Heart Health Park will host the 2022 Division I CIF Sac-Joaquin Boys and Girls Soccer Finals on Feb. 24. Follow each stage of the postseason as each squad makes its push for championship glory on the Road to Heart Health Park, presented by The Mimosa House.
After a month of league action, postseason play is officially here for high school squads in the region. Sixteen teams in the Boys and Girls Division I soccer competitions will now battle it out for a section title, with the boys bracket starting today, and the girls bracket tomorrow.
What Lies Ahead
From the first-round matchups all the way through the final, teams will play a single-elimination tournament. The first round’s victors will move on to the quarterfinal round, which will take place on Feb. 15 for the Boys Bracket and Feb. 16 for the Girls Bracket.
Who’s In?
Coming into the round of 16, the following squads make up the bracket. Matchups are as follows:
BOYS
Davis (1) v Chavez (16)
Oak Ridge (8) v Franklin- Elk Grove (9)
Tokay (5) v McClatchy (12)
Modesto (4) v Folsom (13)
Jesuit (3) v Enochs (14)
Lincoln- Stockton (6) v Franklin- Stockton (11)
Bella Vista (7) v Edison (10)
Whitney (2) v Pleasant Grove (15)
GIRLS
Oak Ridge (1) v Stagg (16)
River City (8) v Davis (9)
Inderkum (5) v Pleasant Grove (12)
Folsom (4) v Franklin- Elk Grove (13)
St. Francis (3) v Monterey Trail (14)
Enochs (6) v Lincoln- Stockton (11)
Turlock (7) v Tracy (10)
McClatchy (2) v Edison (15)
Matchups to Watch
A few notable matchups make up part of the first-round schedule, from cross-town meetings to important opening matches for squads looking to defend their past results. Check out a couple from each bracket:
Inderkum v Pleasant Grove (Girls): A rematch of the two sides opening match of the 2020 playoff bracket, Inderkum will be looking to give a poke back. Pleasant Grove won 1-0 in the contest, before being eliminated in the second round.
Lincoln v Franklin (Boys): While not a rivalry meeting, these two sides connect in a crosstown matchup between Stockton’s top teams. The pair met early in the season – a contest that favored the Trojans in a 1-0 result on December 3.
Oak Ridge v Stagg (Girls): Oak Ridge enters the tournament as the defending champions, as there were no postseason events held in 2021. Ranked #1 in the bracket, their one objective is clear: defend their 2020 title and raise a second straight banner.
Jesuit v Enochs (Boys): Defending champion Jesuit will be looking for their third straight title and fourth in the last five seasons. Their first challenger comes in the form of a Modestan group making their first postseason appearance since 2017.