Boys & Girls Division I Quarterfinal round kicks off Tuesday evening
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 16 matches, the opening round of playoff soccer has come to a close, advancing eight teams in both Boys and Girls soccer to the quarterfinal round of the Division I Sac-Joaquin Section Playoffs.
Round of 16 Recap
Every matchup in the Boys bracket saw the higher seeded team advance, even if by the slimmest of margins. Oak Ridge staved off Franklin (Elk Grove) with a penalty shootout victory following a 2-2 draw after 80 minutes, punching them a ticket to take on the top-seeded Davis Blue Devils. Here in Sacramento, #14 Enochs held their own against defending champion Jesuit, but fell in a 2-1 result favoring the Marauders after they put in two first half scores. Modesto and Tokay each recorded clean sheet wins over Folsom and McClatchy, and will now face off with each other in a Central Valley showdown. Check out all the scores on the updated bracket here.
On the Girls side, a few upsets and big days made for an exciting opening round. #1 seeded Oak Ridge proved their worth as the bracket’s top team, taking down Stagg in a 9-0 result. Down the road in West Sacramento, River City fell in a heartbreaker to Davis, who advanced on a game winning score from Lauren Lemmo with less than ten minutes remaining. Inderkum and Pleasant Grove’s grudge match of their 2020 playoff meeting went the way of the Tigers this time, with the Natomas side shutting out their Elk Grove foes 1-0. Check out all the scores on the updated bracket here.
Who Remains?
The Quarterfinal round will see the following squads meet for a chance at a spot in the semifinals on Thursday. Boys’ soccer will kick off on Feb. 15, with Girls Soccer following on Feb. 16:
BOYS
Davis (1) v Oak Ridge (8) – 7:00 p.m. Kickoff at Davis High School
Modesto (4) v Tokay (5) – 6:00 p.m. Kickoff at Downey High School
Jesuit (3) v Lincoln- Stockton (6) – 5:00 p.m. Kickoff at Davis High School
Whitney (2) v Bella Vista (7) – 6:00 p.m. Kickoff at Whitney High School
GIRLS
Oak Ridge (1) v Davis (9) – 6:00 p.m. kickoff at Oak Ridge High School
Folsom (4) v Inderkum (5) – 6:00 p.m. Kickoff at Folsom High School
St. Francis (3) v Lincoln- Stockton (11) – 6:00 p.m. Kickoff at Cristo Rey High School
McClatchy (2) v Tracy (10) – 3:00 p.m. Kickoff at McClatchy High School
Matchups to Watch
Whitney v Bella Vista (Boys): The Broncos and Wildcats will meet for the first time since they were league rivals in 2018. Each squad is plenty confident, but Bella Vista will have to make their statement on the road in Rocklin.
Oak Ridge v Davis (Girls): The girls’ side at Oak Ridge enters the contest as arguably the most confident in the bracket. However, the Blue Devils are riding a high after a late score put them over River City to advance, so they could give the Trojans a run for their money when they make their trip up to El Dorado Hills.
Modesto v Tokay (Boys): The two sides may not be all that familiar with each other; however, they each shut out their first round opponents in victories by more than one score. The Panthers may have the edge in seeding over the Lodi side, but what looks to be a close contest awaits.
St. Francis v Lincoln- Stockton (Girls): A big penalty-shootout win for the Trojans gives them all the momentum in this contest. However, the Troubadours will be a potent foe, and possibly the best squad the Stockton side has faced all season long.