Prep2Prep CCS Boys Soccer Playoff Brackets
UPDATE 3/5/2015
The quarterfinal round had its share of drama as three of the 12 matches were decided on penalty kicks. But there were also several surprisingly one-sided
matchups, particularly at the Palo Alto venue, where Menlo-Atherton routed Alvarez in Division I and Gunn had little trouble with Mountain View in Division II.
The WCAL suffered a pair of hits at the hands of the BVAL as Leland outlasted St. Ignatius in penalties and Mt. Pleasant took out a game Valley Christian
squad, 2-0. As a result, we are left with one WCAL team in each division - Bellarmine in Division I, St. Francis in Division II and Sacred Heart Cathedral in Division III.
DIVISION I:
Anyone who has seen Homestead this season would consider its 1-0 win over powerhouse Alisal as a mild surprise at best. Next up for the Mustangs is a shot at
Watsonville, which has been the top team in CCS all season.
On the other side of the bracket, Bellarmine, which put together a workmanlike 2-0 win over Palo Alto, takes on Menlo-Atherton, which continued its goal-scoring
binge with four against Alvarez in a 4-1 victory. The Bears got on the board just minutes before halftime on one of the finest goals you will ever see, high school
game or otherwise, by left midfielder Alex Gallo.
For printable bracket of CCS Division I playoffs, please click
here (PDF).
1
MENLO-ATHERTON (0-0-0)
vs.
5
BELLARMINE COLLEGE PREP (0-0-0)
Wednesday 4:30 PM, Milpitas High School
It was an otherwise uneventful match at Palo Alto High School until M-A's Gallo launched what figures to be the goal of the tournament. Picking up a clearance from
the Alvarez defense, Gallo blasted a 35-yard full left-footed volley at a tight angle that dipped into the upper right corner. That goal made it 1-0 on what was
essentially Menlo-Atherton's first real chance of the match, but it appeared to send shock waves throughout the Alvarez team, which never really recovered.
However, it never appeared headed to such a one-sided result until Jesus Ortega scored a brilliant goal of his own, first-timing a volley off a cross from Ortega to
make it 2-0. The Eagles did pick up a consolation goal very late by talented attacking midfielder Christian Santibanez, but they appeared to be dispirited by the
second goal and never seriously threatened.
Earlier on the same field, Bellarmine scored a pair of first-half goals - by Dylan Carruba and Nick Lion, to knock off host Palo Alto, 2-0. The defending co-CCS Division
I champs will look for a return trip to the final - perhaps even in a rematch against Watsonville - when they take on M-A.
2
WATSONVILLE (0-0-0)
vs.
6
HOMESTEAD (0-0-0)
Wednesday 7:00 PM, Watsonville High School
Monta Vista did very well to hang with Watsonville as the match stayed 1-1 midway through the second half, but the 'Catz eventually wore the Matadors down. Gonzalo Samudio
scored a pair of goals for Watsonville, which overcame an own goal that tied the match at 1-1 just before halftime. Kevin Contreras put the game away with a stoppage-time
goal to set Watsonville up with another home game against Homestead in the semis. The Mustangs got past Alisal 1-0 on a goal by Ariel Berman.
DIVISION II:
A pair of rematches of varying sort are set up in the Division II semfinals following the results of Saturday's action as the top four seeds all advanced to the semifinals.
No. 2 seed Leland needed penalty kicks to get
past St. Ignatius, setting up a rematch with Gunn, a team the Chargers defeated 3-0 in the preseason despite playing much of the match with 10 men. The Titans, meanwhile,
overcame a weather delay to post a 4-2 victory over a weary Mountain View squad.
On the other side of the bracket, St. Francis won a penalty-kick shootout against WCAL rival Mitty to set up a rematch with top-seeded Mt. Pleasant. The Cardinals defeated the Lancers, 2-0,
in last year's first round. Saturday's win marked the first time Mt. Pleasant has reached the semifinals in 15 seasons under head coach Nick Arellano.
For printable bracket of CCS Division II playoffs, please click
here (PDF).
1
MT. PLEASANT (0-0-0)
vs.
4
ST. FRANCIS (0-0-0)
Wednesday 7:00 PM, Leigh High School
Junior midfielder Luis Avalos got Mt. Pleasant on the board against Valley Christian off an Isau Navarro corner kick and sophomore striker Andres Nunez added the
clincher in the 78th minute as the Cardinals advanced to the semis with a win at Valley Christian. It has been a magical season for
Mt. Pleasant, which has lost just once all season. Despite being a man down for most of the match, St. Francis gutted out a penalty-kick
win over Mitty as senior Saahil Dulla made two saves during the shootout to lift the Lancers. Mt. Pleasant won last year's meeting, 2-0.
2
LELAND (0-0-0)
vs.
3
GUNN (0-0-0)
Wednesday 7:00 PM, Valley Christian High School
Sepand Liaghat converted the decisive penalty kick as Leland advanced to the semifinals after eliminating St. Ignatius Saturday at Pioneer. Jack Newton scored off a
corner kick to give Leland a 1-0 first-half lead but SI rallied with a second-half goal by Dylan Penn to force overtime. The Chargers nearly won it in overtime when they hit the crossbar
with three minutes remaining.
Mountain View appeared to show the effects of a draining first-round PK shootout win over Branham as the Spartans conceded a goal in the first two minutes against Gunn and struggled
to recover. Senior Alex Ruber scored the first of his three goals off a throw-in from the right side and the game was immediately delayed because of a thunder strike. After the 30-minute
delay, Gunn increased its lead to 2-0 on a similar goal as Sean McPherson, who terrorized the Mountain View defense all afternoon, took a throw-in, beat a defender into the corner
and set up Ruber for a second.
Mountain View got a goal back just before half on a terrific left-footed strike from sophomore Rohan Sarathy just inside the right post. But McPherson extended the lead with a goal
and then set up Ruber for the clincher as the Titans earned a rematch with the Chargers in the CCS semis.
DIVISION III:
It was a good day for schools that begin with an 'S' as Soledad, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Santa Cruz and Sacred Heart Prep worked their way into the
Division III semifinals. It didn't come easy, particularly for SHP, which needed penalties to upend top-seeded Pajaro Valley after the teams played
to a 1-1 draw through overtime.
For printable bracket of CCS Division III playoffs, please click
here (PDF).
4
SANTA CRUZ (0-0-0)
vs.
8
SACRED HEART PREP (0-0-0)
Wednesday 7:00 PM, Westmont High School
The eighth-seeded Gators moved a step closer to a rtrip to the CCS title game by eliminating No. 1 seed
Pajaro Valley in penalties. SHP takes on Santa Cruz, a perennial
Division III power which got past Burlingame, 3-1, Saturday.
2
SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL (0-0-0)
vs.
3
SOLEDAD (0-0-0)
Wednesday 4:30 PM, Watsonville High School
The Fightin' Irish appear to be the favorite in Division III after knocking off The King's Academy, 2-0 on goals by
Derian Martinez and Maceo Inocencio, to move into
the semifinals. However, it is a tough assignment having to travel all the way down to Watsonville for an afternoon
match with Soledad, which got past Scotts Valley, 2-1.
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