North Coast Section Finals set for Friday, Saturday
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The four divisions of North Coast Section playoffs have reached their denouement as the finals for all four divisions, girls and boys, take place on Friday and Saturday. Teams are seeking the glory of a flag that will fly forever…
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Continue ReadingThe four divisions of North Coast Section playoffs have reached their denouement as the finals for all four divisions, girls and boys, take place on Friday and Saturday. Teams are seeking the glory of a flag that will fly forever and a berth into State playoffs. Here are key aspects and players for each matchup.
GIRLS
Division I – No. 2 Carondelet v. No. 4 San Ramon Valley, Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Through 14 games, objectively speaking, the Carondelet Cougars were having a very fine season. They were 7-3-4. However, what comes with being Carondelet are expectations that may not be reasonable.
For the Cougars it is very challenging because the standards are not the same, so when they started slowly, by their standards, the Cougars had to answer some questions. The answer for them was that they were not putting goals away, going through a rough stretch of six games where they scored five goals.
Of course losing 40 goals between Lauren Kenny and Lizzie Vranesh is not easy to replace, with 27 of them coming from Kenny who is now playing at Oregon.
“We definitely had some growing pains and had to make some changes and move some people around,” Carondelet coach Amy Apodaca said. “Unfortunately for us, whether it’s fair or not, our kids have to live up to a really high standard.”
After an uncharacteristic scoreless draw with Dublin, Samantha Walker and Taylor Juroff spoke to the coaches and asked them to change the formation, to move people around and Apodaca and her staff knew that sometimes you have to make tough decisions.
Walker and Juroff along with Gianna Giusto Gianna Giusto D CA and Victoria Alessandrini Victoria Alessandrini M CA came alive, took ownership of the team’s success and decided to dictate where the team was going. Those two offered to move from the defense and score goals, and the other two moved forward on the pitch as well and had their opportunities open up for them.
From that time, they went 10-1-0, with the only loss coming to East Bay Athletic League champion Amador Valley.
I’m really proud of the girls,” Apodaca said. “They had to overcome adversity and they fought through it and figured things out. They never lost sight of what they wanted and how they wanted to do it.”
Speaking of EBAL champ Amador Valley… Carondelet is playing San Ramon Valley for the title, a team that thumped AV 5-1 to reach the DI final. The Wolves are 3-0 since losing to AV in the EBAL final, and since a January 11 loss to California, San Ramon Valley’s only non-wins are draws against excellent teams Monte Vista and Las Lomas, a loss to Carondelet and the aforementioned loss to the Dons.
Avoiding a second straight loss to the Cougars will be tough as the Wolves know they have their hands full.
“Carondelet is always tough, well coached and they always bring energy,” San Ramon Valley coach Mark Jones said. “The team is continuing to battle each and every night. We are finally getting some breaks on goals. A bounce here and a mistake on the opponents side there. We are going to need some more bounces.”
Jones emphasized that the entire team will be needed for this match. The defense needs to stay strong and the keepers in Kaitlyn Bray and Emma Henzi Emma Henzi D CA , will need to make quality saves. San Ramon Valley will also seek to avoid giving away fouls in dangerous areas.
Division II – No. 2 Las Lomas v. No. 4 Tamalpais, Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
There are not many teams that can say they played a harder schedule in all of Northern California than Tamalpais. Outside of already playing a challenging schedule in a tough Marin County Athletic League, they played Archbishop Mitty, Monte Vista, St. Ignatius, Cardinal Newman, University and Redwood.
With that schedule, the Red Tailed Hawks still went 14-1-2 in their last 17 games and went undefeated in league play.
Now they face Las Lomas for the third time in two years, including a 1-0 loss to the Knights in the first round of the playoffs last season.
Tam has several key players, and it starts with Maren Jones Maren Jones 5'6" | M Tamalpais (CA) | 2024 CA , the MCAL player of the year. She is the team’s leading scorer, she is an ECNL National team player and one of the top players in the Bay Area. Period. She plays in the midfield and shows up in big games. She does not simply feast on the weaker teams.
Sabine Szylko Sabine Szylko F Tamalpais | 2025 CA will be a key player as well. This will be her first taste of NCS footy because of prior commitments, and she finally has a chance to show off her speed in the playoffs. She is a 100 and 200 meter sprint champ with school record times. She is listed as a defender, but can play anywhere because of her athleticism and soccer ability. She tied the MCAL record for assists this season, most coming as an overlapping outside back.
Marissa Scanlan is another key piece, playing the pivotal No. 6 role. She is a vacuum in the midfield, completes nearly every single pass she attempts and does it most of the time with just two touches. She is a ball-winner, she can score in a variety of ways as she just finds a way to impact the game.
Defensively, keeper Emily McMahon and center back Gabby Hoebrichts lead the way while Senior Julia Costle and freshman Lauren Willard Lauren Willard F CA have been explosive in the three NCS games leading to the finals, scoring four goals apiece.
Las Lomas lost 1-0 to Casa Grande on December 9th. The Knights have not lost since. They won the Diablo Athletic League’s Foothill Division, they boast an elite level player in Paige Thompson Paige Thompson null | M Las Lomas | 2025 State #70 Nation CA , an exceptionally skilled midfielder who plays club for MVLA and is already committed to Alabama as a junior. She has 21 goals and nine assists. The Knights have also got a combined 37 goals from Ava Mathieson Ava Mathieson M CA , Kyleigh Sekulich and Tessa Jeswald.
Division III – No. 1 Miramonte v. No. 2 Cardinal Newman, Friday at 7:00 p.m.
The Matadors have not lost in quite a while. Six weeks, to be exact. The last time was a January 11th loss to Las Lomas, a team in the Division II final. They have outscored opponents 44-3 in the 12-match run that has seen them go 11-0-1, including outscoring teams 12-1 in three playoff matches.
“The key to the playoff run has been focusing on the details,” head coach Taylor Abbott said. “Where our players should be positioned in given situations, and how that allows us to work off of each other. Knowing which teammate is supporting you and which teammate is your best option.”
Beyond being aware, it then starts to become about tactics, and executing those tactics becomes paramount and the Lady Mats have done just that.
“Which runs on offensive work best depending on where we are on the field and who has the ball,” Abbott said. “Defensive rotations and communications across the whole field. Locking in on the tiny details that can get lost through the season has helped us through the playoffs and all the way to the final. The team has been locked in and their hard work behind the scenes is paying off.”
There is a lot of talent on the pitch for Miramonte, and it is hard to drill down and focus on two, but the Mats boast two phenomenal players. Starting with senior Chayse Yu, who is committed to Brown. She is a dynamic playmaker, leading the team in goals and one of the top in assists (double digits in both) and can play all over the pitch. She is unpredictable and hard to mark.
A prodigious sophomore in Sadie Leal-Schuman Sadie Leal-Schuman 5'5" | D Miramonte | 2026 State #19 Nation CA is playing at a high level as she can play multiple positions, outside defender and in the midfield, and can pop up in other places as well. She shows tremendous vision and ball distribution skills, and is very dangerous in space.
The Mats face a tough Cardinal Newman team that has not lost this season, going 11-0-4, a team that keeps it simple and does not overthink it, playing their style regardless, and has a great offensive threat in Abella Hunter Abella Hunter D CA .
“We need to limit our mistakes,” Abbott said. “Cardinal Newman is a very dangerous team with a ton of talent, so we do not want to give them any opportunities. All season long we have been such a strong team and when we win, it’s because we set the tone of the game and we don’t give the other team anything easy. Offensively we have really hit our stride as of late and if we can carry the momentum from the last few performances, we feel like we can score with the best of them.”
Division IV – No. 1 University v. No. 3 Marin Catholic, Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
The Red Devils suffered only one loss this season, to a Branson team two divisions higher than them, and other than that there have been few causes for concern. With that being said, their opponent on Saturday played Branson to a draw twice in Marin County Athletic League play.
“We need to play how we’ve been playing and stay true to our team principles that got us to this point,” University coach Cam Hill said. “That’s having a solid defensive platform and capitalizing on our opportunities. Also, we need to match their intensity and nullify their key players.”
Speaking of key players, University has some veterans who have been through NCS battles and that is forward Bella Ong, who is a dynamic and versatile player who can score and assist as well as a very tough, ball-hawking center back in Hanae Kambara-Coughlin Hanae Kambara-Coughlin D University | 2025 CA .
Bella Ong is a familiar name for people in Marin County and the Wildcats know her well as she plays at Marin FC.
“Bella is well known in Marin and is the best striker at our club,” Marin Catholic coach Isaiah Schwerin said. “We know stopping her and Katya (Davis) will be key to hanging around in this game, and that will be no easy task.”
You don’t go 14-2-4 and finish third as a small school in the MCAL without having a lot of good things on your end and Marin Catholic has a lot going for it. For starters, the team is extremely unified.
“We are leaning into our togetherness to compete as we head to the sectional finals,” Schwerin said. “And we are excited to have qualified for the NorCal playoffs for the first time in our program’s history.”
The Wildcats have arrived at this place largely behind the senior leadership of Caroline McCarty, Nellie Sell and Brianna Frade. McCarty and Sell are rock-solid center backs and Frade is an extremely versatile player who plays the No. 10, the No. 9 and has played in the back the last three games.
Marin Catholic also boasts players like Alina Franchetti and Kate Batdorf who have never-ending engines in the middle of the pitch and have a competitive hunger and a desire to win. Ava Korich is a great striker of the ball while Sloane Carey Sloane Carey M Marin Catholic | 2025 State CA is a technical wizard as those two supply the spark in the attacking third.
BOYS
Division I – No. 4 Dougherty Valley v. No. 6 Berkeley, Saturday at 5:00
The only division among the eight where no team seeded in the top three reached the final, this match should certainly be an excellent title game. The teams are very similar in that they are calm and patient on the ball, and can lull you to sleep with possession and then hit quickly when you have dropped your guard.
Dougherty Valley is in its first ever NCS final, and as a relatively new program, this has been coming. When Bijan Sadeghy took over this program with Kevin Clark three years ago, they knew it would be special. And after 14 wins last year, a league title and an NCS semifinal appearance, the Wildcats were knocking on the door.
“Our first year, the majority of our team were freshman and sophomore,” Sadeghy said. “We knew his year we were definitely capable of this and set our goals to win an NCS title. I think a lot of people counted us out or thought we were a one-season wonder, especially after losing some key pieces. But we know the team we had and as long as we were healthy, we would do big things again.”
Dougherty Valley got here despite key players missing huge chunks of the season, and was able to get here with the approach of guys stepping up. This has fueled the belief that if they stay within themselves, play their game, they can compete with anyone.
For the Wildcats, Michael Xiong Michael Xiong M CA and Praneel Siddireddy are key players who will need to play well. When they do, the team is hard to beat. Xiong is a lockdown defender in the back, a big central defender who wins balls and distributes well. Siddireddy is an incredibly crafty midfielder who creates and pulls the strings for the attack, causing problems for the opponent.
Berkeley is certainly used to being here, reaching its fourth final in seven years, winning titles in 2017 and 2019. They have been a constant contender, and this year is no different after winning 22 matches to this point, beating Monte Vista twice, Clayton Valley and Amador Valley.
“We are a talented group,” Berkeley coach Andre Hebert said. “We lacked the mental strength the last two years, but like all decent Berkeley teams, it has a great leader.”
That leader is the talisman, the spirit for the Yellowjackets in Marlow Buettner, a senior defender who is commanding, who is physical, good on the ball and the heartbeat of the team.
Division II – No. 2 Las Lomas v. No. 5 Maria Carrillo, Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
In Kurt Adkins first season as the Knights head coach they won 11 matches, a slight improvement from the season before. Since then, they’ve been on an unprecedented run in the school’s history. They have won 122 matches in the seven seasons since, including 20 this year. They reached the NCS final last year, and are looking to put that loss to Bishop O’Dowd behind them.
They get that chance against Maria Carrillo on Saturday as they have won seven matches in a row and have gone unbeaten in 16 straight.
“We’ve continued to grow as a team during the year,” Adkins said. “It took some time to settle on players in positions, as we have some versatility, and we weren’t always playing players in the best positions for our team.”
Las Lomas is also seeking to get healthy, and though not at full health, should be close to it in what will be a big challenge against a good Pumas side.
“Maria Carrillo will be a tremendous challenge,” Adkins said. “They are a big, strong team especially down the middle. Their keeper has a strong leg, their center backs are big, they have a couple of creative midfielders, and a very good finisher on top in their striker. For us to be successful, our seniors will have to step forward, as they have been. It will be important for our two underclassmen in the back line to meet the challenge of playing in a final, and we’ll need to be creatively effective in the attacking third.”
Many players need to step up, but one key player is Juan Pirajon, who has been an energetic player for the Knights all season, playing up front and in the midfield. He works tirelessly, and makes everyone around him a better player.
Division III – No. 4 Ukiah v. No. 7 Archie Williams, Friday at 7:00 p.m.
Ukiah got through two tough tests to reach the semifinals in DIII, and did not sleep on their opponent, which was smart. The No. 9 seeded San Rafael Bulldogs went on a heater and made it to the semi’s, but the Wildcats showed up to play and won 3-0 to move to the finals.
They have not allowed a goal in the playoffs and that is in large part due to senior keeper Alvaro Nieves, who has been instrumental in keeping the young back line organized and disciplined. He also is good with his feet, which allows the team to reset play when needed. As a team, they have defended well, especially against set pieces and crosses.
Two sophomore midfielders in Adrian Vasquez and Rios Munoz are key in attack and senior midfielder Hugo Zarate is a driving force. All three of them work hard on both sides of the ball bringing energy and bringing flair going forward.
Their opponent is Archie Williams, an MCAL team, meaning don’t pay too close of attention to the seed. It is a tough league and the Falcons are battle tested. They work hard and play hard for each other, and are an athletic group that never stops working.
“The game will be very challenging and competitive,” Ukiah coach Shane Huff said. “I expect both teams to be at their best and the game to be exciting to watch and to be a part of. We need to be able to have high energy defensively, work collectively as we defend and make sure we stay switched on at all times. Our transitions are key and if we can set a good tempo while in possession with our ball movement and really look to link up in the attacking third with numbers around the ball we should get some good looks at goal.”
Since a 3-1 win over Novato on January 23, Archie Williams has been playing good soccer. Their only losses were both 1-0 to league foe Redwood, a Division I team, and have showed toughness in getting past top teams in the playoffs, including No. 2 seeded Piedmont and No. 3 seeded Analy on the road. Now the Falcons play another fierce team on the road.
“The key to our playoff run has been our ability to stay the course in the face of adversity,” Archie Williams coach Rene Ayala said. “Playing quality teams on the road requires mental toughness and resilience, and our boys have demonstrated both in abundance. We will need plenty and perhaps some luck, as we face a formidable Ukiah side tomorrow night. We will need to be organized and play sound defense if we want to have a chance to compete. Taking advantage of the opportunities we get offensively will also be of the utmost importance.”
It has been a collective success for the Falcons this year, but if they are to win the title Cole Sullivan and Willy Finley will have to play a huge role in generating offense as well as top notch keeper play from Aidan Dunn and leadership from veteran center backs Micah Arnold and Lochlan McLean.
Division IV – No. 1 Cardinal Newman v. No. 2 University, Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Both Cardinal Newman and University find their boys and girls teams in the NCS section finals, and the Red Devils are trying to erase the taste of last year’s loss to Piedmont in the championship match.
If anything is going to guide them, it’s the bonding that comes from past experience and learning what it takes to get beyond past failures.
“I think we’re just coming together as a team,” University coach Deejae Johnson said. “We are learning from past experiences and working hard to make the most of the experience.”
University has a formidable opponent in the Cardinals this time around, a team that went 21-2-2 and beat University 4-1 back in mid-December.
“They’ve had an incredible season, have a ton of talent, play really well together, and seem to be ready for their moment,” Johnson said. “I don’t see any weakness in their team. We’ll have to play an unbelievable game to stay on the field with them.”
If University is going to be able to pull off the upset, junior midfielders Ben Duffin and Watts Richmond will play key roles. They are the hard-working leaders for this team.