SALINAS VALLEY — With the regular season winding down, South Monterey County high school soccer teams are making their final push for division titles and playoff spots.
The Soledad High boys soccer team is in first place in the Mission Division with a 8-1 record and 11-2-3 overall, with three games remaining as of Monday.
Soledad played just one division game last week but made it count as they avenged a setback with Ceiba College Prep, winning 6-0 last Saturday on the road.
“We wanted to prove to ourselves that we are ready to bounce back after we are challenged,” said Soledad head coach Genaro Espinosa. “Regardless of the score, we moved the ball quite well and dominated in every aspect of the game.”
Jesus Ortiz scored two goals and solo goals were scored by Jason Rico, Joshua Guzman, Carlos Bautista and Damian Valdez. Credited with assists were Damian Gonzales, Guzman, Jonathon Gallegos (two), Jason Rico and Bautista.
Greenfield is 3-6-2 in the Mission (5-8-4 overall) and lost a pair of games to Palma, 2-0, and Hollister, 2-1. Jesus Ortiz scored a goal in the Hollister game and Braulio Zuniga had an assist.
The King City boys are 4-4-2 in the Cypress Division (7-9-2 overall) after falling to Salinas High, 4-3, and playing Seaside to a 1-1 tie last week.
Rafael Merino had two goals and Jesus Quintana scored a goal and had an assist in the Salinas High game. Merino scored the lone goal and Bryan Gonzalez had an assist in the Seaside contest.
Gonzales improved to 11-2-4 overall and 6-1-2 in the Mission Division, where they are in second place behind division-leading Watsonville. The Spartans beat the Stevenson Pirates, 2-0, in the first game of the week, then played Watsonville to a 0-0 tie.
“The game with Watsonville was an exciting and tiring game,” said Gonzales head coach Miguel Vidauri. “Both teams were exhausted and fell to the ground after the last whistle. We want to finish second and league as that will give us a better seed for CCS (Central Coast Section) playoffs.”
In the final week of the boys soccer regular season: Gonzales hosts Seaside on Wednesday night and plays Salinas High on the road on Friday; King City plays Wednesday at Pajaro Valley; Greenfield heads to Everett Alvarez on Thursday; and Soledad hosts Carmel in a critical game Wednesday and travels to Salinas to play at Rancho San Juan on Friday.
GIRLS SOCCER
The Gonzales High girls soccer team is trying to finish strong in their remaining two games and win the Cypress Division. The Lady Spartans had run off a five-game win streak but have two losses and a tie in their past three contests.
“This group continues to show resilience and determination,” said Gonzales head coach Jose Tejeda. “They’re not giving up and are ready to push hard to get back on a winning streak.”
In a competitive battle last Wednesday, the Spartans lost by a 2-1 score at North Salinas. Janelle Garcia found the back of the net with a great finish, assisted by Izabella Mandujano.
At home last Friday against King City, the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw. Jennifer Fajardo scored the Gonzales goal and Yazmin Reyes-Ramirez scored the King City goal.
Greenfield won two of three games last week, losing 1-0 to King City, beating Palma by a 5-2 score and completing the week by defeating St. Francis, 2-0.
In the win against Palma, Alexeen Sanchez and Claudia Villa scored two goals apiece for the Bruins. Aideliz Moreno, Aaliyah Ortiz and Rubi Rodriguez were credited with assists.
Playing in the Gabilan Division has been tough for Soledad this season, as they are 0-6-3 in the division and 6-8-3 overall.
In games played last week, the Aztecs played the Everett Alvarez Eagles to a 1-1 tie and lost 1-0 to Pajaro Valley. Clarissa Valdez scored the lone Soledad goals.
In remaining games for girls soccer: Gonzales hosts Greenfield on Thursday; King City plays at Palma on Wednesday and will host North Salinas on Friday; and Soledad plays at Salinas High on Wednesday, hosts Rancho San Juan on Friday and concludes the season on Feb. 17 at home against Monterey.
