Nearly two dozen San Mateo County soccer teams, boys’ and girls’, started Central Coast Section play Saturday.
Nearly half survived to Wednesday’s semifinal round and will take the next step toward a CCS division championship, which are scheduled for Saturday.
Ten teams from the county will take the field Wednesday and none may be more stunning than the Woodside boys’ team. Seeded No. 8 in Division III, the Wildcats knocked off top-seeded Valley Christian with a dominant 3-0 win.
“It’s a little ironic,” said Woodside head coach Darrell Ringman. “Last year in the COVID-adjusted season, we were the No. 1 seed (in Division I) and Watsonville was the No. 8 and they picked us off.”
Ringman said Woodside (10-7-2) was briefly the No. 1 seed in Division IV during the seeding meeting last week, but was ultimately put at No. 8 in Division III.
The Wildcats went from the hunted as a No. 1 seed, to the hunter as the No. 8 seed.
And the Wildcats bagged their quarterfinal win.
“When you come into an event as the top seed, you sort of have a target on your back. When you’re the No. 8 seed, you’re the underdog. I’d rather be in that role,” Ringman said.
Ringman said an adjustment he made during a 2-0 loss to Menlo-Atherton in the final game of the regular season worked well and he started the same way against Valley Christian (9-7-4) Saturday.
The adjustment led to Woodside goals in the 10th, 20th and 40th minutes. Diego Ruiz scored a pair of goals for the Wildcats off set pieces, but it was Hugo Gallegos who opened the scoring just 10 minutes into the game. Defender Miller Dayton sent a perfectly weighted ball over the top of the midfield where Gallegos ran onto it and broke in on goal for a quick 1-0 lead.
In the 20th, Adrian Ruiz was fouled just outside the Warriors penalty box. From 23 yards out, Diego Ruiz sent a perfectly placed shot around the defensive wall and into the upper left corner of the goal for a 2-0 Woodside advantage.
“World-class set piece,” Ringman said of the strike.
Then, just before halftime, a Gallegos shot went off a Valley Christian arm in the box for a penalty kick, which Diego Ruiz buried for the 3-0 lead at halftime.
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“It’s clichéd to say it, but 2-nothing is the most dangerous score in soccer. I say it whenever it’s the case at halftime,” Ringman said. “That (third goal) gave us a cushion. It gave us some insurance and some confidence.”
Ringman hopes his team can bring that swagger into Wednesday’s match when the Wildcats will be on the road in Saratoga at No. 5 Prospect (12-6-1) at 7 p.m. The Panthers knocked off No. 4 Santa Teresa (14-5-3) 2-0 in a quarterfinal game Saturday.
While Woodside may the lowest seeded team left in all of the CCS soccer brackets, there are still four county teams who will take No. 1 seeds into Wednesday semifinal matches. On the boys’ side, Aragon (10-4-5), the No. 1 seed in Division I, needed penalty kicks to get past No. 8 Aptos (12-4-2), 3-2. The Dons will host No. 4 Wilcox (13-4-2) at 4:30 p.m. The Chargers knocked off No. 5 Palo Alto (9-5-5), 2-0.
Aragon’s rival, Hillsdale (14-5-2) is seeded No. 1 in Division II and rolled to a 3-0 win over No. 8 Soquel (13-4-1). The Knights will host No. 4 Sacred Heart Prep (12-5-2) in an all-county affair at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Gators topped No. 5 Sobrato (18-2-1), 3-1.
The other boys’ games involving San Mateo County teams include:
• Division II — No. 6 Menlo-Atherton (7-6-4) at No. 2 Mountain View (12-4-4), 7 p.m.
• Division IV — No. 3 Seaside (14-2-3) at No. 2 Sequoia (8-5-6), 4:30 p.m.
• Division IV — No. 5 Summit Prep (14-3-0) at No. 1 King City (13-4-1), 3 p.m.
On the girls’ side, both Carlmont (16-2-2) and San Mateo (15-2-1), top seeds in Division I and Division III, respectively, will both be hosting games Wednesday. The Bearcats, who held on for a 1-0 win over No. 8 Gilroy (9-7-3), will host No. 5 Pioneer (11-5-5), which buried No. 4 Gunderson (11-1-3), 6-0.
The Scots managed just a single goal in a 1-0 win over No. 8 Gunn (11-6-4). Carlmont will now face No. 5 Los Altos (12-4-3), who prevailed in a goalfest against No. 4 Notre Dame-Belmont (14-7-0), 7-4.
Rounding out the girls’ CCS games involving county teams are:
• Division II — No. 7 Menlo School (11-5-4) at No. 3 Christopher-Gilroy (10-5-1), 4:30 p.m.
• Division II — No. 4 Sacred Heart Prep (12-6-4) at No. 1 Piedmont Hills (18-2-1), 7 p.m.
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