SALINAS VALLEY — As local soccer teams reached past the season’s halfway mark, the King City and Greenfield varsity boys have put themselves in a position to contend for a league title. On the girls’ side, Soledad and King City are both undefeated in the Cypress Division, but that will change as both teams will play each other this week.
King City Mustangs
The King City boys’ team has won three of their last four matches and are 3-1 in the Mission Division, just one game behind Hollister. The Mustangs faced Hollister this week at home on Wednesday, winning 2-1.
Leading the way for the Mustangs is Victor Narez, who not only leads the Mission Division in goals with nine, but also is tied for first in the Pacific Coast Athletic League (PCAL).
The Lady Mustangs have been on a roll of late, winning four of their last five matches. Leading the way with goals have been Samantha Paramo with five and Susana Montes with three.
The Lady Mustangs will have a huge week ahead of them as they are scheduled to face Soledad twice this week.
Greenfield Bruins
It’s been a season to forget for the Lady Bruins, who haven’t won a match in nine attempts.
For the boys, however, it’s been a different story. The Greenfield Bruins have a 2-1 league record and currently sit atop the Cypress Division.
But if the Bruins want to win the division, they will have to make up for an early loss to North Monterey County.
Leading the Bruins is Victor Conteras, who is one of the top goal scorers in the entire PCAL with six.
Soledad Aztecs
The Soledad boys program, which is usually a top team in the PCAL, has had a down year this season. In their last two matches, the Aztecs have been outscored by nine goals.
After more than two weeks off, the Lady Aztecs returned to play against a struggling Seaside Spartans team that only had one win entering the game.
Early on, one could tell that the Lady Aztecs had been off — sloppy play, with players taking deep breaths early in the match-up. Seaside put a scare to them early in the game, taking a 1-0 lead.
But the PCAL-leading scorer in goals, Sophia Martel, tied it up at 1-1. Soledad went on to win 3-2. The Lady Aztecs got goal contributions from Giselle Zepeda and Precious Aguilera.
Next up for the Lazy Aztecs was Pacific Grove, and they took care of business as they cruised to a 4-2 win. Aguilera scored her eighth goal of the season, while Martel scored three goals in the win.
Martel continues to fill up that state sheet, as she now has 32 goals for the season, leading boys and girls in total goals.
Gonzales Spartans
Most of the time, Gonzales has a strong soccer program, but it seems to be a down year for the boys’ team. Sitting at 1-4 and currently on a three-game losing streak, a postseason run seems unlikely for the Spartans.
The leading goal scorer for the Spartans is Edgar Santiago, with three goals this season.
Like the boys, the Lady Spartans are not having a good season either. With a record 0-1-1, the Lady Spartans still have a chance to make the postseason.
Because of Covid-19 postponing games, the Lady Spartans will have an opportunity to turn their season around coming up.
