Central Valley’s girls soccer team had plenty of motivation heading into last week’s opening-round Division-I playoff game against Gregori.
Determined to prove the Sac-Joaquin Section wrong, the 14th-seeded Hawks suffered a 1-0 loss while battling the third-seeded Jaguars for 80 minutes on Feb. 18 in Modesto.
Surprisingly, Central Valley was awarded one of the final two spots in the 16-team playoff bracket despite winning 20 games and claiming the Western Athletic Conference title during the regular season.
“I was expecting a game like this,” Hawks’ head coach Miguel Larranaga said. “We gave them a challenge. To be honest with you, I thought we were going to go to penalty kicks. We practiced PKs. We were prepared.”
“I’m a little sad,” he added. “I thought we could beat them and move one. It didn’t happen. They’re a very strong team in all areas. I wouldn’t be surprised if they won it all.”
Central Valley compiled a 20-4-2 overall record and placed first in the WAC standings with a 12-1-0 mark this winter.
Gregori, which claimed the Central California Athletic League title with a 9-0-1 mark during the regular season, improved to 18-1-1 on the year after edging Central Valley and sixth-seeded St. Mary’s by identical scores of 1-0 in the playoffs.
The Jaguars will face 10th-seeded Folsom today in the semifinals.
“I’m very proud of the girls,” Larranaga said. “I’m satisfied. We got first place in league. Next year, we are going to come back strong.”
“Last year, we barely made it to playoffs,” Jauregui added. “The issue with this team in the beginning of the season was chemistry. Over time we started to bond and play better together.”
Hawk goalkeeper Magnolia Tavizon totaled eight saves against the Jaguars.
“She did an amazing job,” Larranaga said. “She was ready. She didn’t make any mistakes.”
Gregori’s Kylie Farmer broke a scoreless tie with a goal 15 minutes into the second half. Jaguar teammate Grace Rodriguez assisted.
Central Valley shut out Gregori during the first half.
“Everybody gave 110 percent,” sophomore Aaralyn Jauregui said. “We did well the whole game. Gregori has a very good team. I played with half of their girls when I was younger.”
Central Valley will lose just four players to graduation, including Tavizon, Mia Mendoza, Gianna Silva and Eliana Tamayo.
“I’m very sad because our seniors are leaving,” Jauregui said. “I’m going to miss my goalie. She’s a really good player.”
“We’re going to miss those players,” Larranaga added. “We’re going to have to adjust and get prepared for the next season.”
Aaralyn Jauregui, Aaliyah Jauregui, Marcella Larranaga, Anali Mendoza, Bella Ayala, Brianna Cuevas, Sophia Garibay, Camila Orozco, Kenia Acevedo, Ayleen Apreza, Amirrah Cornielle, Ashley Juarez and Evelyn Rivera could return to the team in 2025-26.
“We’re going to have a really good team next year,” Aaralyn Jauregui said.
Coach Larranaga plans to improve his team’s strength of schedule next year.
The Hawks could receive a more favorable draw for playoffs.
“The teams in this area, their rankings aren’t very high,” he said. “Next year, we’ll travel out of town during the preseason. Playing better teams will help our ranking.”
