Ever since the Central Coast Section girls soccer playoff committee went with more of a subjective analysis of the 40 teams that make the playoff field, it has obviously been more difficult to accurately project the brackets. But we managed to hit the Division 1 bracket just right and got all 40 teams that made the field.
Here is a look at the five CCS girls soccer brackets:
Division 1
With only four “A” leagues on the girls side, “B” league teams have more of an opportunity to reach the Division 1 playoffs. But at the same time, there is typically a bigger gulf between “A” and “B” leagues on the girls side and the committee tends to choose all “A” league teams for Division 1, as they have in this case.
All first-round games are on Saturday.
No. 8 Pioneer at No. 1 Saint Francis, 11 am
No. 5 Leland at No. 4 Los Gatos, 7 pm
No. 7 Woodside at No. 2 Archbishop Mitty, 1 pm
No. 6 St. Ignatius at No. 3 Leigh, 11 am
Predictions
Saint Francis 3, Pioneer 0
Leland 1, Los Gatos 1 (Leland wins on PKs)
Archbishop Mitty 4, Woodside 0
Leigh 2, St. Ignatius
Commentary
Best game: Los Gatos-Leland (honorable mention: Leigh-St. Ignatius). This is a classic 4-5 matchup of two very good teams from excellent public-school leagues. The two teams met in the preseason and the game ended in a 3-3 tie. We’re not calling for quite that much excitement, but who knows?
Sleeper: St. Ignatius. Among the lower-seeded teams, SI has as good a chance as any to get out of the first round. And if the Wildcats do so, they won’t have to deal with No. 1 Saint Francis until the final.
Team to beat: Saint Francis. The Lancers have had a couple of slip-ups during the course of the season, but they have outscored opponents 71-6 this season and 31-4 in the dominant WCAL. That is too much to overlook.
Division 2
Prep2Prep hit on five of the eight teams that were ultimately selected for Division 2 as “A” league and WCAL teams Valley Christian and Sacred Heart Cathedral were deservedly pulled into Division 2.
All first-round games are on Saturday.
No. 8 Homestead at No. 1 Aptos, 11 am
No. 5 Branham at No. 4 Valley Christian, 11 am
No. 7 Crystal Springs Uplands at No. 2 Salinas, 7 pm
No. 6 Sacred Heart Cathedral at No. 3 Aragon, 1 pm
Predictions
Aptos 2, Homestead 1
Valley Christian 0, Branham 0 (Valley Christian wins on PKs)
Salinas 2, Crystal Springs Uplands 1
Sacred Heart Cathedral 3, Aragon 1
Commentary
Best game: Valley Christian-Branham. Another excellent 4-5 matchup; these teams played to a scoreless draw in the preseason. At one point Branham appeared to be ticketed for Division 1, but four losses in the final six games dropped the Bruins into Division 2. Valley Christian finished fifth in the WCAL, but has an upset win over Saint Francis to its credit.
Sleeper: Sacred Heart Cathedral. It’s kind of cheating to pick a WCAL team as a sleeper, but as the No. 7 seed, the Irish have the ability to make a run. SHC lost to Aragon 2-1 in the preseason, but has played the WCAL powers tough all season and won’t have to face another WCAL team unless Valley Christian reaches the final.
Team to beat: Sacred Heart Cathedral. There are no pushovers in Division 2, but we like the way the bracket sets up for the Irish.
Division 3
Prep2Prep hit on just four of the eight teams that were ultimately selected for Division 3.
All first-round games are on Saturday.
No. 8 Pajaro Valley at No. 1 Menlo-Atherton, 5 pm
No. 5 Carlmont at No. 4 Menlo, 11 am
No. 7 Soledad at No. 2 Palo Alto, 5 pm
No. 6 Evergreen Valley at No. 3 Mountain View, 5 pm
Predictions
Menlo-Atherton 2, Pajaro Valley 0
Menlo 3, Carlmont 1
Palo Alto 3, Soledad 0
Mountain View 3, Evergreen Valley 0
Commentary
Best game: Menlo-Carlmont. The PAL-Ocean champs won’t have very far to travel and the Scots have already met a strong WBAL-Foothill team, defeating Sacred Heart Prep 2-1 in the preseason. Meanwhile, Menlo just missed out on the WBAL title and is more battle tested overall.
Sleeper: none. We think the top four seeds are going to advance with relative ease and it would be a copout to call a team with the pedigree of Menlo or Mountain View as a sleeper so we will pass.
Team to beat: Mountain View/Palo Alto. So we will do this copout instead. We have both SCVAL-DA teams advancing to meet in the semifinals, so whichever team wins that tossup third matchup will take the CCS title.
Division 4
Prep2Prep hit on just four of the eight teams that were ultimately selected for Division 4.
All first-round games are on Saturday.
No. 8 San Mateo at No. 1 Fremont, 6 pm
No. 5 Soquel at No. 4 Willow Glen, 1 pm
No. 7 Hollister at No. 2 Christopher, 5 pm
No. 6 Saratoga at No. 3 Nueva, 3 pm at Skyline College
Predictions
Fremont 3, San Mateo 1
Willow Glen 2, Soquel 0
Christopher 1, Hollister 1 (Christopher wins on PKs)
Nueva 3, Saratoga 2
Commentary
Best game: Christopher-Hollister. Both teams come from strong “B” leagues and have knocked off top-notch teams over the course of the season (Christopher over Pioneer, Hollister over Aptos).
Sleeper: Hollister. If the Balers can get past Christopher in a mild upset, they could find themselves contending for the title.
Team to beat: Fremont. The Firebirds don’t come from the strongest league, but they have been so dominant and the bracket doesn’t look too daunting, though a potential second-round matchup with Willow Glen could be challenging.
Division 5
Prep2Prep hit on seven of the eight teams that were ultimately selected for Division 5, missing only on Hollister, which was placed in Division 4.
All first-round games are on Saturday.
No. 8 KIPP Navigate at No. 1 Sacred Heart Prep, 1 pm
No. 5 Mills at No. 4 Notre Dame-San Jose, 3 pm at Del Monte Park
No. 7 Oak Grove at No. 2 North Monterey County, 5 pm
No. 6 Stevenson at No. 3 Rancho San Juan, 11 am
Predictions
Sacred Heart Prep 6, KIPP Navigate 0
Notre Dame-San Jose 3, Mills 0
North Monterey County 2, Oak Grove 2 (North Monterey County wins on PKs)
Rancho San Juan 2, Stevenson 1
Commentary
Best game: North Monterey County-Oak Grove. One of the great things about Division 5 is it often brings together two teams that would otherwise almost never play each other. In a case like this, nobody really knows what to expect, which only adds to the intrigue.
Sleeper: Oak Grove. The BVAL-West Valley champs have a seemingly winnable first-round matchup and they are on the opposite side of the bracket from heavy favorite SHP, which is the best setup you can ask for a “C” league team.
Team to beat: Sacred Heart Prep. Winning a CCS title is never easy, but this bracket is built for the Gators.
