Nine seconds was all it took for Denair High’s varsity boys soccer team to grab a lead. And they never looked back.
On a quest for a third CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI blue banner in four years, the Coyotes handled business in their first round match against Vacaville Christian, winning 6-1.
Scoring that goal in the opening seconds was senior Nicolas Zavala, who tapped in a header into an empty net. The Falcons possessed the ball first, but were quickly intercepted by Denair defenders, who proceeded to blast the ball all the way across the pitch. The goalkeeper misread the bounce, which left Zavala alone in the penalty box to knock it in.
“We just tried to send the ball up to the strikers so that they can make plays, maybe pass it back,” Zavala said of his team’s approach. “It just opened up a goal scoring opportunity for me. That ball was like a present right there, and I got it in. It feels amazing.
“I feel like it shocked the other team to score that quick. And it was more motivation for us to just build up from there.”
The Falcons momentarily tied thanks to a goal from Manny Cox, then it was all Denair. Five minutes later, Jose Saldana gave the Coyotes the lead back with a short tap in. Seven minutes into the second half, Elias Alvarez extended the lead to 3-1. Saldana nabbed a second score after receiving a perfect crosser from Zane Simbalenko in the 61st minute. Octavio Valle and Alex Mendoza piled on with scores in the last 15 minutes of play.
“With it 2-1 at the half, we knew we had to accelerate it a little bit to try to get more goals in,” said Denair head coach Antonio Padilla. “They understood the message in the second half.”
The No. 6 Coyotes, who went 8-2-2 in the Southern Athletic League, improved to 10-7-4 overall. They will be on the road on Tuesday to take on No. 3 Esparto High in the quarterfinals. The Spartans had a bye this week after achieving a 12-6-1 record in the regular season.
“We need to keep working, step by step, and enjoy every moment. It's gonna be the key in these games in the playoffs,” Padilla said. “It can get hard, but I want the boys to keep playing hard, having fun, and make good memories.”
DIVISION I GIRLS:
After winning a one-game Central California Athletic League eliminator on Tuesday, Turlock High’s girls varsity soccer team was back in action two days later, clashing with Franklin of Stockton in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I play-in game on Thursday night.
Despite the rainy, winder, cold conditions under the lights of Joe Debely Stadium, the No. 16 Bulldogs cruised to a 6-2 win to earn a road trip to Loomis on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. clash with top-seeded Del Oro.
The Bulldogs are 13-6-3 overall while the Golden Eagles are 9-2-5.
Scoring twice for Turlock was senior Emma Zamudio. Also finding the back of the net were Isis Cosio, Eliza Roque, Kealani Solis-Coelho and Adalay Valvidia. Assisting on two of the scores Alondra Medel Zuniga. Starting goalkeeper Frankie Ronveaux tossed a shutout in her 40 minutes of action.
DIVISION V BOYS:
Hilmar’s boys soccer season will also roll into next week after securing a 1-0, first-round win over Sacramento’s Destiny Christian Academy on Friday afternoon.
Final statistics were not available by press time.
The No. 5 Yellowjackets will travel No. 4 Linden on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. quarterfinal match.
Hilmar is 9-6-6 overall, while the Lions are 8-7-2.
DIVISION IV BOYS:
It was a Valentine’s Day to forget for the Trans-Valley League champions.
No. 15 Hughson had a date with No. 2 Dixon in the Division IV bracket, and the Rams showed little sympathy. They defeated the Huskies 10-0.
Hughson’s season after achieving a 7-12-6, including a 5-2-5 record against conference opponents.
OTHER TUESDAY GAMES:
Hilmar’s girls soccer team will begin their quest for a second straight Sac-Joaquin Section D-5 title on Tuesday afternoon. The top-seeded Lady ‘Jackets will welcome the No. 9 Hawks of nearby Delhi to their campus for a 3 p.m. start time.
As the No. 1 ranked team, the Yellowjackets had a first round bye. They achieved a 14-5-2 record in the regular season, and were third place in the TVL at 8-2-2.
Delhi advanced after beating No. 8 Calaveras 4-2 in a penalty shootout after the two teams played to a 1-1 draw at the end of extra time.
Also on their home turf Tuesday will be Denair’s girls squad for their first game of the D-6 tournament.
The No. 4 Lady Coyotes were a perfect 12-0 in the Southern Athletic League and were 16-5-1 in the regular season. After a bye, they’ll face off with No. 5 Bradshaw Christian at 6 p.m.
WEDNESDAY SLATE:
The higher divisions for boys soccer will kick off their postseason on Wednesday.
In the Division I bracket, Turlock will welcome Jesuit for the first round game. It is slated to start at 6 p.m.
The Bulldogs won the CCAL title last week with a 7-2-1 record. They are the No. 5 seed after going 12-6-3 in the regular season. Jesuit, meanwhile, is seeded No. 12 after playing to a 4-6-8 overall.
Taking place at the exact same time across town will be a Division II match between No. 6 andt No. 11 Merced.
The Pride finished third in the CCAL with a 6-3-1 record, with one of their wins coming against Turlock, 1-0, in the regular season finale. They went 14-4-2 overall. The Bears will roll in as this year’s Central California Conference champions after posting an 8-2 record against league foes. They are 12-7-2 through the regular season.
