- East Bay Prep Corner
East Bay Boys Soccer Notes: Updated Playoff Scenarios, League Races; Rankings, Standings, Stats
By Matt Smith
Saturday, February 5th, 2011 at 11:14 pm in Boys soccer.
One more week, and there is still a lot to be decided…
Division I
Locks: Berkeley, California, Clayton Valley, De La Salle, Deer Valley, James Logan, Livermore, Monte Vista, Mt. Eden, Newark Memorial, Pittsburg, San Ramon Valley.
That is 12 teams who are eligible right now.
On the Bubble: Alameda, Antioch, Arroyo, Castro Valley, College Park, Freedom, Granada, Heritage, Richmond.
Liberty and Washington’s bubble’s popped this week. Heritage is hanging on by a thread, needing to beat Freedom and Deer Valley to get eligible. Antioch similarly needs to go 2-0.
For Alameda, it’s simple. They just need to not lose to Richmond. A tie or a win, and they are eligible. Arroyo needs to go 1-0-1 at least, and Castro Valley needs to just win one time.
College Park and Richmond are in similar situations. They are both virtually a lock, but mathematically could still not become eligible. CP plays Northgate and Berean Christian, and Richmond plays Alameda and Hercules. Both teams have already beaten those teams, so they are in good shape.
Freedom also needs to avoid going 0-2, and they are eligible, while Granada needs to win once.
Prediction: Castro Valley, College Park, Richmond, Freedom and Granada all become eligible. One team will be left out. It shouldn’t be Freedom this year, who really got the short end of the stick last year.
I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Arroyo and Alameda become eligible. I think it’s very possible.
Division II
Locks: Acalanes, Albany, Bishop O’Dowd, Campolindo, Concord, Dougherty Valley, Dublin, Hayward, Kennedy-Richmond, Piedmont, Pinole Valley, San Lorenzo, St. Mary’s, Ygnacio Valley.
That gives us 14 teams eligible right now.
On the Bubble: Alhambra, Hercules, St. Joseph Notre Dame.
These three teams have work to do. For Hercules it’s simple. They have to not lose to Richmond. Turns out the Oilers play a big hand in the fate of themselves along with Alameda in the D I bracket, as well as Hercules here. Alhambra and St. Joe’s have to go 2-0. No if’s, and’s or but’s. Alhambra plays at home against Dougherty Valley and then goes to Miramonte. St. Joseph plays St. Patrick-St. Vincent and Piedmont.
Kennedy-Fremont had its bubble burst with a loss to Irvington on Friday night.
Prediction: My gut tells me that Alhambra draws with DV, Hercules loses to Richmond and the Pilots lose to Piedmont. Instinct tells me D II is a 14-team bracket this year. If I had to pick one of the three to get in, my money would be on Alhambra.
League Races
ACCAL
All Berkeley has to do is tie once, and they play De Anza and El Cerrito this week. Safe bet that the Yellowjackets clinch their second straight league title.
BSAL
A few scenarios here. For starters, Albany just needs a win and a tie to lock it up. St. Mary’s needs to win all three games they have left, and hope for Albany to lose at least once to have a share. Piedmont has just one game left, so would need to win and hope Albany goes 0-1-1 or 0-2. Piedmont and St. Mary’s play this week, so that will eliminate one of them.
BVAL
Freedom’s win over Deer Valley really closed the gap, but DV has Liberty and Heritage this week, while Freedom also has Heritage, but a tough game with Pitt. DV needs a win and a tie, or a loss and a tie by Freedom, to clinch the league outright.
DFAL
So if Campo wins on Wednesday, they will have a one-point lead over Acalanes, who plays LL Friday. The Cougars would need to hope for an Acalanes loss to win the league outright, and a tie to share. A Dons win, and they win the league once again.
DVAL
Clayton and YV play Tuesday. Clayton just needs a draw to win the league. If YV wins, they would have to hope that Clayton draws or loses in their last game, and YV would have to win in their finale. CV is in good shape.
EBAL
Cal has clinched a share of the league crown. San Ramon Valley is the only team that has a chance to tie them. Cal just needs to tie one of its last two games. The Wolves could really turn up the heat with a win over the Grizz on Tuesday.
HAAL
Four teams are still alive. There are a lot of scenarios, but it comes down to San Lorenzo or Mt. Eden winning out. If one of them does it (they play each other Thursday) then that team wins the league. Hayward and O’Dowd need to win out and need some help. A lot of scenarios in play here, still.
MVAL
Ladies and gents, Newark Memorial is your first official outright league champion.
Rankings
Weird week in the rankings. Only Newark, Clayton Valley, San Lorenzo and San Ramon Valley had undefeated/untied weeks, and got a bump for it. Monte Vista didn’t get punished too much for the loss to a hot Granada team, and tying Cal helped. Deer Valley also not punished too much after losing to a Freedom team playing well. DV also had two wins for the week.
Dublin is back after a very good week. A 5-1 win over Las Lomas, and then a tie against DFAL leader Acalanes.
1. California (16-0-4)
2. Newark Memorial (19-3-0)
3. Berkeley (15-2-3)
4. Acalanes (14-3-4)
5. Campolindo (15-1-4)
6. Clayton Valley (14-2-4)
7. Monte Vista (11-5-5)
8. Deer Valley (14-3-5)
9. San Lorenzo (15-3-1)
10. Livermore (11-5-5)
11. De La Salle (14-6-1)
12. San Ramon Valley (13-7-2)
13. Ygnacio Valley (12-3-2)
14. Dublin (12-5-3)
15. Mt. Eden (13-4-3)
Others considered: Bishop O’Dowd (14-5-2), Hayward (11-4-3), Albany (15-3-2), Pittsburg (10-6-4), Logan (11-7-2), Dougherty Valley (11-7-4), Piedmont (11-4-3), Freedom (7-8-3), St. Mary’s (11-3-0), Granada (6-11-5).
Standings
ACCAL
Team Overall League Points
Berkeley (15-2-3) 8-1-1 25
Pinole Valley (10-7-3) 6-3-1 19
Hercules (6-10-0) 6-5-0 18
Richmond (9-9-2) 5-3-2 17
Alameda (6-12-3) 5-4-2 17
El Cerrito (1-14-5) 1-6-3 6
De Anza (2-15-1) 0-9-1 1
BSAL
Team Overall League Points
Albany (15-3-2) 12-2-0 36
Piedmont (11-4-3) 11-2-2 35
St. Mary’s (11-3-0) 10-3-0 30
Kennedy (10-9-1) 8-4-1 25
St. Joseph Notre Dame (6-9-3) 6-7-1 19
Salesian (3-7-2) 3-7-1 10
Encinal (2-11-1) 2-8-1 7
St. Patrick-St. Vincent (2-8-1) 2-8-1 7
Swett (1-13-1) 1-11-1 4
BVAL
Team Overall League Points
Deer Valley (14-3-5) 5-1-2 17
Freedom (7-8-3) 4-2-2 14
Pittsburg (10-6-4) 3-3-2 11
Heritage (4-8-6) 2-3-3 9
Antioch (2-10-6) 2-3-3 9
Liberty (5-10-0) 2-6-0 6
DFAL
Team Overall League Points
Acalanes (14-3-4) 8-1-2 26
Campolindo (15-1-4) 7-1-3 24
Dublin (12-5-3) 5-4-1 16
Dougherty Valley (11-7-4) 3-5-2 11
Alhambra (8-9-3) 2-5-3 9
Miramonte (3-8-4) 2-5-3 9
Las Lomas (6-10-3) 1-6-3 6
DVAL
Team Overall League Points
Clayton Valley (14-2-4) 9-0-1 28
Ygnacio Valley (12-3-2) 7-1-2 23
College Park (6-10-5) 5-3-2 17
Concord (7-3-5) 4-3-4 16
Northgate (2-13-6) 2-5-3 9
Berean Christian (2-15-3) 1-7-2 5
Mt. Diablo (3-10-0) 1-10-0 3
EBAL
Team Overall League Points
California (16-0-4) 8-0-4 28
San Ramon Valley (13-7-2) 7-4-1 22
Livermore (11-5-5) 6-3-3 21
Monte Vista (11-5-5) 5-3-4 19
De La Salle (14-6-1) 6-5-1 19
Granada (6-11-5) 6-5-1 19
Foothill (5-14-2) 1-10-1 4
Amador Valley (5-13-4) 0-9-3 3
HAAL
Team Overall League Points
San Lorenzo (15-3-1) 11-3-0 33
Mt. Eden (13-4-3) 10-3-1 31
Hayward (11-4-3) 10-4-0 30
Bishop O’Dowd (14-5-2) 9-4-1 28
Castro Valley (7-12-3) 7-6-1 22
Arroyo (6-9-6) 4-4-6 18
Tennyson (5-13-2) 3-10-1 10
San Leandro (2-15-2) 2-10-2 8
Moreau Catholic (2-15-1) 1-13-0 3
MVAL
Team Overall League Points
Newark Memorial (19-3-0) 9-0-0 27
Logan (11-7-2) 6-3-0 18
Kennedy (5-8-6) 3-4-2 11
Irvington (4-11-3) 3-6-0 9
Washington (4-7-6) 1-4-3 6
Mission San Jose (6-11-3) 1-6-1 4
OAL
Team Overall League Points
Fremont (2-0-1) 2-0-1 7
Oakland Tech (2-3-2) 1-1-1 4
Oakland (0-1-1) 0-1-1 1
Skyline (0-0-1) 0-0-1 1
Statistics
Name, School Goals
Padilla, Clayton 21
Foster, Granada 20
Pagliuca, Cal 16
Parisis, Dougherty 15
Hartland, Dublin 15
Ulloa, Logan 15
Villa, Pitt 15
Navarro, Newark 14
Reshke, Campo 12
Shaiwany, Dougherty 12
Name, School Assists
Gomez, Clayton 13
Scott, St. Mary’s 12
Tavecchio, Campo 10
Shaiwany, Dougherty 10
Navarro, Newark 10
Bochenek, Dougherty 9
Oranstil, BOD 7
Danielson, Cal 7
Castillo, Dublin 7
Hartland, Dublin 7
Morales, Livermore 7
Hodges, LL 7
Ramirez, Newark 7
Vazquez, Pitt 7
Jara, St. Mary’s 7
[You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.]
February 5th, 2011 at 11:26 pm
Why do you rank Mt.Eden so low in NCS standings?
February 5th, 2011 at 11:53 pm
Perhaps AV could pull a win out in their last game with Foothill to avoid the cellar and salvage something from this season – at finishing above their crosstown rival.
February 6th, 2011 at 9:01 am
Matt -
I like the list but watch out for Logan. If they can find just a bit of “D” they’ll be tough. Alhambra has heart but not enough depth so they sink. Campo seems to have found its form again I just don’t like their size although their keep is a monster.
Can you go twice/week with your articals through NCS. Lots of great games to come this week then the fun starts. As always keep up the great work.
EBRef
February 6th, 2011 at 10:08 am
Matt just a small thing but I believe Hartland has 16 goals.
Liberty: 1
Hercules: 2
Las Lomas: 1
Miramonte: 1
Berean: 3
Dougherty Valley: 1
Moreau: 2
Alhambra: 3
Campo: 1
Las Lomas: 1
February 6th, 2011 at 10:44 am
Wow You have Mt Edan Rank but you do not have Hayward High Rank please. Hayward is in the running for the league Champ they just wip!!!!Mt Edan beat San Lorenzo beat Bishop and not even in the top 15 what do they have to do .
February 6th, 2011 at 11:08 am
Right now NCS D1 playoff picture looks like:
1. California
2. Newark Memorial
3. Deer Valley
4. Berkeley
5. Monte Vista
6. Clayton Valley
7. De La Salle
8. Livermore
9. San Ramon Valley
10. Mount Eden
11. Granada
12. James Logan
13. Pittsburg
14. Richmond
15. Freedom
16. Castro Valley
So in the first round we have:
Castro Valley at California
San Ramon Valley at Livermore
Pittsburg at Berkeley
James Logan at Monte Vista
Freedom at Newark Memorial
De La Salle at Mount Eden
Richmond at Deer Valley
Granada at Clayton Valley
February 6th, 2011 at 11:33 am
NCS DIV II
1.Acalanes
2.Campolindo
3.San Lorenzo
4.Bishop O’Dowd
5.Ygnacio Valley
6.Albany
7.Hayward
8.Dublin
9.Dougherty Valley
10.Pinole Valley
11.Piedmont
12.St. Marys
13.Concord
14.Alhambra
15.Kennedy(R)
16.Hercules
Hercules at Acalanes
Kennedy(R) at Campolindo
Alhambra at San Lorenzo
Concord at Bishop O’Dowd
St. Marys at Ygnacio Valley
Piedmont at Albany
Pinole at Hayward
Dougherty at Dublin
This is assuming 16 teams qualify.
February 6th, 2011 at 11:59 am
EBRef,
I will definitely try to update more during the playoffs.
February 6th, 2011 at 2:44 pm
Matt, who do you think would get the #3 seed in D1? Berkeley or Deer Valley? Also, what are your final four predictions for both D1 and D2 playoffs?
February 6th, 2011 at 3:00 pm
Great question from my favorite reader…
I’m going with Berkeley at No. 3, and I’m going with the winner of the MV/Livermore game as the No. 4 seed. DV slips to No. 5, I think.
My final four predictions, right now… in Division I I’m going with Cal, Newark, Berkeley and Livermore/MV. I can’t pick between them just yet.
In Division II Acalanes, Campolindo, San Lorenzo and a surprise pick here, I’m going with Dublin. They play a style that succeeds in the playoffs. However, I need to see the brackets before I can make an accurate prediction.
February 6th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Too early to call, too close to call, prognosticators. The EBAL beat down WILL continue. There are two scenarios that have not been addressed by the last 300 posts.
While I have had plenty of orange Grizzly kool-aid this season, SRV and DLS actually hold the ONLY D-I trump cards this week.
If SRV finds a way to win at Cal (not predicting, just saying), they trump anything the Cowboys and the Mustangs can do, even if they both win two, true that. SRV should then be #3.
If DLS finds a way to win against Cal at home (not predicting, just saying), they trump anything the Cowboys and the Mustangs can do, even if they both win two, true that. DLS should then be a top 6 above MV and LIV.
MV at SRV and Granada at Livermore will be important, but they are not trump card SIGNATURE wins.
BTW, Granada with two road matches, may face a must win (if loss @ Foothill) or a must tie (if tie @ Foothill) when they travel cross-town to Livermore, just to be NCS eligible. This could result in a no holds barred, WWF, WTF (oops), MMA octagon 4-3 match. Don’t count the Mats out, but don’t count the Mats in. Not predicting, just saying…
It is great to hold a trump card (SRV and DLS), and sucks to not have control of your own destiny (MV and LIV).
See you at the pitch.
February 6th, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Sweeper, you have my vote for Vice President.
February 6th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Sweeper as usual good stuff.
I would never say never when DLS is concerned but the Spartans are very thin as some other teams have been too due to key injuries. Their top 2 scorers are out, Bernardi cast on one arm, Decosta one of the top defenders the past 4 yrs is sporting one or two knee braces. The goalie is a soph. They are playing as a very young line-up at the moment but they will give it a good effort I’m sure. Cal has put a nice season together and deserve the EBAL title but the real prize will be the NCS crown. I think pretty much up to 10 teams have a legit shot this year at that crown.
February 6th, 2011 at 7:55 pm
why would you rank srv below de la salle when they beat de la salle once and they are 2nd in ebal? i would assume if they finish 2nd or 3rd in ebal, they should be ranked ahead of the teams they are in front of for these rankings and ncs. although they have 7 losses, strange bounces have been the cause of many and six of their 7 losses are to ranked teams.
February 6th, 2011 at 7:59 pm
Bambam,
‘Never say never’ is indeed the watch phrase. Well said. Bernardi is the point in case/cast. EBAL is the theater.
Not predicting, just saying…
See you at the pitch.
February 6th, 2011 at 8:26 pm
SRV watcher,
Just to clarify, NCS rankings are based off of regular season performance, not potential. If SRV is the way you say they are, maybe they will be a low seed who upsets a team or two in the postseason.
February 6th, 2011 at 8:27 pm
currently 2nd place in ebal is not potential; it is actual results.
February 6th, 2011 at 8:49 pm
St. Mary’s won by forfeit vs SPSV i heard they couldn’t field a team. Piedmont doesn’t play St. Mary’s again the play SJND and have a bye on the last day of league play. St. Mary’s and Alabny have 2 more games I think that should be right. Then your scenario plays out. Alabny has Salesian and John Swett which should be 2 wins and St. Mary’s has Encinal and Salesian which should be 2 wins. Probably will finish Albany 1st St mary’s 2nd Piedmont 3rd Kennedy 4th depending on SJND piedmont game SJND may qualify for NCS a huge step for a team losing by an average of 6 goals last season.
February 6th, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Thank you.
Sorry for my mistake. The BSAL has been hard for me to keep track of.
February 6th, 2011 at 9:38 pm
Srv Watcher,
You are CORRECTOMUNDO. Many are overlooking this simple fact that you and I clearly see.
The Wolves are in sole possession of second place in the EBAL, and if they finish that way, every single ranking is dead wrong. Not predicting, just saying.
See you at the pitch.
February 6th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
Sweeper you’re seriously amazing.
Another scenario, let’s say CAL loses both games this week, but still win EBAL? Are they still the one seed?
CAL wins EBAL tuesday and lose Thursday what does that do? Also in this case, does CAL rest their starters or continue working hard?
Sweeper what game will you be at Tuesday? SRV vs CAL is appealing, so is MV vs Livermore.
February 6th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
agreed and mvhs plays livermore on tuesday so somebody or both teams if they tie are leaving points on the table. if srvhs gets one point out of their next two games, they easily could finish second and at worst third.
February 6th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
Also, anyone know when Jaye is back in goal for the Wolves?
February 6th, 2011 at 10:01 pm
for ncs, he will be back,
February 6th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
I had to get on a plane after the Newark/Logan game so I could not share my 5 cents worth on the MV/CAL and Newark/Logan games.
I decided to go ahead and re-hash 2-3 day old news because I have been critical of coaches and players after some games.
The MV/CAL was great to see. There were 2 or 3 postings that came very close to being exact to how I saw things. But I need to give the MV coach CREDIT for making some stratgic/tactical decisions that limited CAL’s opportunities. Substitutions were limited. MV moved Zamora from attacking mid to defensive mid and that took away most of the middle from Rivas to roam and distribute the ball. MV focused on Fagenson and his left foot and were willing to settle for defending Danielson’s long crosses. Secondly, the MV goalie played very well. I have to say I was surprised but I am happy for the young man.
Lastly, I, like many others, get on the lack of quality refereeing. I thought the ref did a quality job. While there could have easily been 2 – 3 yellows on each side base on previous games, the fouls were not as vicious to warrant yellows. I thought the ref still had control of the game. What resulted was that the best players remained on the field and the game was action packed.
At least for this game, the stars were aligned to give us futbol aficionados a lot of entertainment. KUDOS to all you were part of this game.
February 6th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
Hey Matt, Heritage plays DV and Pitt this week. Not DV and Freedom. We beat Freedom last week 1-0.
February 6th, 2011 at 10:49 pm
I think a BSAL team will take DII.
Remember this.
February 6th, 2011 at 11:20 pm
Okay I’m very sorry SRV watcher, it turned out SRV didn’t appeal to me as much as they should of because they had seven losses and their victory over Granada didn’t really hit me while I was logically computing their ranking. It happens, the week before when I proposed NCS rankings I put Deer Valley too low according to a blogger. It’s because I’m trying to cover sixteen teams without becoming dependent on Matt smith’s rankings. New 5-9 rankings:
5. San Ramon Valley
6. Monte Vista
7. Clayton Valley
8. De La Salle
9. Livermore
As for Ebal Fan post number 21, two Cal losses might knock them behind Newark Memorial. One loss would probably not. A loss and a tie maybe. However, Cal said in the patch they have a lot to work on, so I don’t believe the starters are going anywhere for the most part. Nonetheless I believe Cal will come out the number one seed, I sure hope so!
February 6th, 2011 at 11:23 pm
Ebal Fan,
I plan to see SRV@Cal on Tuesday. As I told Matt last week, you look at ESPN Rise and see the Grizzlies ranked top 10 nationally, and it is compelling to see if they can continue to earn the national ranking. Plus it is less than 10 minutes from my office and the price is right.
Regarding the various EBAL scenarios, my brain hurts from thinking about the possibilities. Not predicting, just saying.
Regarding the honor of being nominated as Vice President, sorry to disappoint Matt and Tack, but “I choose not to run.” The Sweeper is no Joe Biden, and that is a good thing.
February 6th, 2011 at 11:30 pm
Granada still could finish in second place, what does that do then? How can someone be seeded higher if they finished below them in league?
I, however think we the fans in this blog would end up making better decisions than the NCS panel will end up doing.
February 6th, 2011 at 11:39 pm
oh Sweeper, the game is at SRV.
February 7th, 2011 at 1:10 am
Soccer410,
I’m willing to bet that a BSAL team will not win NCS. Easily the worst league. Most of their teams will be out in the first round.
February 7th, 2011 at 8:26 am
Sweeper,
as usual good stuff,
The game of the week will be Cal at SRV, TheAnonymous is a classic example, he did not notice SRV because of the 7 losses. I didn’t either, but just did some checking….
Consider this:
SRV has a 3 game winning streak (currently the hottest in EBAL) and have scored 10 goals in the last 3 games against Richmond/AV/Granada. (AV and Granada are both playing good soccer right now) AV had only givin up 1 goal/game in the last 2 weeks, nearly beat Livermore on Thursday, and tied both MV and Cal the week prior- The wolves scored 4 on them. Granda was 4 out 5 wins going into the game with the wolves, the wolves scored 3 on them. It appears that the wolves are the only Danville team presently finding the back of the net, and have been in stealth mode, and now they find themselves alone in second place in a position to spoil Cal’s perfect season, in the strongest league in the bay area. Good stuff.
Should be a great match up.
February 7th, 2011 at 8:47 am
srv should have put up more against granada. they missed two one on ones and two taps in from within the six. one was one of the best youth saves i have ever seen a youth goalie make.
on the ebal mvp, i vote for the boy on granada. he caused major havoc against srv. every time he touched the ball, you held your breath hoping he passed it. very rare to have a player where you anticipate him creating madness EVERY time he touches the ball. chaussy is similar for srv but not quite where the granda boy was.
February 7th, 2011 at 9:33 am
DLS is tried and true. Young or not, their experienced coaching staff will definately have them ready for NCS regardless of their seed. I can’t see Bernardi sitting out, wrap some foam over the cast and he’s good to go. I still like them for the DI Championship.
DII, keep a look out for Dougherty Valley. A lot of up side and capable of beating anyone. Also, dont count out Ygnacio Valley, a solid second in league behind a strong DI Clayton Valley. If players are healthy, I like their chances. If not, I will pick Dougherty.
Teams with great players, but not great coaches, will slip up in the playoffs. Organization and strong coaching will carry Dougherty and DLS.
February 7th, 2011 at 9:53 am
SRV Watcher,
personally, I think it’s best to wait until after the championsip game to tally the votes for MVP.
As I beleive the game changes when pressure is applied and I like players that step up in big games – like NCS for example. The MLS waits until after the Championship game to award the MVP for the league.
As for your comments about Foster, I agree with you, this is a dynamic player that reeks havic on his opponents and has the strongest work rate of any forward I have seen yet this year in the EBAL.
February 7th, 2011 at 1:23 pm
Soccer fan: why do you think BOD deserves the 4th seed
February 7th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Clayton Valley can be gotten to. They rely on an extremely fast offense to get up on their opponents but they have a suspect defense. Once they start playing the big physical teams in NCS, we’ll see how they respond to their forwards getting “Liverpool love taps” every time they cross the halfway line.
February 7th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
I don’t believe MVP should be given out after the year. It’s the league MVP, not preseason and NCS mvp, it was just seen in football with Rodgers and Brady.
ALL EBAL teams should be just based on league play, not the goals scored in preseason or how well they were doing then.
February 7th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
I hate to say it but DLS has a habit of winning when they need to, club coach 1 is right.
February 7th, 2011 at 8:17 pm
Anbody have the Acalanes/Livermore score from tonight?
February 7th, 2011 at 8:32 pm
If anybody has that Acalanes/Livermore score, let me know. And if you have any BSAL scores from tonight.
February 7th, 2011 at 8:56 pm
The game didn’t happen.
February 7th, 2011 at 8:56 pm
Albany 5-1 over Salesian
February 7th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Abany 5 Salesian 1 Albany’s last game against John Swett they’ve pretty much wrapped it up for a second straight year with St. Mary’s coming in second assuming they beat Encinal and Salesian and Piedmont coming in third finishing 1 pt, if they beat SJND, behind st mary’s and 4 behind albany.
February 7th, 2011 at 10:50 pm
DVAL 1 – You are correct. Soccer410 is dreaming if he thinks a BSAL team will win the DII NCS championship. Considering 10 of the last 11 DII Champions have come from DFAL, my money is on Acalanes/Campolindo/Dublin. Three very strong teams road tested with hard matches everyweek.
#35 Club Coach 1 – Dougherty Valley? Organization and strong coaching will carry them through? They are 3W 5L in their league and have given up 25 goals – 9 of which at the hands of Acalanes/Campo/Dublin.
23 of their 59 goals came in 3 matches against Berean (2-11-1) and Irvington (4-11-4). Numbers don’t lie. Their defense is not strong enough for any playoff impact and their offense is average if you remove the games against Berean and Irvington. Beat your money on Campo/Acalanes/Dublin – The three schools currently ahead of DV in DFAL
February 7th, 2011 at 11:24 pm
St.Marys was screwed by Kennedy, if they would of won they would of maybe taken the league. So now Albany is taking it.
February 7th, 2011 at 11:25 pm
Matt,
Richmond beat Foothill on Saturday and must be 10-9-2, not 9-9-2, unless
I missed something…
February 8th, 2011 at 9:11 am
my predictions for ebal for tonight:
cal 2 – srv 2 with cal maintaining more possession and srhs scoring on a set piece and a brake away
livermore 2 – mv 1
dls 2 – amv 2
granada 4 – foothill 1
February 8th, 2011 at 10:21 am
#46 Goingballistic- You are correct that Dougherty has been the furthest from consistent. Just look at their loss to De anza, a team with just 2 wins all year. But NCS is all about who is going in healthy and in form. (2003 Miramonte team, last seed and they won NCS). Dougherty has seen its fair share of injuries. They have struggled against Acalanes/Campo/Dublin, but Maxpreps has them 11-7 over all, with those 3 teams accounting for 6 of their 7 losses and 4 of those games being by 1 goal. They just beat a strong Ygnacio team and shouldn’t see Acalanes or Campo (probable 1 and 2 seeds) til the semi-finals.
February 8th, 2011 at 10:50 am
Matt-Aren’t HS teams limited to 23 official games and 3 scrimmages (not including playoffs). If so, the official games reflected in your rankings must be off for SRV, Newark and Deer Valley. They all show 22 games played, and I believe they each have 2 league games this week.
Predictions for tonight:
Cal 2-0 over SRV. After getting a full helping of KoolAid and free Goggles (man these lenses are thick!) from the Cal posters, I learned that Cal is the only team on the field that can do anything well and they never do anything wrong. With players who part the seas and walk on water, it is impossible for them to lose! A few parting comments on last weeks MV-Cal game: MV’s #15 was the top defensive player in the game, not Cal’s Danielson( as suggested by those wearing goggles) who was beat several times by MV’s #2.
DLS 1-0 over AV.
MV 2-1 over Livermore.
Granada 3-0 over Foothill.
February 8th, 2011 at 11:15 am
i would be surprised if srv was shutout as they have only been shutout three times all season, not once in league and not since january 8th.
February 8th, 2011 at 11:19 am
#51: Newark Memorial only has one league game left
February 8th, 2011 at 11:32 am
Club Coach 1 – Very good points. It is about who is healthy and hot at the end of the season. As long as DV does not face Dublin/Acalanes/Campo in the first round they may surprise everyone and it would be a shame to have 2 DFAL teams face each other in the first round. I hope the 4 DFAL teams face off against other league winners because it would be great to have a DFAL final four. Anything can and does happen in NCS. Best of luck to that team and all DFAL teams.
Also – How is the current health of Dougherty Valley? Any injuries or academic issues?
February 8th, 2011 at 11:43 am
Predictions for EBAL
SRV 2 Cal 1 – CAL losses first time as they try squeak yet another tie but can’t hold wolves attack
Livermore 1 MV 1 – This will be an end to end game, very exciting matchup, but lots of shots, few goals
DLS 1 AV 1- AV will fight to try and find their first win
Granda 3 Foothill 1 – Granada will continue their explosive offensive show
February 8th, 2011 at 1:08 pm
I think it’s 24 games, but I could be wrong.
February 8th, 2011 at 1:18 pm
yes, it is 24 games plus 2 scrimmages. you can also
play 24-n games and n+2 scrimmages (n between 0 and
24.)
February 8th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Matt & Cokito,
Thanks for the clarification. Looks like we have another great week of EBAL matches. I’ve decided to watch the Cal@ SRV game tonight.
Bliss
February 8th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
See you there, Bliss.
February 8th, 2011 at 4:08 pm
i will be there also. my son plays for srv.
February 8th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
srv 0 cal 0
half-time
February 8th, 2011 at 7:35 pm
srv 0 cal 1
final
February 8th, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Anyone know if the Cal coach got a bucket of Kool-aid dumped on his head?
February 8th, 2011 at 7:50 pm
Granada 1-0 final over foothill. Wasn’t pretty though
February 8th, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Sorry. Granada 2-1. Don’t know what I was thinking. Lol
February 8th, 2011 at 8:16 pm
srvfan, Suprise!
Lovethegame Wrong again.
Another Cal shutout 1-0
February 8th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
anyone with DLS-AV score?
February 8th, 2011 at 8:28 pm
I heard DLS 2 AV 0
February 8th, 2011 at 8:33 pm
anyone know score of liv mv game?
February 8th, 2011 at 8:34 pm
I heard LIV 1 MV 0
February 8th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
Liv 1 Mv 0
The goal keeper nightmare continues for the stangs. Yet another game lost because of a keeper mistake, though neither team played outstanding.
February 8th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
Hey Matthew
They are predictions, and I don’t claim to be a psychic.
lets see yours next time if your brave enough.
Cal won the league title tonight and they deserve it……
Any team that can get out played and still manage to slip one past the keeper and win the game deserves it. There is a reason why there in first place.
Fairly even first half with with slight possession advantage to the wolves and chances on both side of the field. Ritter, the goalie for SRV was very good and SRV switched keepers at half time.
The second half was total domination by the wolves, probably 65 % possession, In fact the CAL side was very quite with the parents yelling an occassional come on Grizzlies….lets go!! but cal was able to work the ball down the sideline and score a header goal on a cross in the first 15 minutes of the second half. SRV let down defensively and allowed a 2 on 1 situation which was all the grizzlies needed.
SRV’s best chance was when their captain #10 Melara shot a ripper from the 25 that was slightly off frame by 12 inches, and had the ball been on frame the keeper had no chance what so ever. #10 for SRV was exceptional, also #4 ledford defender for SRV was also very strong. #9 Chaussy was also good but could not score. The SRV coach probably could have put an extra forward in the last 15 minutes to build pressure but did not. SRV played well as a team….and the good news for them is I heard tonight that they get Dallas Jaye back.
For CAL #10 Rivas had a quiet night playing defensive mid, Cal came out pretty flat but came out stronger in the second half. Fagasan really wasn’t that strong tonight, as I said they were outplayed but won the game. CAL are the EBAL champs.
February 8th, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Just got back from the CAL vs SRV game, Congrats CAL, you have been the most consistent team.
1st Half- Very even game, maybe with CAL being a little more dangerous and having a little more possession. SRV is very strong on throw ins, corners and set plays. CAL’s #10 was in a more defensive role today as the holding mid and he controlled the firth half playing simple.
2nd Half- CAL gets an early goal off a nice cross and header as the kid ran through alone and finished it. At that moment, CAL switched to a more defensive role that I didn’t agree upon as SRV controlled the ball and kept going forward. In the end CAL gets it done.
Very impressed with the defensive effort put in by CAL tonight, from the goalkeeper, to the four backs along (#8, #16, #12, #11) with #10 who sat in front of them.
I sat on the SRV side, and they were impressed with CAL defensively and at times on how well they went forward. They commented on #10′s leadership as well.
Very complete game from both sides, would lose to see a rematch. Also, referring went unnoticed so that’s a good sign.
The fight for second continues!
February 8th, 2011 at 9:00 pm
7bliss7 – Mv vs. Cal. not sure what game you were watching but you clearly have MV goggles. Your facts are really messed up. As a lot of bloggers have stated, nothing happened for MV on the outside.
to those folks who said that Cal would choke early on in the season and to those folks who still felt and feel the Cal defense is not hear to stay. Another shut out in the EBAL………..well, The Cal Grizzlies are the champs of EBAL!!!! with one game left. I do remember a lot of bloggers saying the EBAL would be won by a team with 3 or maybe 4 loses. With the talent in this league that was safe to say, but Nope. One more game to go…..then the fun begins!!
Kudos to Cal!!! and congrats!!! First outright EBAL championship for Cal!!
February 8th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Congrats to Cal winning arguably the toughest league in NCS but keep the following in mind. With that ring comes the bullseye. The more you celebrate on this web the more your team will lose its luster if it doesn’t win the NCS title. Rightly so, Cal should be the #1 seeded team as it has earned it through the test of winning EBAL. Remember this, as in the NFL 6 div champs and only one made it to the Superbowl and none of the 6 won it. The Packers is the only champion that will be recognized for 2010.
Just Bambamism kind of thought to keep in mind
February 8th, 2011 at 9:38 pm
Ebalfan, very nice comentary on the game, I saw the game the same way. Lovethegame saw a different game. First of all the shot was off target (nice shot) my first thought was keeper had it covered if it were on target. Second, Cal never got out played, they play defensive after they got the lead. Yes the other team usually wins the posession battle. There is a difference.
February 8th, 2011 at 9:42 pm
EBAL standings for the upteenth time:
California 31
Livermore 24
San Ramon Valley 22
De La Salle 22
Granada 22
Monte Vista 19
Foothill 4
Amador Valley 3
Hooray for California winning the EBAL title! Livermore looks to be in good position to finish
second, also a pretty good thing. The standings assume all said scores I’ve seen are accurate. Here we come NCS! Cal is staring your crown down!
February 8th, 2011 at 9:45 pm
Granada has a shot at second as well. Big cross town rivalry Thursday. Livermore will be looking to avenge their loss against Granada earlier this season. Should be interesting game. Matt will we see a midweek update this week?
February 8th, 2011 at 9:47 pm
Gee Bambam thanks for the warning, Cal hasn’t had a bullseye on there back yet huh
Let them celebrate Mr DLS you’ve had your share. This is the first outright Ebal title for California High school. Much earned and much deserved. Congrats boys!
February 8th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
Yes Bambam I’m sure Cal is very aware of that.
As far as the packers are concerned, they were playing a steelers team which faced a lot of adversity, having to worry about yet another set of Roethlisberger injuries, Pouncey’s replacement Legursky, the Baltimore Ravens (making sure to keep them at bay), a loudmouth New York Jets team in the AFC championship, and by the super bowl they were just out of the luck, focus, and preparedness they needed to beat a packers team that is too accustomed to winning. At least they still have the most super bowl wins.
My point is however, the number one seed may actually prevail this time. Cal is determined to do what the Steelers just could not, and that’s overcome adversity with nose-to-the-grind hard work and play, and still be able to get done what they need to get done.
I think they will.
February 8th, 2011 at 10:07 pm
One thing to keep in mind. Cal has had a target on their back for at least 15 games this season. Do not confuse a league winning celebration with overconfidence. I am sure the coaching staff will not allow that to happen as they have not let it happen all season. One game at a time.
I also agree that Cal played low pressure defense in the second half which allowed SRV to press with no finish. There is a major difference. SRV did not dominate the second half.
February 8th, 2011 at 10:27 pm
Update: A bunch of stuff happened tonight. Let’s start with the teams clinching league titles.
Berkeley clinched the ACCAL, Deer Valley clinched at least a share of the BVAL, Clayton Valley clinched the DVAL, Cal clinched the EBAL.
College Park, Granada and Richmond are all officially playoff eligible. Arroyo and Castro Valley are still very much alive heading into their final game. Arroyo needs to beat Moreau. Castro Valley needs to beat or tie San Leandro. I think both things happen, which means 17 teams will be eligible. One will be left out…
February 8th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Matt
What were your thoughts on the Cal SRV game?
February 8th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
Any commentary on the MV Livermore game,
anyone?
February 8th, 2011 at 10:47 pm
Love of the Game, I’m so glad you asked. I generally tend to keep quiet unless asked…
I thought it was a very even game. The first half was very back and forth with one team dominating for 3-4 minutes, then the other one dominating. There were some pretty good chances early on. I felt like SRV did a good job early of taking Cal out of what it normally likes to do offensively, but then Cal adjusted very well.
I think Cal’s defense is unbelievably good. They were so organized tonight, and in the second half, every time SRV was inside the 20, the defense clamped down and didn’t really let them get a shot off.
I also think Rivas is always a factor. Even if he appears quiet, I think he’s a difference maker. He’s the heart of that team, he makes great decisions with the ball and he was a big reason that Cal didn’t allow a goal tonight.
I liked watching him and Melera. Two very good players.
February 8th, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Matt
Good feedback
Your right if there is anyone that shined for Cal it was their back 4, I should have given them credit.
February 8th, 2011 at 11:00 pm
Cal is going to be very hard to score on in the playoffs. With Rivas patrolling the midfield with Duke Driggs, and with those guys in the back, Danielson, Rector, Goodman, Volpe, James, etc… This team is tough.
February 8th, 2011 at 11:02 pm
Very well said Matt. I’m sure if you ask coaches, they still account for Rivas in every aspect of the game as one of his passes could be the difference.
Matt, I think Saturday, You should have your bracket done! And we should post it outside the office somewhere.
February 8th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Hey Matt,
what are your thoughts on the Granada vs. Livermore match on Thursday. I would like to give you kudos, because at the beginning of the season you said Granada would be right in the mix at the end…even with their start you stuck to your prediction!!….crystal ball or something else??!! Nice job!
Thoughts on upcoming match and prediction oh Sir Karnack!
February 8th, 2011 at 11:07 pm
Hey Matt dont foget the Freshman keeper.
February 8th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
Malera and Jaye for SRV both grew up in San Ramon playing with all the Cal High kids before moving to Danville.
February 9th, 2011 at 6:46 am
Prepfan
I think your right, kids name is spelled Melara though,
If Jaye and Melara were on Cal they would be even stronger.
February 9th, 2011 at 7:21 am
Anybody got any HAAL scores?
February 9th, 2011 at 7:25 am
BOD 3 MC 0
Arroy 1 Mt Eden 1
February 9th, 2011 at 7:36 am
Sorry about the misspelling. I looked on the roster, and it is spelled Melera on there.
The freshman keeper from Cal deserves a lot of credit, he’s gotten much more comfortable as the season has gone along.
I think Livermore and Granada in the last match might be one of the better matches of the year. With 17 teams (possibly 18 if Freedom qualifies) knocking on the door, Granada needs to make sure and not take anything for granted, while Livermore is playing for a very high seed.
I will certainly have my seedings released by Saturday evening.
February 9th, 2011 at 8:06 am
Thanks Bench Warmer! Anybody no what happened between Hayward and Castro Valley?
February 9th, 2011 at 8:14 am
Castro and Hayward drew, 0-0.
February 9th, 2011 at 8:30 am
Livermore Vs MV
The second half Livermore dominated after 0-0 first half. The 1st time I have seen Livermore and when they place the right group of players on the field they look like a JC team. How did they lose so many games? Decided to see this game instead of watching Cal again and was not disappointed. Livermore’s defense was able to with stand MV rush the first half with MV strong attacking outside speed. Then in the second half #12 for Livermore took over.
February 9th, 2011 at 8:37 am
Congrats to Cal on winning EBAL last night. All they needed was a tie to clinch and it looked to me that is how they approached the game. This was a very even contest up to the Cal goal. After that Cal changed to more of a defensive approach allowing SRV to posess the ball more.
Based on the closeness of almost all of the games between the top six teams in EBAL (most were decided by 1 goal or less) I think any of the top six teams in EBAL could win NCS this year. To go undefeated in any sport requies consistency. To do so in soccer also requires good fortune. So far Cal has had both. The same will hold true in EBAL.
I for one am looking forward to seeing the NCS D-1 bracket!
Bliss
February 9th, 2011 at 9:03 am
Matt, Do you know the current status of the HAAL? Been out of town and I’m a little behind in the races. Congratulations to Cal for a great season and Championship. WELL DONE GRIZZLIES!
February 9th, 2011 at 10:05 am
Hi Matt,
do you have that info? Please send Thanks!!
February 9th, 2011 at 10:44 am
today in the HAAL san lorenzo plays hayward @slz and if San Lorenzo wins today they take the championship. no other team will be able to catch up. if they lose they still get another chance to win against mt.eden on thursday. its going to be a very good game today come out and watch!
February 9th, 2011 at 10:48 am
HAAL picture looks like this…
SLZ has 33 points, and has two matches left. If they win against Hayward today, they will clinch the league regardless of the Mt. Eden game tomorrow.
Mt. Eden has 32 points and needs SLZ to lose or tie and then needs to beat SLZ tomorrow.
Hayward has 31 points, and if they beat SLZ today, they’d have 34 points. They would need SLZ and Mt. Eden to draw on Thursday. If that happened, both Hayward and SLZ would have 34 points, but Hayward would have beaten SLZ twice.
O’Dowd has 31 points and ends with Tennyson. O’Dowd would need to win, hope that Hayward beats SLZ and then hope that SLZ and Mt. Eden draw. In that scenario you have a three-way tie, and I have no idea how to sort it out.
As you can see, the HAAL is still very much up for grabs.
February 9th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
I see SLZ winning this game today since Hayward lost their best middle, but Hayward has pulled upsets this year and this will be a great game today. I know
Gonzalez and his defense will have a tough game today.
February 9th, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Just an update of the BSAL recent games.
Piedmont 2 – Albany 0
Piedmont owned the game and completely shut down Albany’s top players and their attack. At the end of the game an Albany play spat on Piedmont’s keeper from pure frustration. Look out for Piedmont’s Junior Keeper, Eric Huppert.
February 9th, 2011 at 1:50 pm
Richmond 3-1 alameda
February 9th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Thanks Matt, great information as usual.
February 9th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Thanks Matt for putting so much time and effort into it. All of the players and fans really appreciate it.
February 9th, 2011 at 4:24 pm
I appreciate the compliment. I love doing it.
SLZ is up 1-0 at half and had most of the possession and chances.
February 9th, 2011 at 5:16 pm
Hey Matt how’s the pitch there? Both Arroyo and SLZ are in good shape this year. Any score updates?
Go Rebels!
February 9th, 2011 at 5:20 pm
SLZ just started celebrating a 4-0 win and their first league title in26 years.
And the field is in great shape.
February 9th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
thanks Matt!
February 9th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
Matt, you are all over the place!! Nice work!!
February 9th, 2011 at 6:26 pm
Which is why I want Matt to cover Baseball. The coverage in Baseball the past two years has been awful. Whoever covers Baseball needs to do better or let Matt take over. I’d take even a part time Matt Smith coverage over what we’ve had the last two years.
February 9th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
matt can you show the d1 prediction for now?
February 9th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
I will try to give a little D I outline after I get the Pitt v. Freedom result from tonight.
February 9th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
Anybody have the Dublin vs Miramonte halftime score?
February 9th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Dublin vs Miamonte
Half: 1 – 0
Final: 2 – 0
February 9th, 2011 at 8:15 pm
Dublin 2 – 0 Miramonte
February 9th, 2011 at 8:41 pm
Okay, you guys asked for my Division I thoughts as of right now. It’s still unclear, but after Pitt’s 3-0 win over Freedom, I think… Oh ya, with that win, DV clinches the BVAL. All the league’s are settled except the DFAL, but we’ll see after I get the Campo result.
1. Cal
2. Newark
3. Berkeley/Deer Valley (not sure who to pick here, they have a similar resume)
Here is where it gets really hard to predict. DLS has a better overall and league record than MV, but MV went 1-0-1 with DLS. A lot hinges on how DLS does with Cal and MV does with SRV. I can’t accurately predict this area yet, but I think that DLS, MV, SRV, Deer Valley and Livermore comprise the 4-8 seed range.
9. Clayton Valley
10. Pitt/Logan- If Pitt wins against Heritage tomorrow, I go Pitt.
11. Logan/Pitt
12. Richmond
13. Mt. Eden
14. Granada- I would probably bump Granada up a spot or two if they beat Livermore again, but we have to remember that the committee will strongly weigh the first half of the season.
15. Freedom
16. CP/Arroyo/Castro Valley
February 9th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
Matt Smith,
My only question here is what happens if everything goes Granada’s way and they finish second in league? How do you put someone who finished behind them ahead of them?
Also, tomorrow is very interesting in EBAL, everyone has something to play for except CAL, does that mean they come out flat, or remain consistent?
February 9th, 2011 at 8:52 pm
The seeding committee won’t really focus on league finish, considering it will consist of 40-50 percent of most teams games. League is important, sure, but just because Granada finishes second in league, you can’t forget about that start to the year. They deserve credit for playing well at the right time, and for a strong finish in league, no doubt, but you don’t seed them over teams that did it consistently for 22-24 games.
I think league games will be weighed slightly heavier, but not so much as to be disproportional.
February 9th, 2011 at 8:57 pm
What about predictions for DIV II? Just heard that Alhambra beat Dougherty 5-1… That makes them eligible for NCS.
February 9th, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Alhambra isn’t eligible yet. They have to beat Miramonte, at home.
I think they will, but they have lost to the Mats this year.
February 9th, 2011 at 9:01 pm
They are eligible based on their division II record. (8-6-3) Even if they lose to Miramonte they will still qualify.
February 9th, 2011 at 9:02 pm
Well said Matt, thank you.
Is Dougherty already in NCS?
February 9th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Matt when you can I’d like to see division II also. St marys won today and I don’t know the piedmont SJND score if SJND won then i think theyd be ncs bound. Assume St. mary’s Albany and Kennedy win their last games on friday against three teams each should beat.
February 9th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
Soccerfan is right. He just laid the smackdown on me. I forgot to count tonight’s win. I was wondering why I had them at 7-6-3 within the division.
February 9th, 2011 at 9:06 pm
Who did St. Mary’s beat tonight? Do you know the score?
February 9th, 2011 at 9:07 pm
Encinal I think it was 3-1 or 4-1 at Encincl They play Salesian and Alabny plays John Swett on Friday
February 9th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
Berkeley vs Granada in the first round?? That is an extremely tough game for Berkeley especially with a hot team like Granada. I’m not sure if Berkeley is completely healthy yet either…
February 9th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
Thankfully Matt Smith For President checks in. Love it.
I am working on my D II thoughts. And Dougherty is eligible.
February 9th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
I think Division II will show us how much emphasis is put on league. I see arguments for both Acalanes and Campo to be the top seed. Campo’s overall resume is fantastic and if they finish with just one loss, they have a legit claim.
Meanwhile, Acalanes wins the league. Do you really seed a team below the team it directly beat out for league? And the two teams split. Tough call…
Acalanes/Campolindo
Campolindo/Acalanes
San Lorenzo
The top three seeds are set right now.
Not sure what to do with the BSAL teams. With them not playing many non-league games, it’s gonna be tough to compare them with others. I think with O’Dowd closing strong, I go…
4. Bishop O’Dowd
5. Ygnacio Valley
6. Albany
7. Dublin
8. Hayward/Pinole
9. Pinole/Hayward (tough call here)
10. Concord
11. Dougherty Valley (they beat Piedmont, which is why I keep them here)
12. Alhambra
13. Piedmont
14. St. Mary’s
15. Kennedy-Richmond
16. St. Joe’s (if eligible)
I really feel like the BSAL might get hit hard by the committee with a very small non-league sample size. We have to remember that Alhambra beat Kennedy-R 3-0, and DV beat Piedmont 4-1. I think the DFAL teams get rewarded.
February 9th, 2011 at 9:27 pm
I am actually thinking Dublin at No. 6 and Albany at No. 7.
February 9th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Congrats to SLZ for making history today. I played against them today and they are honestly the definition of a team. There’s no excuses to be said but that they are the best team not just HAAL but in all the D2 schools. If your going to NCS fear them, they are really that good of a team they have grown so much this season and will forsure be in the final four.
February 9th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Matt,
Why does O’Dowd not appear in the top 15 but you place them at #4? Are you basing it off of potential/past NCS history?
February 9th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Seedings and rankings are very different. I think BOD’s strength of schedule will play a big factor. Nine games against D I teams (two of them are CCS teams that would be D I here).
February 9th, 2011 at 9:49 pm
Matt, if MV loses to SR tommorow, what do you think MV will be seeded?
February 9th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
Matt is so good its scary
February 9th, 2011 at 10:31 pm
Does Salesian still have a chance if they beat st. Marys??
February 9th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
Matt,
Last question I promise haha. Knowing that the NCS commitee occasionally messes up the seedings, do you have any foreshadowing feelings about this year? Since a team from each division last year (D1 – Freedom & D2 – Las Lomas) basically got cheated out of a chance at the championship, any teams you’re worried about in 2011?
February 9th, 2011 at 10:43 pm
Tack, great question… Let me think a minute.
As for the MV question, I think the loser of that game risks slipping to the eight seed as crazy as it sounds. You have Cal, Newark, Berkeley, DV, Livermore, DLS somewhere in the top seven, more than likely. Can you imagine Cal, if they win their first game, having to play someone like MV, SRV or Clayton? Scary.
February 9th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
Hey Val,
I think Salesian, if my calculations are correct, is 6-8-1 in league, meaning they’ll just miss out even with a win.
February 9th, 2011 at 10:48 pm
In Division I, I would say I am worried about Newark, DV and Berkeley. They might get much lower seeds if the EBAL snaps the top four or five, or four of five, etc…
In Division II, I worry about Dougherty and Alhambra because of the lackluster league record. I think those teams could beat everybody, but somehow might get seeded lower than they should. I don’t see anyone that is overwhelmingly deserving getting left out of either bracket.
February 9th, 2011 at 10:56 pm
So if the worst happens and these teams get the low seedings then we could see up first and second round upsets, no?
February 9th, 2011 at 10:58 pm
Yes indeed. I think this year should be chalked full of surprises in both brackets.
February 9th, 2011 at 11:02 pm
Shoutout to Matt for finding all this dirt that none of our lazy butts can do. Matt you truely are a Genius… cant wait for sunday and the NCS D1 seedings!
February 9th, 2011 at 11:43 pm
No matter what the seeds, Tack, for practical matters, it is a 2-week long new season. Cal should probably win D1 and Acalanes or Campo D2, but the ball is
round…
February 10th, 2011 at 7:51 am
Congratulations to San Lorenzo, great season and nice title run. They have lots of talent and will be a nightmare draw for whoever plays them in the NCS.
WELL DONE REBELS! BTW, to the Hayward GK #135, you show a lot of class young man, congratulations on a fine season to you and the rest of the Farmers.
February 10th, 2011 at 8:24 am
EBAL predictions for tonight:
Livermore 2 Granada 1- Livermore avenges round 1 loss to its rival.
DLS 1 Cal 0 – Cal lays down after clinching EBAL on Tues.
SRV 2 MV 2 – This should be a wild one.
AV 2 Foothill 1 – The much improved AV squad avoids the cellar and earns Pleasanton bragging rights.
Matt- What game do you recommend seeing tonight?
Bliss
February 10th, 2011 at 8:38 am
I think I would recommend that MV v. SRV game. Two teams who are certainly top eight seeds, and the winner would have a better chance of avoiding travelling to Clayton Valley, who will get a home game because they are league champs.
I’ll give my predictions for EBAL…
Livermore 2, Granada 1- Cowboys seize the chance to be a top five seed.
DLS 1, Cal 1- Cal plays it pretty safe, but that undefeated record matters to them.
SRV 2, MV 2- I agree with Bliss. This one will be wild and entertaining.
AV 2, FH 1- No way AV goes without an EBAL win this year.
February 10th, 2011 at 10:43 am
Are teams eligible for NCS if they have a .500 in league or overall?
February 10th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
EBAL predictions….I can’t help myself no matter what Matthew says, and I think you have 3 very exciting games and possibly a 4th if CAL fields a team with their starters.
MV 1, SRV 1
It’s suppose to be Senior day at MV…..hmmmmm I thought every game day was senior day for MV with 21 seniors on the squad. Should be a good one, will we see any glimpse of Dallas Jaye??
Granada 2, Livermore 1
I think Granada has there number and this will be end to end, winner has momentum for NCS
DLS 1 Cal 1
Bernardi is back and is playing so DLS will have some leadership on the field, Cal may take this game lightly but hopefully they play to win
AV 2, Foothill 1
AV is poised for their first win!
Game of the day- Granada/Liv or MV/SRV game….
February 10th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Just got word that Chikiz Montes will be back for Richmond tonight. If he’s healthy enough going into NCS, then that makes Richmond much more dangerous. He’s a special player and this is very big news.
February 10th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Whoever plays Richmond in the first round will be sorry…..
February 10th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Got another update for you guys.
Just learned that Freedom has to forfeit their last four games. Two of them were wins, and one was a tie. Freedom will not be eligible for the playoffs.
However, Deer Valley now improves to 16-2-5 and is unbeaten in league, perhaps staking claim to the third seed.
Also, very coincidentally, one of the Freedom forfeits is against Antioch, which means Antioch is 3-3-3 and a win tonight makes them eligible. Who are they playing, you ask? Well, they are playing Freedom. Funny how things work out.
February 10th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
So with Freedom out does that mean Arroyo and CV have a stronger chance?
February 10th, 2011 at 6:23 pm
Yes it does. It will come down to them, and Antioch if Antioch wins.
Arroyo is playing right now. CV played earlier, and I am trying to find out the score.
If CV and Arroyo are both eligible, it’s really a coin toss at this point.
February 10th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Thanks Matt. It’s too bad that teams can’t host home games unless they have lights(so I’ve heard). That takes some of the home field advantage away from teams like SLZ.
February 10th, 2011 at 6:40 pm
Ya, those teams will have to find places to play I guess.
Even though I seem to remember some games on the weekends being played in the afternoon in last year’s playoffs.
February 10th, 2011 at 6:43 pm
Matt,
With Freedom out, which teams do you think will make it in out of Antioch, Arroyo, CV, and CP assuming that all become eligible?
February 10th, 2011 at 6:51 pm
I think Antioch would have a hard time making it. They will be 4-9-7 at best. I think CP is probably going to get in. I have a hunch the last spot is between Arroyo and Castro Valley. Arroyo has a better overall and CV has a better league record. Too close for me to call at this point.
February 10th, 2011 at 6:56 pm
AV 0, Foothill 0 at half.
Even half but very messy play. Both teams have hit the post with the best chance coming from Foothill on the last play of the half when they had a 3 vs. 1 open goal chance and hit the post with the follow-up shot missing wide of the open net.
February 10th, 2011 at 6:56 pm
It looks like a good amount of rain next week with Friday being the heaviest. Might make for some early round upsets.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Livermore ahead 2/0. One good goal. One Granada mistake. Livermore head coach got Ted carded.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:16 pm
Hey Matt, do you think Dublin has a good chance of going all the way? They seem to be playing their best soccer right now.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:19 pm
I really do like Dublin’s chances. I think they’re style of play is perfect for the playoffs.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:36 pm
Castro Valley 3 to 1 over Arroyo
February 10th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
San leandro not arroyo
February 10th, 2011 at 7:38 pm
If both CV and Arroyo end up eligible I’m leaning towards Arroyo. Arroyo has big wins against Logan, Granada and SLZ. CV has only one big win BOD. I’m going by Max preps(not accurate) so maybe CV has some bigger wins.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:48 pm
AV 0 – 0 Foothill
Amador finishes disappointing season on disappointing note with many open chances.
February 10th, 2011 at 8:05 pm
Mt. Diablo 3 YV 2
February 10th, 2011 at 8:18 pm
SRV/MV game running late due to long delay. SRV Defender, Greg Ledford, appears to have broken leg below knee and was taken to hospital in ambulance. Awkward play, nothing dirty. Terrific, tough player who is one of the best outside backs in the league. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Greg and his parents tonight.
February 10th, 2011 at 8:18 pm
#170
arroyo did win tonight 2-0 at moreau
also a big win at hayward if you are counting
February 10th, 2011 at 8:33 pm
Matt who will richmond be playing in ncs? and berkeley? Can you put what the picture looks like?
February 10th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
how many goals has cal given up in league?
February 10th, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Old HAAL: Thank you I really appreciate the congrats and so will my team.
February 10th, 2011 at 9:01 pm
# 176 they shutout every team in league, Livermore twice. Tonight 0-0 vs DLS.
February 10th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
so they had 8 shutouts?
February 10th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
#176 7 goals against (14 games) according to max prep.
February 10th, 2011 at 9:05 pm
Antioch beat Freedom 1-0
February 10th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Livermore 3 – Granada 0…. Granada never in the game and Livermore looking stronger than ever. Kudos to the Coach for starting all 5 seniors tonight and letting them play most of the first half. Unfortunate that he was Red Carded, still a mystery as to why?? Speaking of Livermore Sr’s, they are only graduating 5 with only 3 of them starters. #10 midfielder, left outside back and Boyd the keeper. Great talent returning next year. Great Job Cowboys with clinching second in EBAL and making NCS for the first time in 5 or 6 years.
February 10th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
Grizzies end the regular season undefeated in the toughest league around. Allowing just 7 goals in 14 EBAL games is outstanding. Great job and good luck at NCS!
February 10th, 2011 at 9:12 pm
CAL 0 DLS 0
February 10th, 2011 at 9:18 pm
Richmond:4 Hercules:0
Richmond dominated the entire game.
How’s it looking for the oilers?
February 10th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
sr 2 mv 1, mv scored right after srv player broke his leg and the srv boys looked in shock. then they dominated the remaining 35 minutes without three starters due to injury. but for a great save by mv goalie, the game would have been 3-1.
February 10th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
#178-Cal was scored on in 6 league games this year. They did not “shutout every team in league”.
February 10th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Great news for Richmond as chikiz is back!
February 10th, 2011 at 9:24 pm
They have a shutout against every team in league play.
February 10th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Sorry for being late, but whats this about Heritage having to forfiet their last 4 games? Did they field an ineligible player? So that means the last 4 games will all be losses for them?
February 10th, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Who is chikiz?
February 10th, 2011 at 9:38 pm
Freedom had to
February 10th, 2011 at 10:11 pm
Who does Mt.Eden play in NCS?
February 10th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
Pitt beat heritage 4-0
February 10th, 2011 at 10:20 pm
Berkeley finishes league with a 5 to 0 win over El Cerrito
February 10th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
Rasim, Chikiz is Leonardo Montes. A midfielder/forward who was on the Times all-NCS first team as a sophomore and junior and who tore his acl last spring. He played for the first time this season tonight. A very creative player.
February 10th, 2011 at 10:40 pm
Theboy, who is u?
February 10th, 2011 at 10:41 pm
If Montes played the whole year Richmond would have been a totally different team. He’s that good.
February 10th, 2011 at 10:49 pm
Strange game at MV as the opening 10 minutes had SRV top defender brake his leg on a 50/50 ball. #4 Ledford all league defender as a sophomore, is a junior this year and a huge loss for the wolves.
Long delay, when play resumed,
MV took advantage and scored a nice goal with a cross and header on the side Ledford had been playing. 1 to 0 Mustangs at half. Both teams tentative after injury.
In the second half long awaited goalie return of Dallas Jaye, played with poise and ignited his team. Wolves dominated 2nd half, Chaussy scored equalizer, and sophomore player scored game winner for wolves with 2 minutes to go.
SRV seemed pumped in the 2nd half rallying for injured team mate.
Good win for wolves but at a significant cost.
February 10th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Samba: We don’t know Mt. Eden’s seed yet.
Eastbaysoccerfan: It’s Freedom, not Heritage, that reportedly (according to Matt Smith) had to forfeit four games.
TheBoy: Now that injured players are back for Richmond, they will fare much better than their seed indicates and should get one victory, maybe two or more if they are lucky.
Columbia: Cal did “shut out every team in league,” because they had at least one game with every team in league where they allowed no goals. That’s the correct interpretation of the quote.
Everybody: here is the final EBAL standings, for fun:
California 32, 9-0-5 (17-0-5)
Livermore 27, 8-3-3 (13-5-5)
San Ramon Valley, 25, 8-5-1 (14-8-2)
De La Salle, 23, 7-5-2 (15-6-2)
Granada, 22, 7-6-1 (7-12-5)
Monte Vista, 19, 5-5-4 (11-7-5)
Foothill, 5, 1-11-2 (5-15-3)
Amador Valley, 4, 0-10-4 (5-14-5)
*overall standings in parentheses
and PrepFan #183: thanks for your Grizzly salutation.
February 10th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Rough year for the Pleasanton schools.
I have an interesting concern, Livermore’s coach got a red card today which means he has received his second one of this EBAL season as he received his first one against CAL. Does this mean that he isn’t allowed to coach his team in NCS?
Granada never in the game today against Livermore.
February 10th, 2011 at 11:18 pm
SRV Dad, please pass the best wishes of the Richmond team to the Ledford family. Alan Ledford has been a mentor at the College is Real Program at Richmond HS. We all hope he gets to play again as quickly as possible.
February 10th, 2011 at 11:30 pm
The Anonymous, thanks for answering all those questions while I was away. Much appreciated.
So the update is this… Arroyo, Castro Valley, College Park and Antioch are alive and fighting for two spots, I believe. I think the other 14 teams are pretty solidified. Who do you guys think should get in?
I’m not sure what the Livermore coaching situation will be. Did he get two straight reds, or was one a soft red? Not sure if the same rules apply to coaches as players, but I hope he can coach in NCS. I think he’s a good coach, a good guy and Livermore is a good team.
February 11th, 2011 at 12:19 am
Very nice blog here
February 11th, 2011 at 12:20 am
hey matt, any updates on the goal leaders stats?
February 11th, 2011 at 12:27 am
Word on the street is Travis Mcallister will be the coach for LHS during NCS.
February 11th, 2011 at 4:23 am
Out of those 4 teams, Arroyo, Castro Valley, College Park and Antioch, hmm its a toss up. I would have to venture a guess of Arroyo and Castro Valley…
Arroyo (5-9-6)
Castro Valley (4-9-3)
College Park (1-7-5)
Antioch (3-9-4)
February 11th, 2011 at 4:32 am
Uh… why did Freedom have to forfeit those games?
February 11th, 2011 at 7:45 am
Matt, if the choice comes down to Castro Valley or Arroyo does head to head competition become a consideration for the committee? I believe CV has 1 win and a tie against Arroyo. BTW 206 and counting, good job, nice to see soccer fans from all the leagues come out of the wood work and support the sport. You’ve got to get the Baseball gig!
February 11th, 2011 at 7:46 am
#204 I see you got your record from max preps for CP. If you look at the towards the top of this blog you will see under league points that CP was 6-10-5(5-3-2 in league). I made the same mistake. It should be mandatory that teams update Max Preps with scores as well as the local papers. Matt is there any other web sites with updated scores that are more reliable than Max Preps?
BTW, Out of those 4 teams I would have to go with Arroyo and CP from strength of schedule and wins against strong NCS teams.
February 11th, 2011 at 7:48 am
Hey Eastbaysoccerfan,
I think those are the records displayed on maxpreps. They are incorrect, maxpreps did not include all game results this season. Just thought I’d point that out.
(and your welcome Matt Smith)
February 11th, 2011 at 8:00 am
Matt, who can we petition for you to get the Baseball Gig? Can we set something up? Who is the reporter that is going to cover Baseball this year? Help us out please.
BTW, not trying to make friction between you and your fellow reporters but it is what it is.
Keep up with the excellent job it is much appreciated!
February 11th, 2011 at 8:39 am
I’m not sure if there is another site that keeps track of scores, but my records are usually very accurate. So you can take what I have and then just factor in what has happened during the week. I’ll try to do better at posting all scores from all leagues next season to make it easy on everybody.
I think OldHAALDad makes a great point. Castro Valley might have the edge on Arroyo with the 1-0-1 head-to-head. For me, it’s a really tough call between those two and CP for the last two spots.
I heard Freedom had to forfeit because of an ineligible player. Not sure if it means grades, or if some paperwork wasn’t filled out, or whatever, but I’m pretty sure they probably reported themselves if it was found out after four games. So they did the right thing. It’s just too bad that two years in a row something keeps them out of the playoffs.
I am super flattered you guys want me to do baseball, and I am a huge baseball fan as well, but we have an awesome reporter named Ben Enos on the baseball beat.
February 11th, 2011 at 8:41 am
Hey Greenbay, I will throw the updated stat leaders up in the comments this afternoon after I see the rest of the box scores.
February 11th, 2011 at 8:56 am
Matt
when do the official NCS seedings come out- Monday?
February 11th, 2011 at 8:57 am
They should be out on Sunday. Usually by late morning, early afternoon.
February 11th, 2011 at 9:05 am
Matt, I noticed in todays paper in the Prep of the week article that there were 3 wrestlers and 2 basketball players selected on the boys side and all basketball players on the girls side. Surely there must be a couple of soccer players somehere,boys or girls, that qualify. Nothing against the above atheletes it just seems that Soccer has a hard time breaking into the lime light. Just wondering.
February 11th, 2011 at 9:08 am
Goal scorers as of this morning…
Padilla, Clayton 25
Foster, Granada 22
Aguila, Richmond 18
Pagliuca, Cal 17
Hartland, Dublin 17
Villa, Pitt 16
Parisi, Dougherty 15
Ulloa, Logan 15
Navarro, Newark 14
Shaiwany, Dougherty 13
And I’m sorry about the athlete of the week thing. I actually think it would really help if coaches just bug the people at the office with a bunch of nominations each week. That would kinda help those guys out.
February 11th, 2011 at 9:21 am
from what i watched, foster should be ebal mvp. scoring 22 goals on a team under .500 in the best conference is pretty amazing, especially when he is a marked man.
February 11th, 2011 at 9:25 am
Soccer never get’s the same notoriety as basketball and it should. Not sure why wrestlers are mentioned and no soccer players? Good Point Old HAAL Dad. As for the Arroyo, CV, CP argument if NCS doesn’t blow it and put Antioch in over Arroyo/CV the HAAL should have at least 5 teams that make playoffs( SLZ,BOD,Hayward,Mt.Eden,Arroyo/CV) and that’s a huge plus for The HAAL!
Go HAAL!
February 11th, 2011 at 9:57 am
I know this is boys soccer but,
any one smell repeat championships by CV and BOD on the girls side?
February 11th, 2011 at 10:50 am
As an old time HAAL dad myself (HHS ’73) and the father of a BOD player I’ve really enjoyed this year’s HAAL competition. Lots of great play from top to bottom! Congrats to SLz for winning league this year! The HAAL will be well represented at NCS this year. I will be pulling for all of you, except against BOD of course.
GK at HHS, you played great against BOD at HHS. (As an HHS alum I may donate a lawn mower though. 
) Best of luck to all of you. Matt keep up the great work. It’s been an education for me.
February 11th, 2011 at 10:57 am
Antioch was 6-9-5 if I am correct. They beat de anza and berean christian as well. Someone said that arroyos strength of schedule was stronger than antiochs that is hard to believe. Antioch played clayton, san ramon valley, berkeley, and college park early in the year as well as de la salle. They were league champs last year and have been in the playoffs the last 2 years. They deserve a look by the committee and could get in over arroyo.
February 11th, 2011 at 11:11 am
Thanks bvaldad. I now have Antioch at 6-9-6 after reviewing their record again and adding those two wins. They have an argument as well.
February 11th, 2011 at 11:13 am
Bvaldad, If you look I said strength of schedule and Big Wins. Does Antioch have bigger wins(NCS Playoff teams) than Arroyo? League champs last year and playoffs the last 2 years means nothing this year.
What are Antioch’s Big Wins This year? Not trying to start a beef just want facts. I could be wrong.
February 11th, 2011 at 11:21 am
Has College Park won a single game against a Div I school? They Finished 3rd in a league of all Div II schools except Clayton Valley, who they lost to twice.
February 11th, 2011 at 11:22 am
Newark Memorial finishes league play undefeated and untied. Nobody in the mval was even scored a goal on them. They have been winning games 5or 6-0 consistently, but havent had much competition since december other than logan.
How will this effect Newark heading into ncs?
February 11th, 2011 at 11:23 am
CP’s one Division I win is against Heritage.
February 11th, 2011 at 11:34 am
Just checked, it seems Antioch’s biggest wins were against Freedom. I don’t think that compares with Arroyo( beat Logan,Granada,SLZ,Hayward). Just my opinion. The NCS has made bad decisions before so if Antioch gets in over Arroyo,CV or CP it would be another one.
February 11th, 2011 at 11:55 am
Hmmm..Who has CP beat that’s gonna be in the Playoffs? Matt can you answer that?
February 11th, 2011 at 11:59 am
So I have devised a formula. It’s not very sophisticated, but it has my own way of calculating non-league strength of schedule, league finish and strength, wins against Division I teams and wins against Division I playoff teams. According to this, the last two spots should go to Castro Valley and Arroyo.
The lower the number, the better…
Castro Valley 6.96
Arroyo 8.14
Antioch 8.33
CP 11.18
Arroyo has two wins over potential Division I playoff teams (Granada and Logan) while CV has one (gave them credit for the Arroyo win). Arroyo has three wins against D I teams, CV has five. Antioch has four (all in league).
I should probably be doing my reading in between classes instead of concocting ridiculous formulas, but my brain won’t shut down.
February 11th, 2011 at 12:16 pm
Wow, I’ll take Matt Smith’s Formula over BCS anyday and it’s probably more accurate.
February 11th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
I wonder how has the top three D-1 teams fared against D-2 head to head? Or top 5 or 10. Which division comes out on top?
February 11th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Cal didn’t play any Division II teams, neither did MV, SRV or DLS. Livermore played Alhambra and won big. Newark played SLZ and lost early in the year.
Berkeley played a few in league, but that’s it.
San Lorenzo had a bunch of wins against D I teams, Acalanes went 2-1-1 and Campo went 3-0 against D I teams.
February 11th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
San ramon lost to a DIV II team. (Acalanes)
February 11th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
You are correct, and I was just typing that here to fix that mistake, but you beat me to the punch.
February 11th, 2011 at 1:04 pm
Thanks again Matt! You Da Man! My thinking is, you take the top three D-1 vs D-2 and it’s a coin toss. Just a Fantasy Playoff. It would be cool if we had a State Championship for Soccer and Baseball. If Baseball cut their season from 24 games down to 20 and then had one Champ for North vs South….Just wishful thinking.
February 11th, 2011 at 1:06 pm
SoCal does a playoff after all their section championships. Figured that NorCal would join and a state title game would take place, but it hasn’t happened yet.
February 11th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Hey Matt, if Granada does get in what do you think they will be ranked? Could they get Livermore in the first round ( YIKES!! )?? I saw the game last night and I wouldn’t be surprised if Livermore wins it all. Man, they are good.
February 11th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
Matt- How do you see ties affecting a teams seeding? example: Antioch tied College Park, Granada, and Deer Valley.
February 11th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Curios Observer, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if BOD took home the D2 title but I don’t know if CV has the horses to get past some real tough EBAL teams, Carondelet, Monte Vista and SRV to name a few. CV lost three really good players to graduation last year and I don’t know if they have reloaded well enough to make a title run but they had a good year and anything can happen in the NCS and usually does. Last year on this blog the EBAL fans were pretty smug about CV not being able to match up with the EBAL sides and SURPRISE! CV took home the title. BTW I think that made four CV players who went to Washington State, any news on how their doing up there in the Northwest?
February 11th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
I think Granada and Livermore could possibly play again, but my guess is the seeding committee will try to avoid that.
And I do think those ties that were pointed out by clubcoach could really help Antioch.
February 11th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
The way the NCS picks I wouldn’t be surprised if they put Antioch and CP in and leave out Arroyo/CV which would be a travesty. I’m liking Matt Smith’s formula more and more.
February 11th, 2011 at 9:24 pm
Matt what do you know about kennedy from richmond ? do you know if there in NCS ?
February 11th, 2011 at 9:35 pm
Any scores from tonight?
February 11th, 2011 at 10:00 pm
Kennedy510, look at post #133.
February 11th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
About D1 playing DII, Kennedy(Richmond)DII beat Mt.Eden DI score 2-1
February 11th, 2011 at 10:25 pm
Is Hayward a D1 or DII school?
February 11th, 2011 at 10:41 pm
Kennedy-Richmond is playoff bound.
Scores:
Dougherty Valley 1, Dublin 0
Las Lomas 2, Acalanes 2
Miramonte 2, Alhambra 1
St. Mary’s 3, Salesian 0
February 12th, 2011 at 2:40 am
Forgot…
Campo 4, Piedmont 0
And Hayward is a Division II school.
February 12th, 2011 at 8:50 am
NICE UPDATED POST #250
you really do a fantastic job,
keep up the excellent work
(you obviously work around the clock)
February 12th, 2011 at 9:38 am
Matt, do you know if there are any make-up games scheduled today?
February 12th, 2011 at 10:11 am
Does anybody know the final BVAL standings? HAAL? DVAL? It would be an essential assistance to my final d1 predictions.
February 12th, 2011 at 10:27 am
I’m gonna post all the updated league standings soon.
And I’m fairly certain there are no games today.
February 12th, 2011 at 10:28 am
In my humble highly subjective opinion the EBAL MVP must come from Cal High. While Bernardi & Foster are two of the best players I’ve seen this year-the MVP must come from the undefeated league champion. The EBAL is a battle every game. The top player from the best team (during LEAGUE play) should be rewarded.
Ben Danielson #11 (as mentioned earlier) is the most consistent player for CHS. From his left defensive position he not only is a rock wall thwarting attackers-he leads the offense many times with tremendous ball skills, passing, and a devastating shot. Ben never has a night off. He is a quiet leader of an undefeated team, and a defensive player for a team which allowed 7 goals in 14 EBAL games!
February 12th, 2011 at 10:30 am
Matt,
Along with the updated league standings, can you post your final NCS D1 and D2 predictions?
February 12th, 2011 at 10:31 am
Yes sir. That is the plan.
Noon-ish is when I hope to have it all up by.
February 12th, 2011 at 11:40 am
Grizzly Roar,
Your analysis of #11′s play for Cal is right on. He is the most well rounded player on the best team, aiding defense and offense (one of the leading assitors for Cal from a defensive position). You brought up the main fact I think, consistency! In every game and adding value every game. Another point would be creative play. One coach during a recent game yelled “Damn he is too unpredictable!!” He is also very cool in the heat of the game and that helps his team remain calm.
It was fun to watch Cal and DLS go at it the other night. Both teams came out full of energy similiar to the MV vs. Cal game. DLS is going to be hard to beat in the tourney. They appear to be hitting on all pistons currently. Their current status in the league is deceiving I think. We shall know very soon!
Congrats to all the EBAL teams for an entertaining league season. It seemed that we had a surprise every game night! Players for every team played with passion. Good points can be made for the EBAL being the toughest soocer league in not only the bay area but northern cal.
NCS, good luck to all EBAL teams…..
February 12th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
i know it may be a bit early to say, but what team does everyone think will start on top of the preseason standings next year?
February 12th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
Perhaps a Division II school? Campo and Acalanes return a lot of players.
February 12th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Clayton has one senior. They should be tough next year.
February 12th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
srv returns 11 juniors and 2 transfers who sat out this year.
February 12th, 2011 at 4:41 pm
Old HAAL Dad,
It would be nice to see a HAAL sweep on the girls side for the second year. O’dowd has the twins who are both heading to Univ. Washington It should be fun to atch that side.
February 12th, 2011 at 5:00 pm
EBAL MVP – The best player this year is Foster, Granada, no doubt. Unfortunately for him, the majority of MVPs come from the league champion. Having said this, I think Cal’s Fagenson should be the MVP. He creates havoc from the outside and inside. Danielson has been able to make some runs behind Fagenson because Fagenson and Rivas have been drawing so much attention. Bernardi is a good player but he has not dominant nor put many balls in the net. I think in order to be the MVP you have to be clearly dominate in your position.
February 12th, 2011 at 6:09 pm
GlobalSoccer, I think on CAL, Danielson is the MVP. Rivas has taken the attention and Fagenson and Danielson have had the advantage of defenses focusing on the middle of the field.
However, my MVP vote goes for Foster without a doubt.
I think the coaches will see it different though.
February 12th, 2011 at 8:18 pm
#11 Ben Danielson, California High School, EBAL MVP without a doubt. Class act on and off the field.
February 12th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
hhs grad: haha thank you, i don’t even think a lawn mower is enough for that field, im so glad were not playing on that no more
February 13th, 2011 at 12:30 am
The coaches tend to do weird things when it comes to MVP and All league, wouldn’t be surprised to see weird things like always.
February 13th, 2011 at 12:31 am
One more thing, the coaches see it different than we do, hope they make the best decision.