Turlock's goal: Be top 'Dog

TURLOCK -- Anthony Belew and his 1994 wrestling team have held the distinction long enough.

Turlock needs a new Sac-Joaquin Section team champion, and Belew, now the school's athletic director, is pulling hard for his boys soccer team.

"Hey, beat that record," Belew said. "Being a Turlock alum, I want every team on this campus to do the best they can. Records are made to be broken."

Turlock can move one step closer to realizing that dream tonight, when it hosts Folsom — far and away the surprise of the Division 2 tournament — under the lights at Joe Debely Stadium. Kickoff is at 6.

"It's great for our sport and our program. We've come a long ways in the last five years," Turlock coach Doug Sperry said. "Each year, we've taken it a step further. To have the opportunity to go to a section final, it's amazing."

The sentiment is shared by Folsom , which finished third in the Delta River League and qualified for the postseason with a sub-.500 record and just six wins.

Folsom (8-9-2) was seeded 11th out of 16 teams when the tournament began last week, but has played like a juggernaut through the first two rounds. On the road, no less.

Folsom has pinned season-ending 1-0 losses on No. 6 Vintage and No. 3 Grant, and one more victory would send extend this Cinderella story to Saturday's championship game at Lincoln High.

"I wish I knew more about them. They beat two very good teams. Grant's good," Sperry said. "I'm surprised, but I'm expecting them to be quality."

Turlock (15-5-5) is out to prove its the bigger, meaner, stronger of the two Bulldogs.

The second-seeded 'Dogs have left little to chance in the first two rounds, beating Johansen and Rio Linda by an aggregate score of 5-0.

Defense has been a difference-maker. Turlock is anchored along the back line by senior Efraim Ochoa, the Central California Conference's Defensive Player of the Year.

Turlock has conceded just 26 goals in 25 games with eight clean sheets.

Rio Linda came into last week's game averaging more than three goals per game, a statistic validated by a 3-2 victory over Downey in the first round.

"They've played very well and Efraim's a big part of it, obviously," Sperry said of Ochoa, his center fullback and senior captain.

"Our philosophy is team defense."

Turlock's "team" mentality has been galvanized by season-ending injuries to a few key players.

Sophomore Jorge Lara broke a rib and punctured a lung during the first leg of Central California Conference play; senior Ty Hyer broke his arm one week later; and senior Jacob Garcia broke his foot in a first-round victory over Johansen last Tuesday.

And still, Turlock is one win away from a section final appearance.

"It says a lot. This is a resilient group. I think a lot of people counted us out with those injuries," Sperry said, "but (the players) never stopped working hard or believing in what we could accomplish. This is a close bunch of guys that have believed in themselves all year."

Others have taken notice.

Like the school's ol' wrestling coach.

"This team came together," Belew said, "and they're playing well together as team."

Soccer Playoffs

TONIGHT: Division 2 No. 2 Turlock boys host No. 10 Folsom, 6 p.m.

STANISLAUS DISTRICT: Division 1: Merced at Jesuit (Carmichael), 3 p.m. Division 3: Central Valley at Manteca, 6:30 p.m. Division 4: Galt at Sierra, 5 p.m. Division 5: Delhi at Riverbank, 3 p.m. Division 6: Encina at Gustine, 3 p.m. Division 7: Ripon Christian at Sacramento Country Day, 3 p.m.