Ceres High’s girls soccer program faced a familiar opponent in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III playoffs in Patterson.
The Bulldogs lost by shutout for the second time this season to the Tigers.
Seventh-seeded Patterson eliminated 10th-seeded Ceres High from the playoffs with a 3-0 victory on Feb. 11 at Patterson Community Stadium.
“Their effort was amazing,” Bulldogs’ head coach Hannah Menk said while assessing her team’s performance. “They played their hearts out. I’m so proud of them.”
Ceres High sophomore goalkeeper Llian Blevins made nine of her 15 saves in the opening half.
“She stepped up,” Menk said. “She was a beast. I’m excited to see what she’ll be able to do as a junior and senior.”
Ceres High trailed 1-0 at the break.
“They beat us 5-0 (earlier this season),” Menk said. “We made them work for it this time. We came in more conditioned. We were excited to face them again. We frustrated them in the first half.”
The Bulldogs amassed an 11-7-1 overall record and placed second in the Western Athletic Conference standings (8-4-1) this winter.
Ceres High secured the WAC’s No. 2 playoff spot with a 6-1 win over Grace Davis on the final day of the regular season.
“We had some highs and lows,” Menk said. “We had to scrap and dig deep (because of injuries and COVID protocols). The girls had more belief in themselves once we got towards the end of the season. We proved a lot of people wrong. I’m proud of them.”
Patterson posted a 14-6-3 overall record and finished second in the Central California Conference standings (8-1-3).
“They’re the most aggressive team we’ve played all season,” Menk said.
Ceres High participated in the playoffs for the first time under Menk’s guidance.
“It was really fun,” Menk said. “I was very nervous. There was a lot of pressure. I didn’t want to let down our athletic director and school down. I wanted us to do well.”
The Bulldogs will lose six players to graduation, including Paris Garcia, Andrea Hernandez, Alyssa Quinones, Natalie Cabrales, Monica Castillon and Yaresli Lopez.
“We’re going to miss them,” Menk said. “Each of them filled a crucial role.”
