It’s an exciting time of year for local high school soccer teams, taking the field this week in their respective North Coast Section playoff tournaments.
On Sunday, the NCS selection committee awarded Analy’s varsity boys and girls teams with seeds in their respective Division 3 brackets, with the Lady Tigers holding down the No. 4 spot in girls tourney, while the boys represent the No. 14 seed.
At press time the Lady Tigers were preparing to host No. 13 Piner in the playoff opener on Wednesday, Feb. 13 (7 p.m.). Should Analy win, it will host the survivor of No. 5 Alhambra versus No. 12 Rancho Cotate on Saturday, Feb. 16 (time TBA).
The Lady Tigers (9-8) closed out the NBL Oak Division schedule with three matches last week, sandwiching a 3-0 win over Ukiah on Feb. 7 with a pair of 1-0 losses to Maria Carrillo and Windsor. Goal scorers for the Tigers included Tannin Klunis (2) and Isabel Housman, with assists going to Housman (2) and Macee Wacholz.
“Overall, we had a really great first season in the Oak Division,” Analy coach Brittney Briones said. “The girls really played with a lot of heart throughout the season; we were scrappy, determined and had fun. We’re looking forward to playoffs and hoping to have several key players back from injury.”
Tigers on a roll
Meanwhile, the Analy boys squad (9-6-3) closed out the NBL Redwood Division with two wins in three outings, recording wins over El Molino (2-0) and Ukiah, with the loss coming in a 2-1 setback to Piner. Goal scorers against the Lions were Iain Douch and Armando Parra, with assists from Brennan Blondin and Douch. Parra tallied the winning goal against Ukiah.
Analy will open the NCS tournament on the road at No. 3 Ygnacio Valley, with the winner moving on to the quarterfinals to play the victor of No. 6 Terra Linda versus No. 11 San Lorenzo.
“The 14th seed in the playoffs was fair,” veteran coach Peter Meechan said. “Going to Ygancio Valley, which is perennially one of the best teams in our section, is going to be a tough ask. We’re young, so it will be interesting to see how we handle things.”
El Mo teams wrap up season
The 2018-19 soccer season was a good one for both El Molino varsity teams, with the boys recording their first league wins in five years to finish at 4-11-2, falling in their final league matches to Analy (2-0) and Roseland University Prep (2-0).
The Lady Lions (5-2-2) narrowly missed an NCS playoff berth this week, combining a 6-1 win over Elsie Allen with a 1-1 tie against Piner. Finding the net for the Lions were Lilly Dittman (3), Bridget Nicleas, Kiara Garcia-Lopez and Savannah Hebert.
“We dominated the Piner game but couldn’t get one into the net,” El Mo coach Emily Farrant reported. “We played well for our last week and left everything on the field.”
