CIF-SS soccer playoffs: LA Daily News preview

Local boys and girls high school soccer teams found out their playoff paths on Saturday when the CIF Southern Section released its postseason brackets.

Area squads will enter play ranging from the Open Division bracket down to Division 8 with all boys playoff openers set for Feb. 11 and the girls games following on Feb. 12.

Here’s a look at the opening round matchups for all Daily News squads in the Southern Section:

Oaks Christian girls enter Open Division play

Despite a few hiccups in Marmonte League play this year, the Lions will still return to the Open Division postseason for the third straight season.

Oaks Christian (15-3-2) will open the playoffs with a pair of matches against the Palos Verdes Sea Kings (14-3-1).

The Lions have had their lineup tinkered with due to nagging injuries and conflicting national team practices, but coach Sebastian Alvarado is excited for his playoff veteran group to get another shot at a sectional title.

“Injuries always play a factor, but we’re here, and we’re going to learn from the Westlake loss,” Alvarado said in a phone interview. “It’s a new season, now you’re in the playoffs. These girls, the few seniors that we have left, have been here. Their journey has been playoffs, open games and state Games. We’re excited to just do it one more time.”

Before dropping their regular season finale, the Lions had won six straight games with 25 goals, with just one breaking into the Oaks Christian net during that streak.

Oaks Christian heads to Palos Verdes on Thursday before hosting the Sea Kings in round two on Saturday.

“I think that our program has stepped up on the big stage and we’re just excited that they have an opportunity to do that, and hope they do that on Thursday and Saturday,” Alvarado said. “It’s not easy to beat the same team twice in a row, especially in the open, because all those teams are good enough to beat each other on any given day.”

Westlake, Hart, Notre Dame girls highlight Division 1 bracket

Westlake girls soccer finished the regular season on a heater, unbeaten through its final five matches with 13 goals scored to just two conceded. The Warriors’ win streak also included a 2-1 win over Marmonte League rival Oaks Christian, which flipped the tables in favor of Westlake. After their sensational season, the Warriors (12-2-1) have now earned the top seed in Division 1 and will host the Fairmont Prep Huskies (7-6-2).

Both teams have goal-scoring machines, but Fairmont Prep will need to slow down the Chowana sisters in KK and freshman Cayden, who have done much of the scoring for Westlake. The Huskies’ senior Camarin Choi will be the focus for the Warriors, as she’s scored close to 20 goals this year.

Notre Dame (14-4-3) snagged the two-seed in the bracket and will host Glendora. The Tartans (15-0-2) finished the season undefeated and, in doing so, as Palomares League champs. Glendora has allowed just seven goals all year and conceded more than one goal in a single match once. The Knights are also red-hot with zero losses since January, and a 33-5 goal differential in that span, along with eight clean sheets.

Other local teams in the bracket: Rosary Academy at Thousand Oaks, Newport Harbor at Chaminade, Murrieta Valley at Moorpark, Hart at Canyon Anaheim, and San Clemente at Harvard-Westlake.

Saugus, St. Genevieve, Royal girls head into Division 2 playoffs

The Centurions got some help from around the league and nabbed their first Foothill League title in over a decade. Now Saugus (13-4-3) moves forward in search of another milestone, its first playoff win in five years.

Standing in the way of the feat is the Laguna Beach Breakers (8-3-4), who have scored one goal in their last four outings. The Breakers play in the competitive Pacific Coast League, but the Centurions will also enter battle-tested after a long 20-match season, which ended a 14-year title drought.

“To me and these girls, it means everything,” Centurions coach Kai English said in a phone interview. “It was our goal for the season. It’s been our goal for a long time, and it feels extra special this year because we all came into the school together four years ago, their freshman class, my first year at Saugus coaching. A few of them have been on varsity all four years. Most of them have been on varsity at least two, three years. They’ve been working so hard to get that goal. So I’m just so proud of all of them, and they definitely deserve it.”

Saugus senior Makea Leonard finished her regular season with 25 goals and eight assists while underclassmen Ava Marcellin and Holden Sheff continue to contribute all over the field.

“We’re super excited,” English said. “We’ve got a home game, which we haven’t had in four years, so that’ll be fun to play at Saugus and get some fans out there, but they’re ready to go. They don’t want their season to end. They’re really, really pumped for it, so we just hope we can go as far as possible.”

Royal is the second seed in Division 2 and will play host to the La Serna Lancers. Both teams enter the playoffs under .500, but with plenty of good wins on the schedule, along with tough league play.

The Highlanders are playing well and finished off the year with two wins, one draw and zero goals in their final three matches. Sophomore Sofia Delgado is a 10-goal scorer this year for Royal, who has won just one game at home since early December.

Other local teams in the bracket: West Ranch at Crean Lutheran, Western Christian at St. Genevieve.

Valencia girls take top-seed in Division 3, Burroughs, Simi Valley also enter bracket

The number one Vikings will open up Division 3 play at home against the North Torrance Saxons (11-4-2). Valencia (5-7-4) is yet to win a game outside of league but finished the year with a few impressive draws against West Ranch, Flintridge Prep and Hart, who are in Division 3 or higher.

Burroughs will head to Fullerton (10-10-5) for its opening round matchup. The Bears’ offense ended the season on a scorcher with 28 goals scored in its last five games. Burroughs (11-7-4) has come a long way since starting the season with just one win in its first seven outings, but is ready to play for its first playoff win in three years.

Simi Valley has put its last season’s stumbles behind it and is preparing for a tough Notre Dame Academy squad. The Pioneers have just one win in their last seven matches with just two goals scored in that span, but aren’t letting it hinder their promising (8-6-3) season and potential postseason run.

Viewpoint girls begin conquest for second straight title

The Patriots will enter the Division 4 bracket, one division higher than the bracket Viewpoint championed in 2024.

Viewpoint (9-7-1) will open up on the road at Immaculate Heart. The Pandas (10-4-7) finished the season as the third seed in the Sunshine League, with more than a 2-1 goal differential and just a couple of losses on the calendar year.

The Patriots have won just two of their last six, but know it’s a new season ahead with more than half the sectional champion team returning to the postseason.

Other local teams entering the CIF SS playoffs: Carpinteria at Burbank (Division 5), Whittier Christian at Alemany (Division 5), Village Christian at Grace (Division 6), AGBU at Santa Rosa Academy (Division 7), Baldwin Park at Oakwood (Division 7), Buckley at Cornerstone Christian (Division 8).

Calabasas, Moorpark boys take on Division 3 bracket

Since dropping its season opener, Calabasas has yet to end a game without a point on its schedule. The Coyotes (15-1-4) finished the season on a 19-game undefeated streak, which the team hopes to stretch into the playoffs against the visiting North Torrance Saxons.

Calabasas has allowed just four goals in its last eight contests and finished the season with 12 shutouts.

The Musketeers (11-5-2) will also have a challenge in the Division 3 bracket, but will be on the road to face the La Serna Lancers (12-9-1).

Moorpark will need more standout performances upfront from Austin Nickels and Isaac Zapata, who each have reached double-digit goal totals this season.

Notre Dame, Valencia, Oak Park boys highlight loaded Division 4 playoffs

Harvard-Westlake is another team looking to defend its CIF title and will get to do so in Division 4 after winning the Division 2 feat last season.

The Wolverines (17-1-3) have dropped just one game this season, have won six straight, and finished off the year with 13 clean sheets.

Harvard-Westlake will open up on Wednesday at home against a tough Sierra Vista Dons team.

Valencia (12-4-2) won its first league title in seven seasons and will now host the Arroyo Knights (18-1-5) of El Monte. The Vikings have gotten contributions from all over the roster, with Omid Gholamali and Ciro Karapetyan leading the way.

The game will mark Valencia’s first playoff appearance in three years. The Vikings have made the majority of playoffs over the last 10 years and have only dropped a postseason opener once.

Other local teams in the bracket: Glendale at Granite Hills, Western at Notre Dame, Pacifica at Saugus, Baldwin Park at Oak Park

Hart, Crespi, Westlake boys begin quest for Division 5 title

Hart earned the top seed in Division 5, breaking a two-year run of the Hawks in one of the top two divisions.

Nonetheless, Hart (7-4-5) is gearing up for the challenges ahead and will first host Linfield Christian (7-7-4). After being held scoreless for four straight games, the Hawks finally broke through and punched in nine goals in their three-game win streak that closed out the regular season.

The Celts (12-5-2) are making their first playoff appearance in eight seasons and enter the postseason feeling confident. Crespi has dropped just one match in its last eight, with 17 goals in that span. Crespi heads to Fillmore (9-6-2) to take on the Flashes in search of its first postseason win in 12 years.

Other local teams in the bracket: Mountain View at Oaks Christian, Palmdale Aerospace Academy at Golden Valley, Tustin at West Ranch, Wilson at Westlake

Other local teams entering the CIF SS playoffs: Viewpoint at Kennedy (Division 6), Oakwood at New Roads (Division 7), Trinity Classical Academy at Ganesha (Division 7), AGBU at Temple City (Division 7), Providence at Lucerne Valley (Division 8), Newbury Park Adventist at Environmental Charter (Division 8), Verbum Dei at Buckley (Division 8), La Sierra Academy at Holy Martyrs (Division 8)