Downey, Turlock boys soccer tie in battle for CCAL top seed
Things change quickly in the Central California Athletic League boys soccer standings. Just ask Downey. The Knights finished out last week as the league’s first-place team — a 4-0-1 record — in perfect position to continue toward their first league title since the 2016-17 season.
One loss later, they’re two points out of first place, needing wins in their final four contests to run away with a league title.
There have been growing pains. But one thing is for sure: With all of its parity, the CCAL is one of the most competitive leagues in the Stanislaus District.
“It’s a dogfight, and that’s how it is most seasons,” coach Victor Ochoa said. “From a coaching perspective … the number one thing that we have to do is not get ahead of ourselves. If you think about the next game, you are bound to make a mistake.”
It’s not a position the Knights are used to being in under Ochoa, who took over the program that won just three total CCAL games in the two years prior to his arrival in 2021-22. This season, the Knights already have won more than 10 games and have the most league wins in a single season in eight years.
“My time here for the past five or six years has been trying to change the mentality and show these kids that games are winnable,” Ochoa said. “I have (13) seniors and I think they’ve tasted enough failure that they’ve turned it around this year. I couldn’t ask for more … whether we win league or not, hats off to the boys for picking it up.”
Downey went ahead 3-1 against Gregori Monday but fell to the Jaguars, allowing three second-half goals after Ochoa made subs to rest his starters. The very next day, Gregori found itself in a battle with Turlock for first place in the league against. Turlock is one of the best attacking teams in the league.
Tuesday night’s Downey-Turlock matchup had all the makings of a league-title game. Both teams played physical, technically sound soccer, each playing to its strengths in a matchup of contrasting styles. Turlock entered the day with 18 goals scored, tied for second to Pitman. Downey, on the other hand, has allowed just seven total goals through the first half of league play.
The Bulldogs’ Luis Llamas scored the first goal of the game, but Downey’s Cesar Bojorquez answered with a first-half goal to even the score. While both teams had their second-half chances, it finished knotted at 1-1.
“From a neutral standpoint, it was a great game,” Ochoa said.
Downey remains two points behind Turlock for the league lead, and the Knights know they have to win their remaining league games against Pitman, Enochs and Modesto and hope for some good luck if they want to capture their first league title in eight seasons. Turlock finishes the season against Enochs, Gregori and Pitman.
“Coming into this game, we knew that if we did not win, it was out of our hands,” Ochoa said. “A win would have put us a point ahead of Turlock and we would have controlled our destiny from there. Right now, we have to hope for the best and win our games.”
Boys Soccer
Central Valley 4, Beyer 0: Central Valley stayed unbeaten in WAC play, shutting out Beyer to move to 8-0-2. The Hawks are 5-0-1 with four shutouts in their past six games.
Oakdale 2, Sierra 0: Oakdale scored a pair of second-half goals to move to .500 in VOL play (4-4). Mitchell Benning recorded six saves and a shutout.
Riverbank 2, Calaveras 1: Riverbank didn’t need to score in the second half after tallying a pair of first-half goals in its MLL win over Calaveras. The Bruins are 4-2-1 in league play this season, good for second behind unbeaten Summerville.
Summerville 7, Big Valley Christian 1: The MLL first-place team held the Lions to just one goal. Big Valley falls to 0-10 on the season and is the No. 8 team in the section’s Division VI rankings.
Pitman 7, Gregori 0: The Pride’s dominant offense put up six second-half goals to run away with the CCAL win over Gregori. Pitman advances to 4-2-1 in league play and the Jaguars fall to 4-3.
Patterson 3, Manteca 0: Andrew Diaz, Erick Castaneda and Mouso Mourtazo each scored goals and Adrian Arteaga, Jared Carrete and Jose Fajardo tallied assists for the Tigers to lead them to their league-best eighth VOL win. Patterson is still undefeated on the season with a 12-0-4 record.
Mountain House 7, Central Catholic 0: The Raiders surrendered a team-high four goals to Jayden Lownes as they fell to 0-9 in VOL play this season. The Raiders look forward to league games against Oakdale, East Union and Manteca.
Lathrop 3, Ceres 0: Ceres allowed a goal to three different players in Tuesday’s WAC loss to Lathrop. The Bulldogs fell to 4-5-1 in league and 7-7-5 overall.
Davis 1, Livingston 1: Yurem Bonilla scored the only goal of the game in the second half for Davis in its WAC tie with Livingston, the fourth place team in the league.
Pacheco 1, Johansen 0: Johansen held the WAC’s second-place team to just one second-half goal but could not find the back of the net in a competitive Tuesday matchup.
Girls Soccer
Beyer 2, Central Valley 0: Natalee Campbell and Brisa Daley each scored for Beyer to give the Patriots their sixth WAC win this season. Andrea Vega recorded eight saves in the shutout victory. The Patriots are 14-4-1 overall and 6-3-1 in league play.
Enochs 14, Modesto 0: Kaytlynn Nice and Julianna Ortiz netted hat tricks to lead Enochs’ eight scorers in the win over the Panthers. Sienna Henman recorded a pair of saves and a shutout.
Summerville 3, Big Valley Christian 1: The Lions fell to 4-2-1 in league play. Summerville is the only team to score more than one goal against the Lions in MLL play this season.
Calaveras 1, Riverbank 0: Riverbank could not earn its first MLL win despite holding Calaveras scoreless in the first half. The Red Hawks’ second-half goal propelled them to 5-1-1 in league play.
Turlock 4, Downey 3: Turlock scored three goals in the first half and added one in the second to propel it to its third CCAL win this season. Downey fell to 1-6 in league play despite scoring once in the first half and adding a pair of goals in the second.
Gregori 3, Pitman 1: USC signee Alison Hou, Melanie Contreras and Rachel Warter each scored goals as Gregori stayed unbeaten in CCAL play with Tuesday’s win. Oregon commit Kylie Farmer tallied a team-high two assists and Mia Contreras added one. Gregori has won 12 straight games.
Ceres 4, Lathrop 0: Ceres recorded its second WAC shutout this season to maintain second place in the league and improve to 6-2-2.
Boys Basketball
Bret Harte 66, Riverbank 54: The Bruins suffered their 19th straight loss and remained winless in MLL play despite scoring more than 50 points for the third consecutive game. Riverbank has four final chances this season to earn its first league win.
Girls Basketball
Escalon 53, Sonora 36: Escalon avenged its first league loss to Sonora on Tuesday at home. After starting TVL play 1-1, the Cougars are 5-1 in their last six league games.
Ripon Christian 27, Hilmar 24: The Knights and Yellowjackets are now both 3-4 in TVL play after Tuesday night’s low-scoring, competitive matchup.
Riverbank 58, Bret Harte 55/OT: Riverbank remained undefeated in MLL play despite a good effort by the Bullfrogs, who also entered Tuesday’s matchup undefeated. Bret Harte led after the first, second and third quarters, but by the end of the fourth, the Bruins tied the game. Riverbank outscored Bret Harte 8-5 in overtime to earn its 19th overall win.
Oakdale 38, Manteca 24: Oakdale held Manteca to 9-of-55 shooting to earn its first VOL win this season and ninth win overall. The win snapped a four game losing streak. The Mustangs finish the regular season against Central Catholic, Sierra, Patterson and Mountain House.
Gregori 61, Pitman 23: Gregori continues to find its stride, putting up more than 50 points for the third time in four games and earning its fifth straight win. The Jaguars remain undefeated in CCAL play, advancing to 5-0 through the first half of league play.
Ripon 41, Hughson 21: Ripon continues to roll against TVL opponents, moving to 7-0 in league play. Ripon has won eight straight games and has already equaled its total wins from the past two TVL seasons combined.
Ceres 50, Livingston 38: Ceres remains tied with Pacheco for second place in the WAC standings at 6-2 after Tuesday’s league win over the Wolves. The Bulldogs have won four straight games.
Enochs 50, Downey 30: The Eagles advanced to 4-1 in CCAL play with their dominant win over Downey. Enochs is second in league play through the first half of the slate and scored 50 or more points in three of their first four league wins.
Central Catholic 42, Patterson 32: The Raiders overcame a 12-3 first-quarter deficit to upset Patterson. Central Catholic picked up its second league win this season and moved to 5-5 at home. The Tigers are chasing their 20th win this season and fell to 5-3 in the VOL.
Modesto 30, Turlock 26: The Panthers beat Turlock to earn its first league win this season in the final half of CCAL play.
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 10:05 AM.
