It was a special, and historical, Wednesday night for four local high school soccer teams that kept their Central Coast Section postseason runs alive for at least one more weekend.
The Watsonville boys’ group is returning to the section finals for the first time since 2022, while the girls’ squad is set to make their first-ever championship appearance in the program’s history.
In Aptos, both the boys and girls teams are back in the CCS finals for the first time in a quarter century when each group made it to the finals in 2001.
Below is a breakdown of how each team was able to reach the CCS championships set for Saturday. For tickets visit the GoFan website at gofan.co/app/school/CIFCCS
Boys
Division II
At No. 2 Watsonville 2, No. 3 Homestead 1 (OT): Junior forward Damien Moreno blasted in the game-winning goal in the Wildcatz’s victory in overtime against the Mustangs in Wednesday night’s thrilling semifinals match.
Jesus Contreras-Barboza recorded his ninth goal of the season that tied the score at 1-all late in the second half, forcing the two extra 10-minute overtime periods.
In overtime, Moreno scored his eighth goal of the season to help lift the ‘Catz into their first finals appearance since winning an Open Division title in 2022.
The ‘Catz have won a total of 12 CCS titles—including 10 under longtime head coach Roland Hedgpeth, who is in his 55th year with the program and 47th as the skipper.
Watsonville captured its 37th league title after it won the Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division with an 11-0-1 record in league play this winter campaign.
Senior forward Diego Guillen currently leads Watsonville with 24 goals and 22 assists this season, while teammate junior Justin Alfaro has 12 goals and one assist.
Next up, No. 2 Watsonville (18-1-2) will take on No. 1 Mitty (11-6-4) for the D-II title at Sequoia High in Redwood City at 12:30pm.
D-IV
At No. 2 Aptos 1, No. 3 Sacred Heart Cathedral 0: Ivan Zavala’s goal in the 48th minute secured a victory for the Mariners over the Fightin’ Irish in the D-IV semifinals, and back in the section finals for the first time since 2001.
“It’s crazy, we’re finally here,” Zavala said. “We were just happy to have fun, and we want to go for more. We want to go further, and we’re here to make that happen.”
Nicolas Topete assisted the crisp pass to Zavala, who then dribbled it down the left wing past a SHC defender and took a power left foot shot that landed on the upper right corner straight into the back of the net.
Heberth Santiago-Toledo recorded his 12th clean sheet of the season while tallying nine saves, including a goal-saving diving block in the 70th minute that prevented a possible trip into overtime.
SHC had a chance to take an early lead with a penalty kick attempt in the ninth minute but the shot attempt went wide right straight into the upright, keeping the game scoreless going into halftime.
Aptos head coach Roberto Zúñiga had a case of deja vu after having suffered gut-wrenching defeats in the past from inside the box, including last season’s D-III quarterfinals loss to Los Gatos in a penalty kick shootout.
“Fortuntely for us we got lucky,” Zúñiga said. “And luck sometimes plays a part in the game. From there on out I think we had the momentum to get back into the game. I think that right there was the turning point.”
Next up, No. 2 Aptos (14-2-3) will take on No. 4 Carlmont (8-6-6) in the D-IV championship match at Del Mar High in San Jose on Saturday at 12:30pm.
“We gotta continue working harder,” Zavala said. “If we want to win it takes discipline, both emotionally and mentally.”
Girls
D-III
At No. 1 Aptos 3, No. 4 Sequoia 1: Junior forward Aubrie Ford recorded a natural hat trick to help put the Mariners back in the section finals for the first time in 25 years.
“I was nervous at first but I believed in my team, and I knew we could do it,” Ford said. “We all worked together and we did our best.”
Ford quickly got things started after she scored in the third minute on the assist from junior Bella Hartnett.
Emilie Santiago assisted on Ford’s two final goals of the evening in the 15th and 45th minutes, while teammate goalkeeper Tayanna Bonilla recorded a pair of saves for Aptos.
“It’s super exciting, I’ve never made it this far,” Aptos senior Alexa Castañeda said. “It’s just something that we’ve been wanting to do for a long time, so it feels to actually do it.”
Castañeda said they’ve been preparing for this particular moment throughout the winter campaign with anticipation of playing the more challenging teams from over the hill.
“I feel like this year we really had to tell ourselves nothing’s gonna be given to us,” she said. “Nobody’s gonna want to lose, everybody wants to win. We just came hungrier this year.”
Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League champion Aptos plays No. 2 The King’s Academy in the D-III title match at Del Mar High on Saturday at 10am.
D-V
No. 4 Watsonville 1, at No. 1 Terra Nova 0: Jackie Cano scored the game’s lone goal on Wednesday to help put the Wildcatz in the section finals for the first time in the program’s history.
Junior goalkeeper Esperanza Sigala came up clutch to preserve the shutout and secure the upset victory over the top seeded Tigers in the D-IV semifinals.
“The composure and maturity our team showed tonight was outstanding,” Watsonville head coach Gladys Mondragon said. “We stayed disciplined, trusted each other and competed with confidence.
Mondragon called it a monumental moment for a ‘Catz program that is on its way to a CCS championship match for the first time in school history.
“The girls earned this opportunity, and we couldn’t be more proud of them,” she said.
Next up, No. 4 Watsonville will play against No. 3 Nueva at Sequoia High in Redwood City on Saturday at 10am.
CCS soccer playoffs (Saturday’s games)
Boys
D-II: No. 2 Watsonville vs. No. 1 Mitty at Sequoia, 12:30pm
D-IV: No. 2 Aptos vs. No. 4 Carlmont at Del Mar, 12:30pm
Girls
D-III: No. 1 Aptos vs. No. 2 The King’s Academy at Del Mar, 10am
D-V: No. 4 Watsonville vs. No. 3 Nueva at Sequoia, 10am
