team that has played with its back against the wall all season, so the Mustangs weren’t going to let low expectations bother them.
They opened NCS by beating No. 7 seed Casa Grande 3-0. Then they beat a lower seed, No. 15 Liberty, 2-0. Then in the semifinals Wednesday night, they upset third-seeded Bishop O’Dowd 3-2.
This was a victory to write home about. Bishop O’Dowd entered the game with an 18-0-2 record. Twenty-two minutes into the game, the Dragons led 2-0.
Monte Vista clawed back, scoring two goals 10 minutes apart to make it 2-2 at the half. Sophia Carbone scored first, then Lexi Beshe made the equalizer, with Siena Coburn getting the assist.
The game-winner came off the foot of Carbone, on an assist by Kaileigh Michel.
Monte Vista is 7-2 in its last nine games after starting the season 2-3-3.
“They’re finding ways to win because of the path they took early in the season,” coach Chris Lum said. “There were not a bunch of 3-0 wins.”
Winning a championship on Saturday won’t be easy. The Mustangs play No. 4 seed Amador Valley, which beat Acalanes 2-0 in the other D-I semifinal. Amador Valley has outscored its three opponents 10-0 en route to the final.
Despite being the higher seed, the Dons will be at Monte Vista, where they lost to the Mustangs 2-1 on Jan. 30.
– Mike Lefkow
TOUGH NIGHT IN DIVISION IV
Well, it was a rough semifinal round for all the local teams except Piedmont’s top-seeded boys. They scored one goal in each half and beat San Rafael 2-0. The Highlanders (10-8-4) will host Roseland University Prep-Santa Rosa on Saturday at 7 p.m. for the D-IV title. Second-seeded Roseland advanced by beating Newark Memorial 2-0. … On the girls’ side of the D-IV bracket, both East Bay teams lost in the semis. St. Mary’s deadlocked with San Rafael 1-1 in regulation, but the Bulldogs took the shootout 6-5. In the other match, Sonoma Valley slipped past Pinole Valley 1-0.
– Mike Lefkow
CCS
Section finals set in Divisions II-V, previewing Saturday’s championship slate
Soccer championship games are set in all CCS boys and girls divisions after Wednesday’s semifinals in the lower divisions.
BOYS
In Division II, No. 3 Menlo School survived No. 7 Carlmont with a goal by Carter Techel in the 35th minute. Techel’s shot deflected off the Carlmont goalie’s save attempt and into the back of the net.
Sebastian Quezada earned a shutout in goal for Menlo. The Knights will face No. 1 Hillsdale, which beat No. 5 Hollister 3-0, at Sequoia High on Saturday morning.
In Division III, No. 6 Sacred Heart Prep earned a 1-0 upset win at No. 2 Aragon. The Gators will face No. 4 Santa Clara, which held off No. 8 Los Gatos 2-1, at Del Mar High School.
In Division IV, No. 8 Pioneer, which knocked off top-seeded Palma on Saturday, advanced to the title game with a 4-1 win at No. 4 Greenfield. The Mustangs will take on No. 2 Gonzales at Everett Alvarez High School in Salinas.
In Division V, No. 6 Crystal Springs Uplands took down No. 2 Saratoga 3-1. Crystal will face No. 4 Milpitas, which toppled No. 1 Silver Creek 3-1 in overtime.
The match will be played at Sequoia High on Saturday afternoon.
GIRLS
The Division II final will feature one Bay Area team, as No. 8 Homestead knocked off top seed Branham 1-0 to make the championship game. No. 6 Sacred Heart Cathedral did not make the title match, falling 1-0 to No. 2 Salinas.
The D-II final round will be played at Everett Alvarez.
In Division III, No. 3 Mountain View earned a minor upset, knocking off No. 2 Palo Alto 1-0 on the road. No. 4 Menlo School dethroned crosstown rival No. 1 Menlo-Atherton, winning 2-1.
Freshman Everleigh Porter (Julia Axelrod, Krista Arreola, 57’) and Arreola (Roya Rezaee, 72’) scored goals for Menlo. M-A equalized with a penalty kick in the 67th minute, but Arreola’s strike was the game-winner.
Junior Bianca Putanec made a key save down the stretch to secure the win for Menlo. The two remaining Peninsula teams will meet for the D-III title at Sequoia on Saturday.
In Division IV, No. 2 Christopher battled No. 3 Nueva to a 2-2 standstill, then advanced 4-3 in penalty kicks. No. 1 Fremont-Sunnyvale was knocked out of the tournament by No. 5 Soquel by a score of 3-1.
Christopher will face Soquel at Del Mar High School.
In Division V, No. 1 Sacred Heart Prep routed No. 4 Notre Dame-San Jose to punch its ticket to the section finals. Lauryn Masetti (Lauren Bassett, 5’); Sarina Yu (Masetti, 42′); Averie Sui (Isabelle Gonzalez, 57′), Yu (Lewa White, 63′) and White (unassisted, 72’) scored the goals for SHP.
The Gators will take on No. 2 North Monterey County, also at Del Mar on Saturday afternoon.
– Christian Babcock