Playoff soccer roundup: Luna’s hat trick leads Modesto past Folsom, five others advance
The Modesto High boys soccer team hadn’t been to the postseason or won a playoff game since the 2015-16 season.
On Thursday evening against Folsom, that changed.
The Central California Athletic League champion Panthers started fast, scoring two goals in the first 25 minutes, en route to a 3-0 first-round victory.
“It just felt good,” Panthers coach Matt Mendes said. “The nice thing about this team is that they weren’t just happy to get here.”
Modesto’s Alexis Luna did what he does best: score.
The junior netted all three goals, showcasing his dribble moves and strong right foot. He scored twice in the first half then once more in the second.
“It’s pretty special,” Mendes said. Even their (Folsom’s) coach came to me with about 15 minutes left and he’s just like, ‘I knew he was good, but I didn’t know he’s this good.’ Folsom is a strong team, and there’s times when he’s controlling the ball and that ball sticks to his foot.”
Folsom had its chances to make the game interesting. The Bulldogs controlled the possession for the majority of the second half and got a number of shots on goal but couldn’t capitalize.
Multiple shots hit the right goal post, some sailed over the top crossbar and others were saved by goalkeeper Eduardo Sandoval Sanchez.
The game was the Panthers’ eighth shutout of the season. They have allowed just 14 goals in 19 games.
“They had the ball on our side for what in my mind it seemed like for the entire second half,” Mendes said. “Our keeper made a really special save, the woodwork kind of helped us a little bit, too, but we just bent but didn’t break.”
The Panthers will host Tokay in the quarterfinals Tuesday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. as they look to continue their best season in six years.
“We want to make less mistakes in the back and use this experience, now that we know what it’s like to play with a big crowd,” Luna said. “This is the first (playoffs) for lots of us, so just enjoy the moment.
“This is just the start. Hopefully we can make make it to further playoffs.”
Other boys soccer playoff results:
Jesuit 2, Enochs 1: The Eagles fell behind in the first half and couldn’t find the back of the net in the second. Their season comes to an end after securing third place in the CCAL with an 8-7-6 overall record and 3-3-4 in league.
Hughson 3, Linden 2: The Huskies bounced back from their final regular season loss, extending their season for at least one more game Thursday night. Linden led 1-0 at halftime and scored another second half goal. Hughson scored twice in the second half to force the game into overtime. That second half momentum carried into the first overtime, where the Huskies scored the game-winning goal.
As the No. 5 in Division V, the Huskies will travel to No. 1 Riverbank on Tuesday.
Delhi 1 (W), Escalon 1: The only regulation goals in this matchup were scored in the first half. No. 7 Escalon played the second seed Hawks even in the second, forcing a shootout. Delhi went on to win 5-4, advancing to Tuesday’s quarterfinal where they will host No. 3 Colfax.
Liberty Ranch 5, Orestimba 1: The Warriors and Hawks finished the first half tied at 1 apiece, but Liberty Ranch capitalized on its opportunities in the second half, scoring four goals to secure the win. Emmanuel Gomez Jr. led the Hawks with two goals. Three others scored one each.
Gregori 1 (W), Inderkum 1: The CCAL’s second place team won its first-round game over the Tigers after a penalty shootout. The Jaguars (12-5-2) will play No. 1 seed Granite Bay on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Ceres 1, Valley 0: The Bulldogs extended their winning streak to four games and kept their playoff hopes alive with Thursday’s win over the Vikings. After ending regulation and the first extra time period tied at 0, Ceres connected on a goal in the second extra time frame to win the game.
They will travel to No. 2 Placer on Tuesday with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
Vista del Lago 2, Oakdale 0: The Mustangs played the Eagles even in the first half as both teams went into the intermission knotted at 0-0. Vista del Lago scored both of its goals in the second half en route to the first-round playoff win.
Galt 2, Johansen 1: The 11 seed Vikings went into Galt looking for an upset, and after taking a 1-0 halftime lead looked like they would pull it off. The Warriors scored two unanswered goals, one in the second half and another in the first overtime, to advance to the quarterfinals.
Johansen ends it season with an 11-8-4 overall record and 9-3-2 record in the Western Athletic Conference.
Riverbank 5, Calaveras 0: The No. 1 seed in Division V, Riverbank put together a dominant performance in its opening round game against Calaveras. The Bruins scored four goals in the first half en route to their first playoff win since 2017. They will play Hughson in the quarterfinals.
Central Valley 0 (W), Woodcreek 0: The Hawks won Thursday’s home playoff game in dramatic fashion. After tying with the Timberwolves (7-7-4), Central Valley won 5-4 in a shootout. The No. 4 Hawks will host No. 5 Lodi in the quarterfinals at 6 p.m.
Girls’ soccer first round playoff schedule
All games will be played on Friday, Feb. 11. The lower seed team (first) is the designated home team.
Division I
No. 6 Enochs vs No. 11 Lincoln at 6 p.m.
No. 7 Turlock vs No. 10 Tracy at 6 p.m.
Division II
No. 2 Pitman vs No. 15 Bear Creek at 3 p.m.
Division III
No. 8 Lincoln vs No. 9 Beyer at 6 p.m.
No. 7 Patterson vs No. 10 Ceres at 6 p.m.
Division IV
No. 1 Ripon received a first round bye
No. 3 Sonora vs No. 14 Escalon at 6 p.m.
Division V
No. 1 Colfax vs No. 8 Riverbank at 4 p.m.
Division VI
No. 2 Ripon Christian vs No. 7 Rio Vista at 6 p.m.
This story was originally published February 11, 2022 at 11:24 AM.
