Analy and El Molino soccer teams are in the final phase of their respective North Bay League seasons this week, with a couple still in the hunt for North Coast Section playoff berths.
Below is a recap of each varsity team.
Analy boys
The Analy Tigers, under veteran coach Peter Meechan, is a near lock to make the postseason, scoring recent victories over Roseland University Prep (2-1) and Cardinal Newman (2-0).
Goal scorers against RUP were Brennan Blondin and Zack Kleinfeld, while Kelly Janssen and Armando Parra found the net against Newman.
The Tigers (6-3, 13-3-1) will close out NBL Redwood Division play at El Molino (Feb. 7, 6 p.m.), home versus Piner (Feb. 12, 6 p.m.) and at Ukiah (Feb. 14).
Analy girls
The Analy girls continued to give the opposition all it could handle last week in matches with Windsor (0-0 tie), Sonoma Academy (2-0 loss) and Montgomery (3-1 loss). Kim Navarette scored for the Tigers on a free kick.
The Jan. 30 clash with Montgomery was an illustration of how far the team has come, battling the Vikings tooth and nail until the final whistle.
“Montgomery beat us 3-0 in our first match, but this time around was a different story,” Analy coach Brian Heacock said. “They were not as comfortable and confident as the first time. They had the run of play throughout the game, but we were able to put them under pressure.”
The Tigers (1-6-1, 5-7-3) will close out NBL action with road and home dates against Maria Carrillo (Feb. 6, 6 p.m.) and versus Ukiah (Feb. 11, 6 p.m.).
El Molino boys
The Lions (2-6-1, 4-8-1) have had a resurgent season, with nearly all their matches decided by two goals or less. That trend continued in a Jan. 29 outing at Maria Carrillo, where the lions were missing several players due to illness. The Lions were down 2-0 early, getting a second half score from Jesse Gonzales as the Pumas hung on for a 3-1 win.
It was more of the same in a Jan. 31 visit to Ukiah, with the Lions having a would-be goal by Gonzales negated due to a penalty. The Wildcats scored the game-winner with three minutes remaining to escape with a 1-0 win.
El Mo will finish the season with home dates with Piner (Feb. 5), Analy (Feb. 7) and RUP (Feb. 14). All varsity matches start at 6 p.m.
El Molino girls
The Lady Lions (2-3, 2-8) logged a relatively quiet week on the pitch, having one match rescheduled (versus Piner due to no referees), followed by a 3-0 loss to Rancho Cotate.
“The girls played well, but we weren’t able to put anything away,” El Mo coach Emily Farrant said of the loss to the Cougars.
The Lions will close out the season with matches at Santa Rosa (Feb. 4), home versus Healdsburg (Feb. 6, 6 p.m. and Elsie Allen (Feb. 11, 6 p.m.), and at Piner (Feb. 14, 6 p.m.).
