Soccer: SoCal Regional quarterfinals thoughts

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I have to admit, when the criteria for the Southern California Regional playoffs were announced, I wasn’t too comfortable with the Southern Section automatically getting four of the eight entries. Why did I ever doubt the system?

Half of Thursday’s 24 semifinalists will be from the Southern Section. The biggest feather in the section’s cap was No. 8-seeded Thousand Oaks beating No. 1 Torrey Pines. Torrey Pines wasn’t only the top seeded team in Division I, they were also the No. 1-ranked team in the country, according to StudentSportsSoccer.com. They also had a 53-game winning streak that dated back to Feb. 16, 2006.

Sophomore Michelle Cruz scored the game-winning goal on a penalty kick in the 77th minute. Thousand Oaks goalkeeper Laura Brain made 10 saves.

Thousand Oaks wasn’t the only team to post big victories on Tuesday.

SAN CLEMENTE. It might be too early to use the word dynasty, but I’m going to use it anyway because with freshman Frannie Coxe, pictured right, and sophomore Shelby Garcia the Tritons are going to be really good for a really long time. Coxe, a midfielder who’s already 5 foot 9, is the team’s scoring leader in the playoffs. Her fourth goal of the postseason was truly spectacular. A curving shot from about 20 yards away near the sidelines to give the Tritons a 3-1 lead right before halftime. Coxe has unlimited potential, according to teammate and Utah-bound goalkeeper Hannah Turpen. ‘She’s going to be amazing,’ Turpen said. ‘She’s already amazing, so she’s just going to build on that.’ She’s going to improve on amazing? Now that’s amazing.

THE LONG BEACH area. They get their dream matchup between Mayfair and Wilson. The two will meet on Thursday at 5 p.m. in the Division I semifinals. The location is TBD.

SALESIAN & ANIMO. After losing in the semifinals of the Southern Section playoffs, Salesian and Animo have made the most of the extra games. In a twist, they’ve also advance further than the teams that beat them in the section playoffs (Oaks Christian and Desert Mirage, both of whom lost Tuesday).

AUSTIN McANENA of Santa Margarita. McAnena, pictured left, scored one of those goals that you only see in highlights of the English Premier League. After a shot by a teammate was blocked into the air, McAnena, a junior, chested the ball down and then kicked it before it touched the ground. The ball beat the goalkeeper low and away. The keeper never had a chance. A parent in the stands sitting nearby called McAnena’s kick ‘a perfect shot.’

OAKS CHRISTIAN’S girls team. The boys’ team lost, but the girls’ team won big. 11-0. Freshman Marlo Smith scored three goals, and, if MaxPreps.com is correct, those are her first three of the season. Say what you want about running up the score, but there’s no denying that it sends a message to the rest of the division.

ARLINGTON did the Inland Empire proud. The Lions (16-4-6) downed Central Section champion No. 3 Lindsay (20-4-1) by a score of 5-1. They are the only team from the soccer-rich IE that’s still alive.

AND...

YOURS TRULY. I went 18-6 in my predictions-- and it would’ve been 20-4 had it not been for Thousand Oaks and Avenal.

Did I forget anything or anyone? If I did, help me out and use the comment box to let me know.

-- Jaime Cardenas

--Images from www.cifss.org, www.ultimateteam.net and www.smchssoccer.com