- East Bay Prep Corner
East Bay Boys Soccer Notes: Divisions, Rankings, Standings, Stats
By Matt Smith
Saturday, January 8th, 2011 at 10:03 pm in Boys soccer.
In my mind, it’s never too early to talk about the playoff situation. The North Coast Section seeding meeting is just five weeks away, so for many teams that’s about 10-12 matches, give or take one or two.
As many of you readers know, from the past, as the playoffs get closer I will start to breakdown the playoff teams in terms of locks, should be in and on the bubble.
For this early look, however, we’re going to talk about the favorites (teams expected to get in at this point) and the hopefuls (teams who appear to have a chance to get in).
Let’s break it down…
Division I
Favorites: Berkeley, California, Clayton Valley, De La Salle, Deer Valley, Mt. Eden, Monte Vista, Newark Memorial, San Ramon Valley.
Hopefuls: Amador Valley, Foothill, Heritage, Logan, Liberty, Livermore, Mission San Jose, Pittsburg, Richmond, Washington.
By my count that is 19 teams for 16 spots, as of right now. Just to clarify, I am considering anyone that is four games over .500 as a favorite, and anything under that, within two or three games of .500, is a hopeful. Hence Livermore being on the hopeful list, even though I am almost certain this team will get in. They are too good, and will probably be a very high seed.
The surprise team on the favorites list is Mt. Eden. I have them at 8-2-3 and maxpreps has them at 8-3-3 (I was told the CP match was a scrimmage), so either way they are in good shape. Every team on the favorites list should be in the playoffs. It would take a very poor month or so from those teams not to get in.
Now for the hopefuls. The team in the most trouble is Amador, despite being a team that can beat anyone (i.e. Newark). However, at 5-8-1 and playing in the toughest league, it’s not looking good right now. Foothill is in the same boat at 4-6-2. The Falcons are going to need some league wins.
Heritage and Liberty need to play pretty well in league to have a chance, while fellow BVAL member Pittsburg is in pretty decent shape at 4-3-2. I think the Pirates are a very good team, and should be NCS bound.
Logan is in good shape, and I would be surprised not to see Richmond make it, even sitting just a game above .500. Mission San Jose and Washington, both sitting exactly .500, will have to outdo one another in the MVAL.
Division II
Favorites: Acalanes, Bishop O’Dowd, Campolindo, Concord, Dublin, Hayward, Piedmont, San Lorenzo, St. Mary’s, Ygnacio Valley.
Hopefuls: Albany, Alhambra, Dougherty Valley, Kennedy-Richmond, Las Lomas, Pinole Valley.
Same thing applies here, where the favorites are at least four games over .500. The Pinole Valley situation is just like Livermore. They are also 7-4-2, but they are in great shape and could get a very high seed.
As of right now, I have 16 teams, meaning that if a bubble team or two doesn’t make it, the top seed or top two seeds could end up with a bye.
The most surprising team on the favorites list is Hayward. After starting the year 0-1-3, the Farmers have won six straight and sit in great shape. Concord is going to have its hands full with two matches against Clayton, and one more each with College Park and Ygnacio Valley, so the Minutemen will be tested.
As for the rest of the hopefuls, they all sit at two games above .500 and are in decent shape. Three of them are DFAL teams and could play a part in knocking each other out of the picture. Kennedy is exactly .500 right now, so they are a bubble team in the truest sense.
Rankings
Onto the rankings. I’m going to take a lot of heat this week, I can feel it. But the rankings needed some big changes. I will talk about almost every team and why they are where they are.
So I couldn’t move an undefeated Cal team down for one tie. I didn’t see a legitimate argument for a new No. 1 team. Some might argue Newark Memorial shouldn’t be No. 2, but a win over SRV was good and they opened league with a win. I didn’t feel like another team deserved to be No. 2 over them.
Now De La Salle deserved a bump. They deserved it last week, but I waited to see how they did with Livermore. The Spartans have won seven of eight, including two straight in the EBAL and earned the six-spot jump.
I was pretty easy on Campo and San Lorenzo, dropping them just two spots each after SLZ’s tough loss to Hayward and Campo’s two ties, games in which the Cougars led late. I think those two teams will have plenty of opportunity to crack the top three again. A lot of parody in the East Bay this year.
Livermore, anyone? The team is legit and deserved a bump despite the loss to DLS. The win over SRV was enough for me. Clayton may feel snubbed, and I might hear it from them, but they are next in line for a jump if they keep the ship steering in the right direction.
As for Acalanes, I will never doubt them again and last week is proof why I don’t do predictions. Two good wins for the Dons, who jump four spots.
The other team that could have a huge beef is Berkeley, and for good reason. They dropped six spots for one loss. But the thing was, if I only dropped them three or four, then Clayton, or Deer Valley get bumped down a spot. So Berkeley will just have to work its way back up the list, and they have a chance at a good win at home with Richmond on Tuesday. I will be there.
I think the rest of the rankings are pretty self explanatory. Teams moving down for losses, standing pat for maintaining with Pinole and Hayward jumping in for very good reason.
The last team I want to address is YV. They keep winning, but I can’t find a way to move them up just yet. They were supposed to play Pitt this weekend, but it didn’t work out. That would have helped. But they play Clayton on Thursday, which is a big chance for them.
1. California (11-0-1)
2. Newark Memorial (11-3-0)
3. De La Salle (9-3-0)
4. Campolindo (11-0-3)
5. San Lorenzo (9-1-1)
6. Livermore (7-4-2)
7. Clayton Valley (7-1-3)
8. Deer Valley (6-2-3)
9. Acalanes (7-2-2)
10. Berkeley (6-2-2)
11. Monte Vista (7-2-2)
12. San Ramon Valley (8-4-1)
13. Bishop O’Dowd (8-2-2)
14. Pinole Valley (7-4-2)
15. Hayward (6-1-3)
Others considered: Richmond (5-4-1), Dublin (8-4-2), Las Lomas (6-4-2), Pittsburg (4-3-2), Ygnacio Valley (6-1-0), Dougherty Valley (6-4-3), Logan (6-4-2), Concord (5-1-1), St. Mary’s (5-1-0), Albany (4-2-2).
Standings
ACCAL
Team Overall League Points
Pinole Valley (7-4-2) 3-0-0 9
Alameda (2-8-2) 1-1-1 4
Richmond (5-4-1) 1-1-1 4
Berkeley (6-2-2) 1-1-0 3
Hercules (1-6-0) 1-2-0 3
El Cerrito (0-5-4) 0-0-2 2
De Anza (2-8-0) 0-2-0 0
BSAL
Team Overall League Points
Piedmont (6-2-3) 6-1-1 19
St. Mary’s (5-1-0) 5-1-0 15
Kennedy (6-6-0) 4-2-0 12
Encinal (2-4-1) 2-2-1 7
St. Joseph Notre Dame (2-4-3) 2-2-1 7
Albany (4-2-2) 2-1-0 6
St. Patrick-St. Vincent (1-4-0) 1-4-0 3
Salesian (0-2-2) 0-2-1 1
Swett (0-8-0) 0-6-0
BVAL
Team Overall League Points
Antioch (0-7-3) 0-0-0 0
Deer Valley (6-2-3) 0-0-0 0
Freedom (2-6-1) 0-0-0 0
Heritage (2-4-3) 0-0-0 0
Liberty (3-4-0) 0-0-0 0
Pittsburg (4-3-2) 0-0-0 0
DFAL
Team Overall League Points
Campolindo (11-0-3) 4-0-2 14
Acalanes (7-2-2) 3-1-1 10
Alhambra (7-5-2) 2-2-1 7
Dublin (8-4-2) 2-3-0 6
Dougherty Valley (6-4-3) 1-2-2 5
Las Lomas (6-4-2) 1-2-2 5
Miramonte (1-6-3) 0-3-2 2
DVAL
Team Overall League Points
Clayton Valley (7-1-3) 3-0-0 9
Concord (5-1-1) 2-1-1 7
Ygnacio Valley (6-1-0) 2-1-0 6
Berean Christian (2-9-2) 1-2-1 4
College Park (2-7-4) 1-1-1 4
Northgate (1-8-3) 1-1-1 4
Mt. Diablo (2-4-0) 0-4-0 0
EBAL
Team Overall League Points
California (11-0-1) 3-0-1 10
Monte Vista (7-2-2) 3-0-1 10
San Ramon Valley (8-4-1) 3-1-0 9
De La Salle (9-3-0) 2-2-0 6
Livermore (7-4-2) 2-2-0 6
Granada (1-8-5) 1-2-1 4
Foothill (4-6-2) 0-3-1 1
Amador Valley (5-8-1) 0-4-0 0
HAAL
Team Overall League Points
Hayward (6-1-3) 5-1-0 15
San Lorenzo (9-1-1) 5-1-0 15
Bishop O’Dowd (8-2-2) 4-1-1 13
Mt. Eden (8-2-3) 4-1-1 13
Castro Valley (2-7-2) 2-2-1 7
San Leandro (2-8-1) 2-3-1 7
Tennyson (3-7-2) 1-5-0 3
Arroyo (2-8-3) 0-3-3 3
Moreau Catholic (1-6-1) 0-5-0 0
MVAL
Team Overall League Points
Logan (6-4-2) 1-0-0 3
Newark Memorial (11-3-0) 1-0-0 3
Kennedy (1-3-3) 0-0-1 1
Washington (3-3-4) 0-0-1 1
Irvington (1-6-3) 0-1-0 0
Mission San Jose (5-5-2) 0-1-0 0
OAL
Team Overall League Points
Castlemont (0-0-0) 0-0-0 0
Fremont (0-0-0) 0-0-0 0
Oakland (0-0-0) 0-0-0 0
Oakland Tech (1-1-1) 0-0-0 0
Skyline (0-0-0) 0-0-0 0
Statistics
Name, School Goals
Pagliuca, Cal 13
Aguila, Richmond 10
Parisi, Dougherty 10
Villa, Pitt 10
Ulloa, Logan 10
Navarro, Newark 9
Fagenson, Cal 8
Reshke, Campo 8
Hartland, Dublin 8
Ramirez, Newark 7
Tobin, DLS 7
Morales, Liv 7
Name, School Assists
Vazquez, Pitt 7
Hodges, LL 7
Oranstil, BOD 6
Shaiwany, Dougherty 6
Fagenson, Cal 5
Danielson, Cal 5
Tavecchio, Campo 5
Gomzez, Clayton 5
Ramirez, Newark 5
Bochenek, Dougherty 5
Chaussy, SRV 5
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January 9th, 2011 at 8:55 am
Matt, you are on your game! Difficult to critique how you ranked them this week. Your analysis is spot on and fair! It will be another interesting ride in EBAL this week! Are you going to try predictions again this week? I think you were pretty accurate! Which games are you watching?
January 9th, 2011 at 9:36 am
Great stuff as usual, Matt. Since you always so humbly open your rankings for critique, I’ll make a small suggestion that Deer Valley should be in one of the top 2 positions.
First and most importantly, they are very impressive on the road. DV has quality wins at Berkeley, at Granada and Monte Vista (in Danville). Earning wins on the road against EBAL opponents is not easy, as MV and Cal were reminded of this week.
Secondly, they’ve earned draws at SRV, at Livermore and on the road against Clayton Valley.
Their only losses are at Newark (who’s field adv. has already been addressed) and, again, on the road against Lincoln, a SJ team I admittedly don’t know much about.
Anyone that has seen them play would acknowledge this is a team that should clean house in BVAL this year and earn a top seed in the tourney.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:46 am
SoccerGuy makes a great point about DV. Upon closer inspection they probably could have easily been bumped up. I really feel like them and Clayton Valley are my next two teams to get significant bumps when someone slips.
Closeup I’m not sure if I’m gonna keep up with the predictions, it was stressful! Haha. But I will be at Berkeley v. Richmond on Tuesday, and possibly San Lorenzo at Bishop O’Dowd on Thursday if I’m feeling okay about the first week of school.
Next week I’m going to try to dip back into the DFAL/EBAL, or maybe both.
January 9th, 2011 at 10:58 am
The rankings are OK for the most part. If you use the same criteria that was used in earlier rankings, Deer Vally’s early wins against Berkeley and MV don’t matter much. Otherwise, MV should be above Clayon Valley and DLS. I don’t believe Campo should have been bumped down with 2 ties. They earned points in the league standings and have not lost. San Lorenzo should have been bumped down more for a loss to an unranked team.
January 9th, 2011 at 11:37 am
@ GlobalSoccer
I understand what you are saying, but i somewhat disagree. There are many teams in this list who have lost to unranked teams, but they are still great teams. Monte Vista has also been beaten by an unranked team, Liberty and tied a Granada team who has more losses than wins. So you think SLZ should go down b/c they lost to hayward, i get that, but they also beat Amador valey and #2 Newark lost to Amador Valley and SLZ. So i dont think SLZ should be punished more. Hayward has a better record than Amador valley, so if anything, i believe Newark should have been punished more.
January 9th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
I wouldn’t move up YV either. I mean, they only keep winning I guess that doesn’t matter in this rankings. Everytime they win they keep moving down. Maybe they should lose on Tuesday against Northgate and you will move them up. Or you can just take them out of the rankings right now. We can just assume that YV doesn’t exist.
January 9th, 2011 at 12:45 pm
I agree with you Soccerfan, Ygnacio Valley has won exactly two games this year against teams with winning records. The rest of their wins came against teams with a combined record of 3 wins and 24 losses. And their 2-0 loss was against another 2-6 team. Let’s see them beat Clayton Valley and then put them back in the rankings.
January 9th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
soccerguy,
How many games has Hayward won against a team with a winning record? 1 (San Lorenzo) YV beat Berean 6-0, Hayward beat Berean 4-0. YV beat Irvington 7-0, Hayward tied Irvington 2-2. YV also beat Pinole which is ranked #14 now. If the previous weeks don’t matter then Pinole should be the #1 seed since they beat 2 ranked teams this week.
January 9th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
But my cousin knew a guy that met Brad Pitt! Soooo, Brad Pitt and I are tight!
It doesn’t work like that.
Using that logic, you could say College Park (2-6), who managed a tie vs Freedom (who just tied Cal), should be the top team.
But then again, College Park did beat Ygnacio Valley two-nil…
January 9th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
soccerguy,
Freedom tied Cal? WOW where have I been?? You must be real good at this rankings… I apologize. You know a lot better. Deer Valley should be #1 cause they won NCS in 2000.
January 9th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
#8
Freedom definitely did NOT tie Cal. Cal won 5-3 in the season opener.
January 9th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
So I end up having to go through this speech once per season, so here it goes.
The rankings are based on a more “what have you done for me lately” system. It works that way in any ranking system. Look at college football and basketball. You’ll see teams above teams who just beat them a week or two ago.
It’s not like seeding, which counts the whole season equally. The stuff that happens in the past certainly factors in, but not as highly as the more recent stuff.
So Pinole’s two wins over ranked teams and Hayward upsetting a team that hadn’t lost and was getting talked about as perhaps the best in the East Bay weigh in very heavily this week.
As far as YV goes, they have a win against Pinole, but a win against Pinole now and a win against Pinole then are two different things as far as rankings go. If it were seeding, it wouldn’t matter when it happened.
Every team in the top 15 has at least one signature win. YV lacks that at this point. I think very highly of YV, don’t get me wrong, and I am looking for any reason to move them up. They happened to move down because every team below PV and Hayward did, because I had to make room for them. I will be quick to jump YV with a win or draw with Clayton, and they certainly won’t move down if they lose a close match.
January 9th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
So why did Campo get bumped if no they did not lose. Why didn’t SLZ get bumped more with a unranked loss?
January 9th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Matt idk if you hear about the campo ad LL game but the reason was that campo brought out all of their starters and lost it in the end. Campo scored in the first 30 seconds of the game! Do u think they deserved the drop?
January 9th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
So Campo and San Lorenzo brings up the issue of me being a one-man soccer crew. I heard about the Campo losses, but did not see them. I heard that they had late leads in both. I think two draws in a week calls for a drop, only if there are teams to move up and I felt that Newark and De La Salle were worthy.
With the SLZ loss, I actually saw the game, which is easier for me to judge. I saw how good SLZ was, and it was a tough loss on a tough field.
Trust me, doing these rankings alone is hard, and I wish I could be everywhere to see all the teams.
January 9th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
Matt,
I think that your rankings are pretty accurate based on the most recent action.
This week will be another defining week, what do you see as the big games?
I like MV against CAL in the EBAL on Tuesday
January 9th, 2011 at 4:37 pm
I think Mt. Eden v. San Lorenzo on Monday is one to keep an eye on.
The rest of the week’s intriguing games:
Tuesday
Cal v. MV
Concord v. Clayton
Richmond v. Berkeley
Wednesday
Las Lomas v. Acalanes
Arroyo v. Hayward (Arroyo is playing much better)
Dougherty Valley v. Dublin
Thursday
San Lorenzo v. Bishop O’Dowd
San Ramon Valley v. Cal
Livermore v. MV
YV v. Clayton
Deer Valley v. Pitt
Friday
Las Lomas v. Alhambra
Dougherty Valley v. Campolindo
Saturday
Non-League
Bishop O’Dowd v. YV
Pittsburg v. Berkeley
Richmond v. DLS
January 9th, 2011 at 4:57 pm
Wednesday also has heritage at campo
January 9th, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Freedom did not tie CAL.
I keep track of this blog, yet I never comment on it. Matt, I thought this week you would catch an EBAL game as CAL and MV are playing for first place. And SRV gets their first shot at CAL after that heartbreak in NCS
January 9th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
I hear ya. But I have to try and spread out the coverage. I haven’t seen Berkeley yet, and I’m sure I’ll see quite a few EBAL matches down the stretch.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Re: Post #2 Deer Valley
I thought I would give you a little perspective about Deer Valley’s draw with Lincoln High (SJ) as I am from the East Bay but have been living down here in San Jose for the past few years.
Lincoln are a very strong team who are expected to compete in the CCS playoffs. A tie with them should not count as a strike against.
I also noticed that De La Salle had beaten Alisal 3-1. Alisal won CCS last year for their division (3 I believe). I have spoken with their coach and he thought they still had a very strong team this year. That win should weigh in DLS’ favor.
If anyone has any other questions about CCS teams so they know how to weigh games against them feel free to ask me and I’ll answer to the best of my ability. I know a couple of High School coaches around here and can solicit their opinion.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
Too much emphasis on who is where within the top 15. The pre season is now pretty much over and only a few non league games remain. I think mostly how teams fair in league plus any significant wins in the non league schedules will help the NCS bid. We should all hold on to our hats and see what develops…
January 9th, 2011 at 10:31 pm
Matt,
What happened to that 2-1 prediction of logan over mission. Final score was 4-0 Logan. Anyword on that game?
January 10th, 2011 at 10:14 am
Matt what do you think about the berkeley vs richmond game?
January 10th, 2011 at 10:41 am
I think the loser, if there is one, will have a hard time digging out of a hole to win the league. And I think Berkeley’s defense at home, on a smaller field than Richmond’s, will be very tough on the Oilers.
January 10th, 2011 at 11:45 am
Haha, JLfan, you see why I don’t like to do predictions? I’m not very good at it.
I don’t know what happened in the game, but it appears Logan dominated.
January 10th, 2011 at 12:26 pm
Matt,
I agree with the statement about Berkeley’s defense at home against Richmond. The final result may be a 0-0 draw just like last year. A draw would not be a good result in my eyes. Both teams need wins to potentially win league, and I would be very surprised if Pinole comes out on top in the end. As far as rankings go, only time will tell who are the contenders and the pretenders come playoff time.
January 10th, 2011 at 4:38 pm
Hey South Bay, who are the top teams down there this year? The private schools, Bellarmine, St. Francis,Serra and Mitty are usually pretty good, who else?
January 10th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
To Matt and Others
If you are coming to the Berkeley Richmond game tomorrow at 6pm, please note that we have construction on the Milvia side where most people enter, so you should park on the west side and enter on Martin Luther King at Bancroft Wy.
Hopefully Berkeley will have two starters back from injury that did not play at Pinole, making for a good game.
January 10th, 2011 at 8:35 pm
Any thoughts/predictions on the MV/Cal game tomorrow night? I think it’ll be one wild ride…
January 10th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
I think it’s time to hear your predictions for ncs seedings now matt. Amuse us and no one judge matts opinion
January 10th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
Oh wow. How about this weekend after this round of games? Plus I’ve got a lot of reading for school on my plate.
And I love how Scout has my back, but you guys can judge like crazy. It’s better when people get all riled up. Haha.
January 10th, 2011 at 10:06 pm
Haha sounds good
And I’ve got your back I mean some of those other parents Get crazy
January 10th, 2011 at 10:11 pm
I will report the MV game tomorrow. And depending on tomorrow, on thursday I will catch the SRV CAL or MV Livermore
January 11th, 2011 at 5:50 am
Correction
Been told now that the Berkeley game is 5:30
January 11th, 2011 at 9:01 am
Matt I believe your logic is sound with the rankings and your doing a great job. Rankings are a living progressive work that change from week to week. Teams that started the season are not the same now, they may have gotten better or maybe they went in the other direction. I like Soccer Guy’s Brad Pit analogy, very funny but true. The MV/Cal match is very tempting but I gotta see what is up with Richmond.
January 11th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
I know Berkeley has had some injuries does anybody know if Richmond in healthy?
January 11th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
I know Berkeley has had some injuries does anybody know if Richmond is healthy?
January 11th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
Cal up 1-0 against Monte Vista with 12 minutes to go
January 11th, 2011 at 7:39 pm
Cal wins 1-0 on the road
January 11th, 2011 at 7:49 pm
Deer Valley 2 Antioch 0
January 11th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
DLS 2 – Foothill 0
January 11th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
Cal 1-0 over MV. Gift goal early in the game after MV keeper failed to corral the ball. It was an even game with two strong defenses neutralizing the others attacks. A tie would have been a fairer result.
January 11th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
Berkeley 3, Richmond 2.
Berkeley scored twice in the last couple of minutes. It was a good match. Both teams were aggressive, there was good pace and it was well played. There will probably be a lot of talk about this match on here. Well, at least some.
Other results I’ve seen come in are:
San Lorenzo 2, Mt. Eden 1
YV 3, Northgate 0
Pitt 3, Liberty 2
Arroyo 2, Moreau 0
January 11th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Livermore 2 Amador 0
SRV 2 Granada 1
January 11th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
I was at the MV/Cal game tonight.. take away the keeper mistake/fluke goal in the first 5 minutes and the game was very evenly matched. MV was extremely unlucky to lose. I would have to say that they were the better team. A tie was much more deserved as the teams were pretty evenly matched, but if any team should have won, it should have been MV
January 11th, 2011 at 9:27 pm
I was also at MV/CAL. Early keeper mistake in the first five minutes and Rivas scores probably one of the easiest goals of his life. Defense proves to be key for CAL again and MV is very organized in the back. Very even game mostly in the middle of the field. How are you going to say MV should have won, CAL’s #13 missed 2 1v1′s versus the keeper that would have put the game away. MV just has no forwards and their dangerous attacks came from CAL’s turnovers in the middle of the field.
January 11th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Berkeley was very lucky to come away with a win. Big throw ins helped them out today, with two goals coming off them. Berkeley has a couple of injuries to key players that may keep them out for a while.
January 11th, 2011 at 9:50 pm
Ebal Fan:
Sure, #13 missed two 1v1′s.. but neither of them were close. He may be fast as lighting, but he is not a good soccer player. A good soccer player would finish both of those chances easily. Plus, both of those chances were a result of MV turnovers, Cal didnt have to work to get them. MV had better possession for more of the game and looked to be the better team overall.
January 11th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
#49
13 goals and the league lead in goals despite missing a few games due to injury would beg to differ with your assertion that he’s not a soccer player. He must have ran those goals in right?
January 11th, 2011 at 9:58 pm
All i’m saying is after tonight’s performance, I am not impressed whatsoever. He missed two chances that any other forward would have converted easily. And, other than those two chances, MV’s defense completely shut him down
January 11th, 2011 at 10:01 pm
You’re right. This one game is completely representative of his whole body of work and because you weren’t impressed by his performance tonight, he’s not a soccer player. Of course.
January 11th, 2011 at 10:18 pm
Exactly. This kid must have 13 gimmes because after what I saw tonight, there’s no way he could score on anything other than an open net.
January 11th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
Cal missed several oppertunities, while beside a couple of head flicks to the keeper MV only had one chance to score. Yes, MV possessed the ball more, CAL did what good teams do on the road with a lead, they play defense. I agree it was not impressive, however 3 huge points against a very strong team. I dont agree that MV was the better team.
January 11th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
The kid didn’t finish today and is all speed. When it comes to bringing the ball down and playing pretty soccer he isn’t even close to being capable.
January 11th, 2011 at 10:28 pm
Right, 13 gimmes. If only I could roll my eyes over the internet…
January 11th, 2011 at 10:29 pm
By the way (Ebal Rules) the 2 chances #13 had were more than the whole MV team had.
January 11th, 2011 at 10:37 pm
#57 Makes a good point. Cal easily puts the game 3-0 if the kid converts as MV maybe had one header where Cal’s goalie had to make a stop.
Guys, help.
Thursday do I catch SRV vs CAL as SRV gets their first crack at CAL since their collapse.
or do I catch MV vs Livermore?
January 11th, 2011 at 10:47 pm
Cal v. MV tonight: Cal is a little bigger, a little faster, and a little cleaner passing (more 5-6 pass combos), BUT, Cal clearly backed off from a 95%+ effort in H1 to an 85%+ effort in H2, and MV then stepped up the hustle factor to control the tempo between the 20s (football field). Cal had 5-6 legit chances to score 2-4 goals but closed on only one. MV had 3-4 good chances to score all match and only one shot truly threatened. The Cal defense was the story, so they played conservatively and counterattacked the whole 2nd half.
I grade the refs a “B” tonight: good work between the crew, good communication to the players, and most everything evened out over the 80 minutes.
Barring key injuries, I’m guessing 2-0 or 3-1 in the rematch at Cal.
January 11th, 2011 at 10:53 pm
Sweeper, how have we not met yet.
I like your commentary. Both teams were very organized in the back and in the midfield mostly to both teams but CAL has shut teams down as everyone hustles on defense even their playmaker who is an attacking player.
In my opinion, the refs were solid, a good crew compared to everything we been seeing. Would have loved to see Gordo Zamora tonight.
January 11th, 2011 at 11:04 pm
Ebal Fan,
Livermore @ MV should be a more competitive match than SRV @ Cal, due to the matching styles (strong mid-field play) versus the contrasting styles (counterattack v. attack), respectively. But the rematch from last year is quite compelling.
I work closer to Cal so I will watch the first half there and stay if Cal is not up by 2. If Cal builds a 2+ lead, I may just head to MV at halftime.
January 11th, 2011 at 11:07 pm
Sweeper,
You make solid points as MV and Livermore but lack the final pass and the finish with a lack of forward and it will be a game controlled in the midfield, depends on which team can put maybe one in the net.
I do see SRV playing hard against CAL like always and if CAL is smart, they should handle a young SRV team built for next year. I do see CAL winning it at home but never count out Bustboom.
January 11th, 2011 at 11:09 pm
Ebal Fan,
As a true sweeper, I operate in stealth mode. This works best for an aggressive defense and for sudden counterattacks.
Seriously, we have probably met, but only Matt Smith knows the true identity of The Sweeper.
Cheers.
January 11th, 2011 at 11:17 pm
And I shall never reveal!!
January 11th, 2011 at 11:23 pm
Overall, a decent game. The possesion for the entire MV-CAL was 65-35. I have seen CAL and MV each play on 3-4 different occassions now. CAL’s defense was organized and is a little bigger, but the MV’s wingers ran by both the right back and Danielson so I do not think CAL is a little faster. MV ws certainly quicker in the middle.
What I found interesting is that Rivas, with exception of the hustle play goal on the goalie’s mistake, was not virutally non-existent. CAL’s middle did very little. All of the attacks were started from the wings. The CAL coach made some decent adjustments by moving Fagenson to the middle.
The MV coach seemed Ok with losing. Strange substitution patterns especially in the 2nd half when they had CAL on its heals. Very little strategic coaching to help players understand how to attack CAL’s defense.
January 11th, 2011 at 11:42 pm
You also make a good point GlobalSoccer, but MV pressed the middle with numbers to take Rivas away as other teams have done as well. CAL has had other players step up. However, he wasn’t non-existent, he worked hard defensively and the play that stands out was at the end of the game where he slid and he no business beating MV’s player to the ball. CAL just needs to control the ball more at their feet and move it around and this team will be hard to beat.
I’m already excited for a rematch.
January 11th, 2011 at 11:43 pm
#65. “What I found interesting is that Rivas…was not virutally non-existent.” I found the same thing. Want to try that one again.
BTW, who made the clean defensive tackle kick save in the right side of the 18 box with 1:05 left to play in the match? Against the ‘faster’ MV forward? Yes, it was Cal #10.
Seriously, your point is generally correct. Note, as I recall in the Cal match at Foothill (I only saw the first half) Rivas was either injured or nursing an injured ankle after a stiff challenge midway through H1. The subsequent limping was quite evident, yet he still managed to send a free kick rocket from 23 yards out to force a rebound and a resulting easy tap in goal in the 39th minute. My guess is that they are pacing #10 appropriately, BUT I expect SRV to aggressively challenge him from the “git-go” on Thursday.
January 11th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
Addendum TO #67 (for Matt Smith). To recap, Rivas scored in the first 5, saved a close-in shot in the last minute, and was ‘virtually’ non-existent. But that was in fact the match.
January 12th, 2011 at 7:55 am
Matt, I also caught the Berkeley/Richmond game and found it very entertaining. The match really had the ebb & flow going like two boxers knocking each other aroung the ring. A couple of points: 1. Richmond seems a little small to me as Berkeley seemed to win the one on one confrontations fairly easy 2. I think both teams need help in goal, pretty weak. BTW the referee was the best I’ve seen anywhere this year. One classy move by him was to talk the Berkeley keeper down off the ledge after the Richmond second goal which could have been offsides. The keeper almost went postal and the referee kept his cool.
January 12th, 2011 at 7:59 am
I think that the majority of the game was played in the mid field, so one has to wonder what happens when Gordo Zamora returns. I think he changes the dynamics as he is an attack minded mid fielder. My sources tell me he has only played in two games this year before he had a fracture to his foot, yielding good results, a 3-1 win over DLS and a tie to berkeley. If he is back for the rematch it could get interesting…..
January 12th, 2011 at 8:00 am
Sorry I forgot to mention I was
referencing the MV/Cal game
January 12th, 2011 at 8:13 am
HAAL Dad makes a great point. Berkeley had a size advantage on set pieces and balls in the air, that I don’t think they took advantage of until later in the game. Richmond did a good job of keeping the game on the ground to equalize that.
As far as keeper’s go, Richmond is very inexperienced, but the Berkeley kid, Elder Alegria, is usually very good.
January 12th, 2011 at 9:17 am
Liberty at Pitt
Referee had a bad night, Liberty down to 10 men 10 minutes into the game, Liberty had 2 goals taken out of the net, 1 on a free kick and 1 on an offside call, game was extremely tight even with Pitt having a 1 man advantage for 70 minutes, a 2-2 or 3-3 tie would have been the fairest result. Liberty had to sit back and defend then look to counter so Pitt did have the better of the possesion and build up play.
January 12th, 2011 at 9:50 am
I give the Berkeley keeper one thing he is a great communicator, really talks well with his defense and he comes off his line well. The one time he didn’t Richmond scored. I have to admit Matt I went to this game to watch Richmond but came away really impressed with Berkeley especially if they had key players injured. The rematch will be special in Richmond. I guess I have to go see Pinole play now to understand how they beat both Richmond and Berkeley. If Berkeley gets healthy they could go a ways in the big dance.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:14 am
cal vs mv
cal definitely had more speed especially on defense. mv tried all night to go down the sides and the outside backs for cal did a great job of shutting them down. Mv were only successful a couple of times but neither of those tries garnished anything like a shot. mv had only one true threat and that was off a free kick header down the middle. Best and only chance of the game for mv. mv was not the better team last night. the two defenses buckled down early and kept both teams from any great chances to score. defense won the game for Cal, again. I agree with the mv coaching analysis, some strange subs made when mv was doing a good job of pressing. after the subs it went to cal’s favor.
no goals in the ebal are gifts. even a pk still needs to be kicked in the net off some great goalies. goals are about being in the right place at the right time. players make tough plays happen all night and when a tough play is not made and the other team is there to clean it up, hooray for the other team. That is what Cal did last night. They did the same thing vs. livermore.
Cal’s defense won the mv game and the livermore game.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:23 am
one more thing on Cal vs. mv
Cal would have been better suited to keep their starting line up in the game where they were at the start of the game. when they subed it showed. too many subs in key spots hurt cal. that was a new starting line up that was working great! leave it alone for the most part in a quality game like this. over coaching taking place.
mv did not do the same thing during most of the game but did it at the end which was questionable. might have made those late subs due to fatigue, but even those tired players i felt could have kept pressing like they were for another 10 minutes. these guys are great athletes who are most likely in good condition.
I am sure both coaches will look back on this game and analyze what they did. less is more in some cases.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:28 am
matt, you might want to check your stat numbers
(goals and assists). some appear to be a little off at the time you posted last. Thanks and keep up the great work!!
January 12th, 2011 at 10:36 am
I made a comment on the last blog post about coaching being the “x” factor and I think that came out in the MV-Cal game. Even though MV has a very deep bench, it was surprising to see the subs come in, especially since MV had clearly gained a momentum during that segment of the game, and that disappeared as soon as the subs came in. Unless players are under-perfoming or hurt or there is a tactical reason to introduce someone to capitalize a perceived weakness, I’m not a fan of “timed” subs. which looked like what happened on the MV sideline.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:45 am
Some stats might be a little off because I might be missing a game or two worth of stats from some teams. But I’m trying to get them all for sure.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:48 am
Liberty vs Pitt
I was at the game and saw liberty play to ball on the freekick while the ref was still writing in the yellow card and let them know to wait. The offsides was doubtful, but the pk the ref gave was horrible. For the calls he was making in the game that was not a foul the gk hit the ball first and then he and the fwd collided. The game easily should have been 6-2 with the liberty gk’s making great saves. Liberty has a lot of heart but Pitt was just to talented in the middle.
January 12th, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Cal@MV,
I too caught the game last night and thought it was very even. Both teams had 5 shots on goal. Cal had two 1v1s on which the MV keeper took away #13s angle forcing him to miss wide. MV had one 1v1 on which #2 barely missed to the left due to the Cal keeper taking away the angle. Cal capitalized on a keeper error to score. MV’s # 2 appears to be just as fast and shifty as Cal’s # 13. I have seen Cal play three times and MV twice now. Cal did not appear to play MV any differently than it played Foothill or Livermore and did not change tactics during the game. # 13 plays nearly the entire game, roams across the top and Cal tries to feed him the ball on angled runs. MV seems to use a traditional attack with three across on top with # 2 on the outside but has difficulty feeding him the ball. I have not seen MV make many angled runs. I agree that MV subs too often and at odd times disrupting flow. MV was the better team between the 20s but seemed to wait too long to attack giving Cal’s defense time to disrupt. Overall a very evenly played game.
Peace
January 12th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
san lorenozo vs bishop O’dowd tommoro at O’dowd
January 12th, 2011 at 7:49 pm
#5 San Lorenzo vs #13 Bishop O’dowd tommorow at O’dowd
January 12th, 2011 at 7:58 pm
I’m a little late here, but Sweeper has everything right on. Rivas has the intangibles, the kid does what the team needs. He worked hard defensively. Ask MV’s coach and he will tell you he was noticed doing a different role that game that ensured them the win.
I’ll sleep on which game to catch tomorrow.
January 12th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
Campo 3 heritage 0
January 13th, 2011 at 9:45 am
To post #80
The referee never issued a yellow card to the player, therefore not needing a whistle to restart play. I actually have it on video as well. The player from Pitt was behind the pitt wall when the free kick was taken. If he would have issued a yellow card that player would have received his 2nd yellow then a soft red, Im assuming this is why the referee decided not to issue a yellow.
I also have video evidence that the pitt keeper never touched the ball on the penalty as there was no change in direction of the ball.
Pitt has some technically gifted players, but if they were that good, they would have beaten a team of 10 men 3 or 4 to nil. Liberty played with 10 men for 70 minutes.
January 13th, 2011 at 9:56 am
Also to post #80
Not taking anything away from Pitt, they are a decent side. The race in the BVAL is for 2nd place as Deer Valley should run away with the league.
Also not mentioned was the fact that the starting center mid from Liberty was hurt 6 minutes into the game and never returned.
Liberty keepers did make some key saves to keep the game close, but how many teams can compete for 70 minutes down a man and not allow shots on goal?
So, quick recap:
Liberty
Starting center mid lost at 6 minutes
Starting forward red carded 10 minutes in
Goal disallowed on offside
Goal disallowed on quick restart off foul
Pitt
Good piece of skill on first goal, bicycle kick
Very hard tough physical team
Controlled the play with a man advantage
2nd goal best of the 3, nice 1st touch, good finish
3rd goal bouncing around in the 6 and poked in
Should have done more considering the situation
January 13th, 2011 at 10:14 am
Prediction on boys soccer SRV @ Cal tonight: at least 6 yellow cards and the whistle will be tweeting all night long. We will see if the coaches can keep their players in check. Cal should be favored by a goal but that Foothill result is lurking.
January 13th, 2011 at 10:34 am
Going to catch the SLZ/BOD match today and then see if I can watch a little of the SRV/CAl match tonight. I’ve been watching so much soccer my wife thinks I’m having an affair! Would love to see a rematch of the Campo/SLZ match in the NCS. Matt, good call on Arroyo, with their win at Hayward they could be trouble for SLZ and BOD down the road but I don’t want to fall into the “Brad Pitt” syndrome so I’ll stop right there. It will be interesting to see SLZ’s game on a firm fast BOD field today.
January 13th, 2011 at 10:36 am
To post #86
Yeah you are probably right. There are a lot of teams that play down men and hold their own. Liberty did good counter attacking but were not too dangerous. It would have been a better game without a doubt with 11v11. There should have easily been 2 red cards per team in that game the ref let it get out of control.
January 13th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
I read today that Acalanes defeats Las Lomas 4-0 with goals from 4 different players. The next match up between Campolindo and Acalanes will determine the leader of the DFAL.
January 13th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
BVAL games on tap tonight
Freedom at Liberty 6pm
Pitt at Deer Valley 6pm
Antioch bye
Herritage bye
January 13th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
I’m not at a game tonight, because I needed to stay home and make sure I got my reading done for school, but I will be updating scores as I see them come in. And I hope everyone will keep me posted if they hear something.
So far we’ve got:
College Park 2, Northgate 1
Oakland Tech 0, Oakland 0
January 13th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
Slz – O’dowd tied 2-2 at the half. Great match.
January 13th, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Berkeley beats De Anza 9 to 0.
Anyone know the Pinole El Cerrito score?
and the Richmond Alameda game
January 13th, 2011 at 8:35 pm
O’Dowd 3 SLZ 2
DLS 2 Amador 0
January 13th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
3-2 O’dowd over SLZ Final.
January 13th, 2011 at 8:38 pm
Deer Valley 1, Pitt 1
January 13th, 2011 at 8:46 pm
CAL 2 SRV 1 the score does not tell the story. CAL clearly the better team. CAL seemed to have a problem finishing. CAL had several chances to put thm away and didn’t. CAL scored early on a very nice combo play with #9 and I think #10 with #9 finishing the nice play. CAL continued to dominate when they had a defensive laps allowing a cross drop to the feet of a SRV player in front of the net, he 1st timed it nicely slipping it passed the CAL keaper. All tied 1-1. CAL continued to play well and scored a nice goal on a cross from overlaping right defender to far post and #2 was there to finish with a header with less than 2 minutes left in 1st half. CAL came out playing the same in 2nd half, SRV showed a lot of heart, put CAL on their heels for about 10 minutes, CAL played good defense. CAL missed several chances to put SRV away, but ended with 2-1, could have easily been 4 or 5 to 1.
January 13th, 2011 at 8:56 pm
Cal 2, srv 1. At the last minute srv hit a post and later ran into Wilcox and just about started a fight. Standings after six games, assuming dos beat Amador (I never confirmed this):
California 16 pts
San Ramon Valley 12 pts
De La Salle 12 pts
Monte Vista 10 pts
Livermore 9 pts
Granada 7 pts
Foothill 1 pt
Amador Valley 0 pts
January 13th, 2011 at 9:15 pm
2-0 DLS over Amador. Made the trek after doing a bit of shopping at Stoneridge mall. Amador looked much better than their record shows – the #15 is a terrific player in the back. Amador had chances but lacked the quality to put the ball in the net..DLS scored both in half two – one from deep and the other a header from a set play. DLS efficient closing things out.
Sounds like Cal v SRV and B O’D v SLZ were entertaining matches from tonight. Congrats to all the winning sides!
January 13th, 2011 at 9:19 pm
I will put my two cents about the CAL game.
CAL wins 2 to 1 against SRV but that doesn’t tell the story of the game. CAL was the better team for 70 minutes and scored an early goal with a nice combination with Rivas #10 and #9 for CAL were their best players. CAL also had another play where Rivas went in alone but either slipped or got tripped. SRV off a throw in and rebound goal. CAL’s second goal comes off a cross very nice combination. They were the better team connecting passes, getting shots in front of the net and hitting the post in the second half. Easily could have been 3 or 4 to 1.
The difference only shows as CAL’s coach likes to make subs and that gave SRV momentum in a small part of the first half. CAL needs to play a full game where they keep attacking and don’t play the entire half defending and they also need to put their chances away. CAL definitely shows why they have a two game lead in EBAL.
January 13th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
Livermore 3 MV 2.
Livermore up 2-0 at half but MV comes back.
January 13th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
Any news on AV-DLS? AV having tough year…
January 13th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
Agreed…AV in down cycle this year. This could be the year Foothill finally beats Amador Valley. AV has not lost to Foothill since NCS playoffs 2003…but all streaks come to an end.
January 13th, 2011 at 9:39 pm
DLS 2 – AV 0
January 13th, 2011 at 9:40 pm
YV 1, Clayton 1.
O’Dowd, YV and Pitt have thrown a wrench into my rankings this week…
January 13th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
CAL looked like its starting with a new lineup? There is a new defender and they moved one of their center defenders to a defensive mid and I think this slight move is making a huge difference in how CAL is defending teams. CAL’s defense is the best in EBAL.
January 13th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
Cal vs SRV
1st half CAL was the better attacking team despite relatively even possession play.
Cal had the quicker counter and has good attacking team.
2nd half was dominated by SRV in the mid field and tried to equalize but lacked the finishing players. Cal had some quick counter attacks and nearly scored again.
The game ended with SRV pressing. Rivas was ok but was not dominant.
Some say Cal controlled game, not sure what game they were watching??
The story was San Ramon actually controlled the midfield, Cal had the quick counter and was better at finishing. One surprise for me was the Cal defense was not very strong and looks vulnerable, nothing like what I expected. Cal is a good attacking team but is bearable.
January 13th, 2011 at 11:03 pm
SRV-1, Grizzlies-2! as called by the announcer. I am eating crow because there were no shown yellow cards that I recall, though one player was directed to leave the field (injury/blood/other?). Regardless, kudos to the coaches and players for playing a cleaner than typical/expected match, and to the refs for keeping it under control from the git-go.
Five points on the match:
1) Cal dominated, but not 70 minutes (87.5%!?) as cited by others, as they played conservative for 10+ minutes in H1 and 15+ minutes in H2;
2) SRV repositioned a few players for the match and the initial overall shape and spacing in H1 was awkward at times, if not awful, including the 2 on 0 mismatch that resulted in the eventual winning goal at the end of the 1st half;
3) SRV corrected the shape and spacing issues after the break (good coaching adjustment?) and they were more aggressive challenging Cal, much like Foothill did;
4) Cal could not close the deal in H2, missing numerous opportunities by not completing the final pass or not shooting on frame (some credit does go to the SRV defense and keeper, but…);
5) There appeared to be a hand ball in the box with 40 seconds left in the match (ball struck the Cal player’s body/arm as the arm swung into the line of fire), but the referee did not call it. This was at least a 50:50 call, and Cal dodged a late bullet. Closing earlier avoids these situations.
I would like to see the Cal private screening tape on the late play in the box, but I give total credit to the ref for not calling it because the body block was there, and there was no shot on goal regardless (ie., not deserving of a PK at that moment). If healthy and better organized, SRV could score 2+ goals next match, but Cal should score 3+. Moral to the story, “Close the deal or put your fate in the hands of others.”
January 13th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
One other thing I noticed in this Cal vs SRV game the clock stopped at 2 min in the first half which benefited Cal as they scored their second goal during this stoppage time. But in the second half the Cal scorekeeper ran it all the way to 0 taking the stoppage time out of the referees hand. Was this an honest mistake or true home field advantage??
January 13th, 2011 at 11:17 pm
AKA Paydirt #109 (OOPS): Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Hey Matt, study well Padawan! Gotta love the Berkeley law scene, and good luck. Cheers!
January 13th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
Ah, the Sweeper. He’s the man.
And I hate to admit it, but I didn’t have high enough grades or LSAT score to even apply at Berkeley law. I moved to SF and go here in the City.
January 13th, 2011 at 11:44 pm
Hey guys – new poster but have read the blog and board for years. After tonight’s SLZ vs O’Dowd match, had to jump in and comment. Both teams are legit – SLZ is very technical and gets forward fast with numbers. First time out O’Dowd was overwhelmed but they defended and countered very well tonight. Caught SLZ off guard and scored first 2 goals within the first 7 minutes, one an incredible crack from distance and the second a lovely ball swung left to right and a great service and finish. SLZ then took control and had the ball pretty much the rest of the game, pulled one back off a counter and then finished off a lovely effort right before half with a great finish. 2nd half was wide open but both teams stayed organized and there were few chances to be had. O’Dowd made a great adjustment dropping their holding mid to the center back and SLZ was done for the night after that. Last goal came off a great individual effort where #7 took a ball from his own defensive 3rd, beat two defenders, cut across the middle, took it to the top of the 18 and dropped it for attacking mid who buried it.
One of the best matches I’ve ever seen at HS level so I had to comment. Both teams were efficient and classy. O’Dowd played with heart and class and won out in the end but SLZ is very good and will be a force. I think D2 comes down to those two teams plus Campo and Acalanes, who I’ve seen play and are both very good.
Keep up the great work Matt, we all appreciate it and it gives us soccer junkies something to do when we’re supposed to be doing work or other things!
January 13th, 2011 at 11:56 pm
Sweeper comes out in another name. SRV usually plays a 3-4-3 but they were getting dominated early which caused a shift to a 3-5-2. I do agree with the non call at the end of the game, you can’t give that away there unless it’s clear. CAL played better soccer and looked to combine as their first goal came off that and another chance where it was Rivas slipped. CAL needs to continue improving. SRV is built for next year and Chaussy is a transnational checking forward
January 14th, 2011 at 6:25 am
Tough loss for MV. A gallant comeback effort falls short. After going down 0-2 in 2 minutes(with one unearned goal), MV more than held their own in the second half and made it interesting.
January 14th, 2011 at 7:16 am
Now after watching Pitt and a few local teams in the east bay … I take a few things back… Pitt is holding strong and playing well. There coach is making the correct reads on how to move the team around. I made time to go and see the second half of the YV – Clayton game… It was exciting to the last seconds… Bodies flying , pushing , strong and well executed game . I believe YV was the stronger team of the two … Very unlucky the linesman didn’t see CV player offsides by 5 yards, yes five yards. CV tied the game on a very unfortunate miss call. That’s soccer. YV is young, but so very dangerous. I have not seen another team defend like YV does, they cover great. I understand they havent played the strongest teams around, but no mistakes in the back add up. If you look at the stats on players, they are well distributed around. If i had called them a pony once, I’m a bigger donkey. Great game.
January 14th, 2011 at 8:00 am
ODowd/SLZ – Great match one of the best I’ve seen this year. BOD is a much different team on turf, they’re tough to beat on their little cracker box field. When these two met on the heavy grass field at SLZ BOD was down 3 zip before you could yell “hand ball”. SLZ went down 2 nil early but kept their composure and tied it up. BOD kept the pressure on in the second half and pushed the winner across late but what a game. SlZ has great ball skills really a fun team to watch but definitely had a tough time adjusting to the speed of the surface. I wouldn’t be surprised to see these two teams in the NCS D-2 final. P.S. I wonder how much additional money BOD has to budget for addition balls to replace the ones that go over the fence down to 98th Ave.
January 14th, 2011 at 9:04 am
Hey EBAL Spektator, in response to your post, #110…
The EBAL, for some reason, runs the clock down to zero and deals with added time by stopping the clock every time the ref does, and they are usually quick to stop it for any reason because of the fact they are running it all the way down.
I am guessing the first half of stopping it at 2:00 was the mistake and the ref let them know that in the EBAL they go down to zero, so they did so in the second half.
Again, I’m not sure why the EBAL does it that way, and I’m not a big fan of it, but they have been doing so the last couple of seasons.
January 14th, 2011 at 9:54 am
MacG, I haven’t seen Campolindo yet, plan to next week, but have seen Acalanes and right now I would say both BOD & SLZ would handle them easily but that’s why they play the games right!
January 14th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
YV 1 Clayton 1
It was a great game. CV started the game strong and almost had a goal in the first 5 minutes. the shot hit off the crossbar and it was cleared from almost going in. That’s probably the best chance of the first half.
2ND Half was dominated by YV. The coach made some adjustments at half and they paid off. They had at least 6 really good shots that were close to going in, one of them the keeper made a great save and the ball hit off the crossbar. YV scored with about 20 minutes left in the game with a pass behind the defense and the forwards effort to fight for the ball resulted in a goal. CV goal came with about 1 minute left on a questionable call. The keeper made a good save and the follow up was from the CV striker who looked to be way offside. The linesmen couldn’t keep up with the play. That’s they way most high school refs are so we need to get used to it. Some YV guys were hurt in this match so they might be missing tomorrow against O’Dowd but, I think other guys will step up and make a difference.
January 14th, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Old HAAL Dad, I don’t think any team in the area is going to beat Acalanes easily. It has not happened for the past 2 years and may not happen for the next two years. And if I remember correctly, the last two games between the Dons & BOD were very competitive (2009 NCS Final & 2010 Semi-final). Also, both teams know each other very well, with players in both schools who have been playing club soccer together for a long time at Bay Oaks.
January 15th, 2011 at 8:20 am
By suggesting the D2 final will come down to two non DFAL teams oldHAAL dad shows he has no knowledge of soccer and history. 8 of the 9 last D2 champions have come from the DFAL and I do believe BOD was handled by Dougherty earlier this year 4-2. They are in like 4th or 5th place in the DFAL. But this is why they play the games…
January 15th, 2011 at 8:31 am
Acalanes 2 -1 over Miramonte. Acalanes controlled the game leading 2-0 into the 2nd half and Miramonte put up a valiant fight, scoring a goal and controlling the game late. What were the other DFAL scores?
January 15th, 2011 at 8:38 am
Both Logan and Newark are undefeated in MVAL play. Each won their games 4-0 yesterday as Logan overpowered Kennedy, while Newark stomped out Mission San Jose. Logan sit up-top the boards with 11 GF 0 GA, and Newark with 9 GF 0 GA.
On Wednesday, they both will play for first place in the MVAL at Newark Memorial. This is most definitely a game to watch Matt, see if Logan can adapt it’s game play to Newark’s swampy field around this time. Game starts at 6 according to MaxPreps. Most def will be there.
January 15th, 2011 at 8:48 am
#120!
You obviously don’t know what your talking about because.. SLZ has played campo and if campo put away many of there chances that game would’ve been 4-0! Let’s take a step back to last years NCS quarterfinals BOD vs campo and how BOD only one off of one of the worst pk calls by the keeper in history campo hasn’t lost a game this year and it doesn’t look like they are going too. They have piedmont and acalanes as their next two games and the acalanes game with probably decide the league winner and the #1 D2 seeded team for NCS. Campo in legue is 5-0-2 and those 2 ties should’ve been wins with a few coaching errors but they just can’t be beat defensible lead by their senior core
January 15th, 2011 at 9:18 am
Campo 2
Dougherty Valley 1
January 15th, 2011 at 9:39 am
Matt,
not sure if this is proper form but if appropriate I wanted to let people know that some pictures of Thursday’s Cal-SRV game are posted at http://www.fjphotoguy.com/CalHighSoccer2010-2011/Cal-High-vsSRV
January 15th, 2011 at 9:45 am
I agree with SoccerScout that the game of the day on Wednesday is Logan and Newark. Unfortunately I have an appointment that will keep me in Oakland until close to 6:00, so I have to catch something closer to that area.
I will catch Logan and Newark the second time around. The MVAL got rid of the league tournament, right?
January 15th, 2011 at 10:06 am
Game of the season, for D2 anyways, will be on Wednesday, January 26 when Acalanes travels to Campo. The winner likely wins the DFAL and the #1 seed in the playoffs. Two very good programs. Much motivation for Acalanes with Campo giving them their only loss on their home field. But this seems to be Campo’s year. There is likely not a better defensive backfield & GK in all of NCS.
January 15th, 2011 at 10:53 am
Much credit to both Campo and Acalanes for continuing to uphold their soccer program pedigree.As I have said in other posts the main difference between D1 and D2 is, simply put, the quantity of good players.Both of the aforementioned schools are fortunate that year and year out they have the ability to reload.Las Lomas is another school in D2 that normally has this pool to choose from and in fact I would of thought this year they would have been more competetitive since they only graduated 4-5 players( although 3 were studs and first team DFAL).
I have seen Campo,Acalanes ,BOD,San Lorenzo and a few others as well. BOD is good but the coach is not. Campo wins it all this year because they have the best keeper in the East Bay.
January 15th, 2011 at 11:18 am
Matt,
Yes I believe the second time it’s on the 4th of February with a 6 PM kickoff at Logan. And yes the MVAL doesn’t have the shaugnessy playoffs anymore so the winner of the league gets the automatic berth into NCS instead of the top 4 teams battling it out.
January 15th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
#119 Matt, you are probably right. I was at the game and noticed the ref going to the booth at the half. Your guess that clock management was addressed may be spot on.
January 15th, 2011 at 1:02 pm
YV tied 0-0 at the half and dominating against O’Dowd. Not sure O’Dowd has all their starters and not sure why if that’s the case.
January 15th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Do you not post any comments of Albany’s High school soccer ? It was a show on yesterdays game Pilots & Albany , the score was 7 ( albany ) 0 ( pilots ) 3 red cards for Pilots, 2 players and one for the coach .
January 15th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
Matt, time for some Pre NCS seeds? I think everyone agrees to hear what you think
January 15th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Matt time for ncs seeds? Alittle pre championship gitters to get us started haha
January 15th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
Hey Diego,
Thanks for talking about Albany. The truth is I haven’t heard much from them this year as far as information or results.
Scout, I’m doing something a little different this week, then NCS seeding projections next week, I promise!
January 15th, 2011 at 4:40 pm
What was the final score of O’Dowd -YV? Anyone know any info on the game?
January 15th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Berkeley beats Pittsburgh 1 to 0.
Any updates on Richmond DLS Game?
January 15th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
I have got to say the refs screwed Pittsburg over in a one team advantage against berkely.
January 15th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
DLS 4 Rch 0 final
January 15th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
DLS looked solid in scoring three first-half goals against Richmond tonight. They simply hung back in their final third for most of the night, applying low pressure while Richmond knocked it around trying to find a non-existent opening in DLS defense. The Oilers never really threatened despite maintaining possession.
It was good to see DeCosta back in the line-up and Bernardi is always fun to watch, but they were missing Tobin up top, unfortunately. Matt Bravo was all over the field again, playing forward early and then moving into the back line in the second half.
The Spartans looked dangerous on counter-attacks, throw-ins and free kicks into the box. The Richmond keeper struggled with DLS pressure on the first goal.
The DLS match-up Tuesday at Cal should be a fantastic one.
January 15th, 2011 at 8:03 pm
Soccerfan
I would have to disagree, I thought the refs were fair, they did give out two or three yellows, I think they were all awarded to Pittsburgh, but there was a lot of banging on both sides and play was not stopped.
Berkeley did miss three or four close shots, the game could have easily been 3 to 0
January 15th, 2011 at 8:35 pm
I would agree with waterboy. The ref let the game go and both sides were playing hard.
I saw the game totally different than that. I saw berkeley dominate possession in the first half but did not do much with it besides the 2 shots and one was a goal. Pitt had 4 shots one on a break away that they missed. The second half pitt dominated with possession and berkeley countered and had a couple of chances as well as pitt. I thought it should have been 1-1.
Berkeleys def is one of the best I have seen especially with a lead. They dropped back and did not let pitt get in. I saw pitt play liberty and today they are a good team but we will see how they stack up come playoffs.
January 15th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
O’Dowd beat YV 1-0.
January 15th, 2011 at 11:49 pm
DFAL analysis:
Campolindo: Currently the powerhouse leader of the DFAL, but could easily be threatened by Acalanes. Tough ties against Alhambra (1-1) and Las Lomas (2-2) should not hurt their NCS seeding too much, but could create some trouble for them with a surging Acalanes threatening to take the league title. With a win over Acalanes, they should seal up the DFAL and most likely a #1 or #2 seed in NCS.
Acalanes: I would expect to see Acalanes move up in the rankings after 4 wins against SRV (1-0), Piedmont (2-0), Las Lomas (4-0), and Miramonte (2-1) this past week to compile nine straight wins now. This team seems to have definitely found their composure after losing some key players from last year. With a win over Campo next week, they could find themselves very close to a #1 or #2 seed in NCS.
Dublin: Seems to have regained their composure after a 0-2 loss to Acalanes to pull three straight victories, including a respectable win against Dougherty Valley 3-1. Definitely a rebuilding year for this team after losing 12 seniors from their NCS championship team last year. Still a strong side in D2 and expect them to do some damage in NCS.
Alhambra: They seem a little bit out of form, and have not been able to post a win in their last 7 games. A nice tie against Campo (1-1), but tough losses to Dougherty Valley (0-3) and Miramonte (0-1) will certainly not help their cause for NCS seedings. However, Alhambra is a scrappy team that can find a way to string wins together in big games. As with any DFAL team, should certainly qualify for NCS and could win a few games there.
Miramonte: Certainly a stronger side this year than last, despite graduating their star player. They have shown to be able to compete in every DFAL game, but have unfortunately only been able to come up with one win. Certainly another rebuilding year for Miramonte but expect them to return to strong form in the next couple of years. Miramonte has traditionally had a very strong soccer program. They have an interesting schedule with teams outside of NCS (good to see them play games out of league which they haven’t done for the past few years).
Dougherty Valley: Started out very strong with a great showing in the Winter Classic. Have had some success outside of league, with solid wins over BOD (4-2) and Piedmont (4-1). Unlucky showing thus far in league, but still post an overall winning record so expect to see this team in NCS and can always threat to do some damage. As with every team in the DFAL, I still believe that they could beat any other team in the DFAL with a strong showing.
Las Lomas: I was very surprised to find the knights in last place in the DFAL. They have traditionally had a very strong program and did not graduate very many players from last year’s squad. However, they too have a winning record, so we may see six teams from the DFAL in NCS. I would not be surprised to see them regain their composure and possibly be a threat in NCS.
Overall, I find the DFAL to be the top D2 league in the east bay with all seven teams being strong sides. I should expect them to get some strong seeds in NCS, and as a league they will certainly threaten for a championship that they have won 8 out of the last 9 years. San Lorenzo and Bishop O’Dowd also seem to be great sides that I wish the best of luck. I just hope that the BSAL does not get as lucky of seedings as they did last year over the DFAL (several DFAL teams have defeated Piedmont {the current leader of the BSAL}).
January 16th, 2011 at 8:53 am
That was a great analysis of the dfal leg breakdown I agree with acalanes and campo being the top two teams but with campo already beating acalanes this year I think it gives them the upper hand for come 1/26 when they play again at campo. That will be the biggest game this year and the winner will most likely take the #1 spot in ncs. I still feel this is campos year because of 3 things:
1,) best goalie is the east bay
2.) their solid defense
3.) secret weapons and te idea of a new hero every game