Alexis Villanueva, left, who helped lead Aragon to its first-ever boys' soccer CCS title last spring, is heating up for the Skyline College men's team. He scored a pair of braces in wins over Folsom Lake and Marin. He had five goals in three of his last four games as the Trojans improved to 6-0 on the season.
The Northern California boys’ regional soccer tournament has been in existence since only 2018 and for the first time, not only is one team from San Mateo County playing for a Nor Cal title, two teams will vie for the first regional championships in county history.
Meanwhile in Division IV, No 3 Sacred Heart Prep (16-5-2) — West Bay Athletic League runner-up and CCS Division III champion — will be on the road at top-seeded Vintage-Napa (18-4-4) for a 5 p.m. title game as well.
The Aragon-Patterson matchup shapes up to be a barnburner. Since a PAL Bay Division-opening 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Burlingame Jan. 12, Aragon has not been beaten, going 12-0-3 during that span, allowing just eight goals.
Patterson was unbeaten in its first 19 games, allowing only a tie in the sixth game of the season, as the Tigers advanced to section finals before suffering their first loss of the season, 2-0 to Vista del Lago-Folsom.
They have since rebounded, beating No. 5 Chico in the first round of the Nor Cal tournament and exacting some revenge by beating top-seeded Vista del Lago 2-0 in the semifinals Thursday night.
The Dons feature the 1-2 punch of Alexis Villanueva and Kevin Marroquin-Mayen, who have combined for 31 of the Dons’ 53 goals this season. Villanueva has also been Aragon’s best set-up man, leading the team with 15 assists.
Patterson will counter with Johan Mendoza, who is one of four Tigers to score in double figures this season, leading the team with 13. Like Villanueva, Mendoza is Patterson’s assist leader with a whopping 23.
Defensively, both squads have been stingy. Aragon has allowed 25 goals through 25 games, and has allowed only one goal in regulation through five CCS and Nor Cal playoff games. Patterson has given up just 23 goals, but the Tigers have allowed six in their last four games.
Aragon has lost only one game at home this season, 3-1 non-league defeat by Serra Dec. 8. Patterson is 9-1 on the road, with its loss coming in the section championship game.
In the Division IV final, SHP comes into the game without having lost a game in more than a month, going 7-0-1 in its last eight games, which includes a 3-2 decision over Menlo-Atherton for the CCS Division III title.
SHP’s Carlos Deras has come on strong in the playoffs. The Gators will be on the road in Napa for the Division IV championship match.
Robert W. DahlbergLike Aragon, the Gators feature a goal-poaching striker in Luke Maxwell, who has been on a goal-scoring tear since the start of the postseason. But he has hardly been a one-man team as Colin Johnson and Carlos Deras been major contributors as well.
The Gators will have their work cut out for them, however, as they’ve had their struggles on the road this season, going just 5-3-2.
Considering Vintage is 10-3-2 at home, SHP will have need to find some road magic to pull off the upset.
The Crushers, however, are only a week removed from a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Montgomery-Santa Rosa in the North Coast Section Division 1 final. Montgomery went on to earn the No. 6 seed in the Division II bracket, advancing to the semifinals.
Like the Gators, Vintage has been on a role, the loss in the NCS final notwithstanding as the Crushers are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.
Sports Editor
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