LOS GATOS — No. 8 Watsonville had chance, after chance, after chance, but top-seeded Los Gatos High said no, and no, and no again, en route to a 1-0 win in the quarterfinal round of the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs on Saturday afternoon.
The loss stops Watsonville’s (12-5-4) streak of advancing to a CCS championship match at four straight seasons. The 11-time CCS champions will have to watch the rest of the playoffs from the sidelines.
Watsonville head coach Roland Hedgpeth said it was one of his team’s best performances of the season.
The results didn’t match the play on the field.
“It’s disappointing,” Hedgpeth said, “but I think they played up to their ability.”
Looking for its first CCS title since 1995, Los Gatos (17-0-2) moves on to play No. 5 St. Ignatius — a 3-0 winner over Overfelt High — in the semifinal round on Tuesday.
The time and location is still to be determined.
The Wildcats will also advance to the inaugural California Interscholastic Federation Northern California tournament in a few weeks.
All of this is new territory for Los Gatos, which has had it heart broken in postseason action in the last two seasons. Last year they lost 1-0 in the first round to eventual Division I champion Lincoln High, and the year before they fell in a penalty-kick shootout to Christopher High.
“We’re learning our lesson as we go along here,” said Los Gatos head coach Bradford Radonich II.
Los Gatos, ranked 26th in the state by MaxPreps.com, broke the scoreless tie five minutes into the second half on a laser from senior forward Mikkel Dolmer, and held on through Watsonville’s barrage over the final 30 minutes.
Senior forward Erik Herrera had a good look from 22 yards out, sophomore forward Alexis Valenzuela also gave it a go from around the same spot, and senior striker Alex Gonzalez had a promising header on a corner kick that just missed the mark.
But junior Ricardo Alvarado’s spinning drive-and-boot through a trio of defenders in the 79th minute looked like Watsonville’s best chance at an equalizer.
The ball ended up in the gut of sophomore keeper Connor Faries, and moments later the official blew the whistle, sending several Watsonville players to the turf, distraught that their season had come to an end.
“We kept knocking and knocking,” said Watsonville keeper Isaac Frias, “but the door never opened.”
Los Gatos, which had posted 14 shutouts heading into Saturday’s meeting, was content with sitting back in its defensive shell and allowing Watsonville to poke and prod. The defense, led by senior Ben Noymer, stepped up when it needed to.
“That’s been our M-O,” Radonich said. “It’s CCS. These games are always close. You have to be able to take advantage of your opportunities.”
The officials swallowed their whistles on most occasions and allowed the players to tussle for loose balls, but a call from the linesman set up the eventual game-winner.
The ball ricocheted off a Los Gatos player near the boundary, and back into the field off a Watsonville player’s arm. Watsonville thought the ball had gone out of bounds before the Los Gatos player sent it back into the middle of the pitch.
The officials called a handball, Los Gatos sophomore midfielder Sigi Valencia sent in the free kick from 40 yards out and Dolmer cleaned up the loose ball with a rocket from 25 yards away.
“We just didn’t step up at that one moment,” Hedgpeth said. “They put pressure on us in the first 10 minutes, but we handled it well. It was one little mistake. We didn’t cover the guy.”
The Wildcatz entered the postseason as hot as any team in the division. They beat Pajaro Valley High and San Benito High during the final week of their Monterey Bay League Gabilan division season to finish second and earn a bid into the prestigious Open Division.
The strong play carried over, but the goals did not.
Watsonville will graduate nine players: Vladmir Mendoza, Armando Martinez, Derek Zaragoza, Ernesto Cruz, Oscar Rocha, Jose Villanueva, Gonzalez, Herrera and Frias.
Hedgpeth said he plans to return for another season, and has high hopes for some of the younger players on his current roster.
“I’ve got to digest this one first, and we’ll go from there,” Hedgpeth said.
GIRLS
• Sobrato 1, Aptos 0 — The No. 3-seeded Aptos High Mariners had their season come to an end in the quarterfinal round of the CCS Open Division playoffs via a 1-0 loss to No. 6 Sobrato High on Saturday night in Aptos.
Aptos, which won its fifth straight Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League championship this year, finishes its season with a 13-4-2 record.
The Mariners will graduate seven: Monserrat Hernandez-Marquez, Maya Pruett, Sophia Audisio, Marylu Escutia, Grace Rothman, Paige Dueck and Mary McGinn.
