As we approach the nominal midway point of the Central Coast Section girls soccer season, it is a good time to take a league-by-league look at how teams have done during the non-league portion of their schedules.
While the BVAL-West Valley Division is already five games into its league season, most of CCS still hasn’t started league play, which typically kicks off right at the turn of the new year. Still, some trends have already been established as we get ready for the beginning of league play and a potential preview of the CCS playoffs.
Blossom Valley Athletic League
The league voted on restructuring in the offseason, going from four divisions to three. As a result, the BVAL-Mount Hamilton “A” Division has been restored to eight teams – from six – and the BVAL-West Valley “C” Division now consists of 10 teams. With an 18-game league schedule, that is why the BVAL-WV has had to get a head start on the league season, with Oak Grove already off to a 5-0 start.
While Leigh is just 2-2-1 overall, the Longhorns always have to be considered among the favorites to win the BVAL-MH crown. Leigh has won four division titles in a row and despite a pair of one-goal losses in the preseason to St. Ignatius and Los Altos, is expected to be in the mix.
Leland has also played St. Ignatius and Los Altos, coming away with a split by defeating the Wildcats 2-0 in its season opener. The Chargers have had seven different goal scorers account for their seven goals on the season, and have conceded just three goals.
Branham completed a 3-1-2 preseason with a 1-1 tie against Presentation. The Bruins have overwhelmed lower-division opponents Lynbrook (10-0) and Cupertino (8-0) and as a result have some lofty individual stat lines, led by junior Audrey Baker (6 goals) and sophomore Ciara Kroum-Bruno (5 goals, 2 assists). Pioneer (3-2-1) is another perennial contender in the BVAL-MH; the Mustangs last won a BVAL-MH title in 2017-18, but they are one of the longest tenured members in the “A” Division, having been in the top flight since 2017.
In the lower divisions, Willow Glen looks like a contender in the BVAL-ST having defeated Branham 2-1 on Dec. 3. But the Rams have gone winless in their last three and are 2-2-1 heading into league play. Silver Creek (3-1-1) has not played the most challenging schedule, but the Raiders do have a 2-1 win over “A” league representative Westmont. Ann Sobrato (0-0-2), Lincoln (0-3-1) and Santa Teresa (0-4-2) are all looking for their first win.
As mentioned earlier, Oak Grove is already 5-0 in the BVAL-WV, with an early two-point lead over Yerba Buena (4-0-1). But it is a marathon league schedule that features 18 games in a 10-team double round robin so it is still pretty early.
Peninsula Athletic League
The PAL-Bay looks wide open as usual. Burlingame hasn’t won a game outside of the league, but has started league play with wins over Aragon and Menlo-Atherton to take the early lead in the title race. Seniors Adelle Farris and Gaelle-Anne Foy scored in the win over the Bears, who have since rebounded with three shutout wins in a row to improve to 4-2-2 overall.
Hillsdale and Sequoia have struggled to identical 1-3-2 records and started the PAL-Bay season with a 3-3 tie against each other. Aragon (1-2-3) has been shut out in half of its games so far and Woodside (2-1-2) has just one loss – 6-0 against WCAL power Saint Francis.
The PAL-Ocean race has not kicked off yet, but based on the preseason, it looks like Terra Nova (3-1-0) and San Mateo (2-1-0) are shaping up as top contenders. The Bearcats already own four-goal wins over league rivals Mills and El Camino, though those were not league matches. Terra Nova opened the season with a 4-1 loss to Castilleja, but has won its past three matches. Sophomore Daniela Guterres has led the way with four goals and two assists in just four games.
Pacific Coast Athletic League
No PCAL-Gabilan has lost more than two games so far, though most of the competition has come against lower-division foes. Alvarez (6-0-1) has already scored 46 goals and allowed just two, but that comes with a 13-0 win over Jefferson and a 16-0 rout of Anzar. Juniors Emma Reyes, Jennifer Montes and Angie Zamora have each scored eight goals for the Eagles.
Rancho San Juan (6-1-0) has also beaten up on lesser competition, opening the season with a 12-0 win over KIPP San Jose Collegiate and racking up shutouts in all six of its wins. The loss came against Gilroy by a 2-0 score.
The team to beat appears to be Salinas (5-1-0), which has taken on a much more difficult schedule than most of its league mates and has just one loss – 1-0 to WCAL power Archbishop Mitty - on its ledger. Senior Praisia Lowe has already netted eight goals for the Cowboys. Monterey (5-1-1) and Hollister (4-1-0) also look like legitimate contenders. Monterey has tied SCCAL power Aptos and Hollister owns an impressive 3-1 win over Willow Glen.
In the lower divisions, Palma (3-2-0) seems to have a leg up on the PCAL-Cypress competition despite having lost 8-0 to Templeton. Greenfield (3-3-0) has alternated wins and losses with the best victory coming over Carmel, 2-1.
Speaking of the Padres (4-1-0), that has been their only loss of the season so far as they hope to contend in the PCAL-Mission. Alisal (4-4-1) is probably the most battle-tested of the group, having faced the likes of Gabilan teams Alvarez, Rancho San Juan and Salinas, but the Trojans failed to score against any of those teams.
Private School Athletic League
Design Tech appears poised to dominate the PSAL-North Division after opening the league season with big wins over KIPP Esperanza (9-0) and Latino College Prep (6-0). The Dragons finished second in the PSAL-North a year ago.
In the PSAL-South, there is a clear top 4 among Thomas More (2-0-0 in league), Cristo Rey (2-0-0), KIPP Navigate (1-0-0) and Summit Tahoma (1-1-0). Each of those teams have already posted league wins by at least 10 goals, picking mostly on Luis Valdez and Cindy Avitia.
Santa Cruz County Athletic League
Aptos has won three SCCAL titles in a row, compiling a 26-1-3 record during that span, so the Mariners would have to be considered the favorites. Aptos (3-2-1) is off to an uneven start, with losses to Mountain View (3-2) and Los Gatos (4-0).
The most likely challengers to the crown are Santa Cruz (6-3-0) and Soquel (4-1-0). The Cardinals have been led by senior Lia Gularte (2 goals, 7 assists) and sophomores Elzada Wood (5 goals, 1 assist) and Brianna Lucchesi (4 goals, 2 assists). The Knights have outscored opponents 26-2, but that has come against lower-level competition. Freshman Aaliyah Ponce has led the way with a team-high seven goals.
Santa Clara Valley Athletic League
The SCVAL-De Anza title race is shaping up to be a battle, with defending champ Los Gatos looking to repeat against top challengers Mountain View, Los Altos, Santa Clara and Homestead. The Wildcats (4-1-2) have lost only to WCAL power Saint Francis and have reeled off three impressive shutouts in a row over Aptos (4-0), Scotts Valley (10-0) and Sequoia (7-0). Junior Abby Nelson has racked up seven goals and three assists in just six appearances.
Mountain View is also off to a strong start, opening with five straight wins before suffering a 1-0 defeat against WCAL power Archbishop Mitty. Youth has been the calling card for the Spartans, whose top two scorers are sophomore Charlotte Higgins (5 goals, 4 assists) and freshman Olivia Peters (4 goals, 5 assists).
Los Altos (4-2-0) owns a win over BVAL power Leigh and has lost only to Saint Francis and Mitty. The same goes for Homestead (3-2-0), which outside of the two losses, has outscored its opponents 32-0 thanks in large part to a ridiculous 21-0 win over Westmoor. Santa Clara (6-1-0) hasn’t played the level of competition of its league counterparts, but holds impressive wins over Presentation and Pioneer.
In the El Camino Division, Monta Vista (5-0-1) looks like the team to beat thanks to the contributions of freshman Grace Schweigert (8 goals, 2 assists) and senior Sophia Yamada (5 goals, 8 assists). Wilcox (4-3-0) might be the only challenger, having won its last three games including a 3-2 victory over Valley Christian.
West Bay Athletic League
Newly promoted Castilleja (5-0-1) won its first game in the WBAL-Foothill, knocking off Notre Dame-San Jose 3-0. Defending champs Crystal Springs Uplands (2-0-1) figures to challenge for league supremacy; the Gryphons have allowed just one goal so far this season. Menlo (1-2-2) does not have a glowing record, but has played by far the most difficult schedule, featuring 2-0 losses to Los Altos and Leland and a pair of 1-1 ties against Menlo-Atherton and Burlingame. Sacred Heart Prep (2-2-0) will also have something to say about the title race.
In the Skyline Division, The King’s Academy will look to win the division outright after sharing the title with Castilleja a year ago. The Knights (3-1-2) have done well against a tough schedule, going unbeaten in five after a season-opening 5-1 loss to Mountain View.
West Catholic Athletic League
Defending CCS Open and NorCal Division 1 champion Saint Francis appears to be the class of CCS again. The Lancers are off to a 4-0 start with wins over Homestead, Los Gatos, Woodside and Los Altos and have outscored their opponents 13-1.
As usual, Mitty (3-1-0) looks like one of the top teams in the section. The Monarchs have posted shutouts of Homestead, Salinas and Mountain View and suffered their only loss against NCS power California-San Ramon.
Sacred Heart Cathedral (7-0-1) has dominated weaker competition to the tune of a 38-2 goal differential, but a 2-1 win over Burlingame should go a long way to getting the Irish ready for a difficult WCAL slate. St. Ignatius (2-1-0) has one-goal wins over Los Altos and Leigh sandwiched around a 2-0 loss to Leland.
