Boys & Girls Final four participants set after action-packed quarterfinal round
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.
The road to Heart Health Park is approaching its end. Just four teams remain in each Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 playoff bracket following action on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The quarterfinal round delivered everything playoff football is about – opportunity for any team to make a statement. A couple of big-time upsets – one from each side at the same school – shocked a pair of heavyweight contenders. Just two of the eight contests in each bracket were decided by more than one score, and an improbable comeback advanced a Sacramento side over its Central Valley visitors.
Quarterfinal Recap
Just one contest in the Boys tournament was decided by multiple scores – Whitney’s 3-0 win over Bella Vista. The other contests were as tight as can
be, with clutch second-half performances deciding the victor. Most notably, Lincoln (Stockton) took down the Jesuit juggernaut on the road, taking the win by way of penalty shootout. After a scoreless 40 minutes to open the contest, the pair traded punches in the second half, each netting two scores before the Trojans took down the defending champions from the spot. Down the road in Modesto, the Panthers fended off Tokay, whose second-half comeback came up just short in a 2-1 defeat. Top-seeded Davis made easy work of Oak Ridge, keeping the visitors’ offense quiet in their eleventh clean sheet of the season. Check out the updated bracket here.
On the Girls side, things were just as tight, with just Oak Ridge’s 2-0 victory over Davis decided by multiple scores. Just down the hill, the Folsom Bulldogs defeated Inderkum 1-0 to secure their second straight win.
Two improbable victories solidified the final two teams’ entrance to the semifinals. In a stunning upset, #11 Lincoln (Stockton) followed in the steps of the Boys’ squad, defeating#3 St. Francis 1-0 on a score from Miette Sessoms mid-way through the second half. Despite dominating in possession, and outshooting the Trojans by nearly four times, the Troubadours were unable to convert due to stout defending. #2 McClatchy put together a more-than-just-memorable comeback, netting four scores in the second half after going down 2-0 before the break, and conceding two more in the second. Their second-half push forced a penalty shootout, where they defeated Tracy to move on. Check out the updated bracket here.
Who’s Moving On
The final four in each bracket will meet up as such, starting with the Boys matches on Thursday, Feb. 17 followed by the Girls on Friday, Feb. 18:
Boys:
- Davis v (4) Modesto – 6:00 p.m. kickoff at Davis High School
- Whitney v (11) Lincoln- Stockton – 6:00 p.m. kickoff at Whitney High School
Girls:
- Oak Ridge v (4) Folsom – 6:00 p.m. kickoff at Oak Ridge High School
- McClatchy v (11) Lincoln- Stockton – 3:00 p.m. kickoff at McClatchy High School
What’s on the Line?
This round, the stakes are high, but the message to each team is simple. Win and you’re on your way to Heart Health Park for next Thursday’s final. Just one team has a title defense on the line – the Girls side at Oak Ridge High School, who won the section title in 2020, but the rest of the field in both brackets has plenty to accomplish. Both of Lincoln’s squads can prove their upset wins were no fluke, while Folsom’s Girls and Modesto’s Boys each have a chance to de-throne the bracket’s top-seeded teams. As was shown in the quarterfinal – it can be any team’s day, so look for every squad to give it all they’ve got to move on.
