To reach the top of the mountain, the road is seldom an easy one. Such is the case for the Homestead boys soccer team as it attempts to reach the pinnacle of the Central Coast Section Division I play-offs.
A pair of victories in the first two rounds of the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs last week have catapulted the sixth-seeded Mustangs into a semi-final showdown against third-seeded and co-defending CCS champion Watsonville, which has yet to taste defeat during the 2014-15 season.
And should the Mustangs find a way to get past Watsonville, it is likely that the team waiting for them in the finals will be last year’s other co-champ, Bellarmine Prep, the very team that ousted Homestead from the 2014 tournament.
A 5-0 dismantling of Carlmont followed by a heart-pounding 1-0 thriller over Alisal in the second round lifted Homestead into its showdown with Watsonville, which was slated for Wednesday in Watsonville. (For the latest tournament bracket, visit cifccs.org.)
The Wildcatz, champions of the Monterey Bay Athletic League’s Gabilan Division, had carved out an 18-0-3 record this season going into Wednesday’s match after posting a 13-2-7 mark last year. They advanced to the semifinals by toppling Homestead’s SCVAL rival Monta Vista 3-1 in quarter-final action.
The Mustangs, who were 17-5 heading into their battle with Watsonville, opened tourney playing by easily dispatching the 11th-seeded Carlmont Scots behind a three-goal hat trick by Amit Ben-Simhon.
The Mustangs, who led 2-0 at the half before turning the contest into a rout with three second-half goals, received solo scores from Franco Martinez and Patrick Sofalvi. Forward Jose Rios assisted on four of the Homestead goals.
Against Alisal, the third place finisher from the MBAL’s Gabilan Division, the Mustangs made a second half goal from Eli Berman, off of an assist from Ben-Simhon, stand up for the victory.
Monta Vista, a two-time CCS champion (co-champ with San Jose in 1984 and Division II co-champ with Prospect in 1992), had its tournament run ended in the second round by Watsonville 3-1.
The seventh-seeded Matadors had earned the right to battle Watsonville by beating 10th-seeded Evergreen Valley on penalty kicks in their tournament opener. After the two teams had fought to a 1-1 tie through regulation and overtime, Monta Vista won a shoot-out nail-biter, 5-4.
The Matadors ended their 2014-15 campaign with an 8-8-6 overall record.
In Division III play, West Bay Athletic League champion King’s Academy got off to a strong start with an impressive win over seventh-seeded South San Francisco, but then had its season halted by second-seeded Sacred Heart Cathedral in the second round.
The 10th-seeded Knights, who ended the season 15-4 overall, trailed South San Francisco 1-0 at halftime. But in the second half, sophomore Brian Field scored twice and freshman Isaiah DeDios once to lift King’s Academy to victory.
Junior midfielder Mason Derendinger assisted on all three Knight goals.
The King’s Academy offense came up empty, however, in the second round, falling 2-0 to Sacred Heart, which had tied St. Ignatius for second place honors in the rugged West Catholic Athletic League during the regular season.
In girls CCS action, 13th-seeded Fremont was knocked out of Division I competition in the opening round, falling 3-1in overtime to fourth-seeded Salinas.
The two teams battled to a 1-1 tie through regulation, but the Cowboys, champions of the MBAL’s Gabilan Division, scored in each of the two extra periods to win it.
The Firebirds concluded their season with an 11-8-1 overall mark.
In Division III play, King’s Academy, a 13th-seed, advanced to the semifinals by stunning a pair of higher seeds, Capuchino and Santa Cruz.
The Knights, who finished in fourth, well behind WBAL champ Sacred Heart Prep, took out fifth-seeded Capuchino 5-1, and then shocked fourth-seeded Santa Cruz 2-0.
King’s Academy was to have played league rival Sacred Heart Prep Wednesday in the semifinals. The Division III title match is slated for Saturday at a site not yet determined at press time. The winner of the King’s Academy-Sacred Heart Prep match-up will meet the winner of the Menlo-Sacred Heart Cathedral contest.