The Central Valley High School boys soccer team’s valiant comeback attempt fell short in the semifinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-II playoffs.
The fourth-seeded Hawks battled back from a two-goals-to-none deficit before losing 3-2 on the road to top-seeded Granite Bay on Feb. 17.
The section runner-up Grizzlies scored the winning goal with less than 10 minutes to play.
“The kids continued to fight until the end of the game,” Central Valley head coach Horatio Garcia said. “They showed a lot of heart. We just came up short. The result is disappointing. I’m really happy with how the season went. I’m proud of all of my players.”
Jose Cazares led Central Valley with one goal and one assist.
Heriberto Paz scored once.
Hawk goalkeeper Gael Navarro totaled eight saves.
The Hawks outscored the Grizzlies 2-1 during the second half.
Paz cut the deficit to one goal in the 45th minute. Cazares assisted.
Cazares evened the score when he scored from 35 yards away in the 65th minute.
“The team we played against was really good,” Garcia said. “They have some dangerous players up top. We made some adjustments. That helped us contain their forwards.”
Central Valley won two of three games while finishing in the top-4 in the Division-II playoff bracket.
The Hawks edged the fifth-seeded Lodi Flames 1-0 in the quarterfinals and the 13th-seeded Woodcreek Timberwolves 5-4 in a penalty-kick shootout in the opening round.
Granite Bay (12-5-2) lost 2-0 to third-seeded Rio Americano in the section finals.
Central Valley compiled an 18-7-2 overall record and finished in second place in the Central California Conference standings (9-3-0) this winter.
The Hawks went 6-8-2 during the 2020-21 COVID-shortened season.
“I’m really happy with how far we went this season,” Garcia said. “It wasn’t a surprise because I know the quality of players we have at Central Valley. They showed a lot of growth as players and people from the beginning of the season.”
Central Valley will be hit hard by graduation as nine players, including five starters, will not return to the team. They are Paz, Navarro, Alex Bautista, Fernando Cano and Isaiah Urrutia.
“I have really high expectations for next season,” Garcia said. “Hopefully, we’ll make a run for the title.”
Dawgs reach quarters
Ceres High School’s boys soccer team compiled a 1-1 record en route to a top-8 finish in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III playoff bracket.
The seventh-seeded Bulldogs lost 4-1 to the second-seeded Placer Hillmen in the quarterfinals on Feb. 15 in Auburn.
The season-ending loss snapped Ceres High’s 14-game unbeaten streak.
The Bulldogs were seeking to win their third section title in program history.
“The game didn’t go the way we wanted,” head coach Gilbert Zamora Jr. said. “It wasn’t because of talent. It wasn’t our day.”
Gilbert Zamora III netted Ceres High’s lone goal.
The Bulldogs trailed 2-1 at the break.
“We had so many chances to score,” Zamora Jr. said. “Not to exaggerate, but we could have put the game away in the first half. We just didn’t finish. That was the difference.”
Placer outscored Ceres High 2-0 after intermission.
Bulldog players experienced fatigue due to the city of Auburn’s elevation of 1,263 feet.
“You could feel the difference,” Zamora Jr. said. “It’s not normal for us. We kept on trying. It would have been different if we played at home. Home-field advantage means a lot.”
Placer (18-2-2) lost 4-3 to eventual-champion Vista de Lago in the section finals.
The Hillmen placed first in the Foothill Valley League with a 9-1-2 mark during the regular season.
Ceres High amassed a 16-6-1 overall record and finished first in the Western Athletic Conference (12-1-1).
The Bulldogs defeated the 10th-seeded Valley Vikings 1-0 in the opening round of the playoffs.
“We had a lot of talent this year,” Zamora Jr. said. “We had a good run.”
Ceres High will lose 10 players to graduation, including Luis Alvarez, Isaac Arana, Nathan Barajas, Serjio Gonzalez, Antonio Medina, Eduardo Ramirez, Eduardo Savala, Noah Trevino, Jesse Villalobos and Noah Zamora.
