SOCCER: Playoffs set for upcoming CIF matches
Special to this Newspaper
After a 2023-2024 CIFSan Diego Section boys’ and girls’ soccer season with plenty of action and close league matches, four Southeastern Conference teams have drawn a firstround bye as the CIF’s Divisional Playoffs begin today.
The CIF Divisional Soccer Playoff format for 2024 has the boys’ soccer teams in opening-round action tonight with quarterfinal matches scheduled for this Friday, while in girls’ soccer, opening-round matches start tomorrow night, February 14th, and continue with the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Drawing an opening bye tonight in boys’ soccer action are the Imperial Valley League co-champion Central Spartans (153-6, 7-1-2 IVL), while the IVL’s other co-champions, Calexico Bulldogs (13-6-7, 7-1-2 IVL), open the playoffs tonight.
The Division I Calexico boys, the highest power-ranked team in the Southeastern Conference, are the D-I’s fifth-seed and will be hosting the twelfthseed Coronado High Islanders at Ward Field in Calexico.
In Division IV boys’ soccer action tonight here in the Valley, the eighth-seeded Imperial Tigers boys (11-12-4, 3-5-2 IVL) will host the ninth-seeded Otay Ranch High Mustangs of Chula Vista.
As noted, the Division
IV fourth-seeded Central Spartans have advanced to the D-IV quarterfinals where they will host the winner of today’s match between fifth-seeded Gompers Prep Academy and Canyon Hills (Serra) on Friday at Cal Jones Field.
Drawing an opening round bye today in CIFSDS’s Division V boys playoffs are the Desert League champion and D-V fourth-seeded Holtville Vikings (19-4-4,
10-0 DL) who on Friday host the winner between today’s match between fifth-seeded El Cajon Valley and twelve-seeded O’Farrell Charter.
Playing today in an opening-round boys’ Division IV match will be the Desert League’s second place finishing and D-IV seventh-seeded Vincent Memorial Catholic Scots (13-8, 8-2 DL) who will take on league-champion High Tech High of Chula Vista at Mar Vista High in Imperial Beach.
In Division V-AA boys’ playoff matches today, the Desert League’s seventh-seeded West Shores Wildcats (8-13-1, 5-4-1
DL) will host tenth-seeded Victory Christian Academy in Salton City.
Two other Division V-AA Desert League teams will be on the road as the ninth-seeded Borrego Springs Rams (6-102, 4-5-1 DL) play at eightseed River Valley Academy in Lakeside, while the eleventh-seeded Calipatria Hornets (3-14, 2-8 DL) travel to Oceanside today to play sixth-seed St. Joseph Academy.
While the girls’ CIF Divisional playoffs begin on Wednesday, the Division III IVL champion Central Spartans (17-4-2, 7-0-1 IVL) have drawn a first round bye and will host a quarterfinal match on Saturday at Cal Jones Field.
The Division IV top-seeded Calexico girls’ soccer team, who finished second in the IVL, also earned an opening-round bye on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs (21-5-2, 6-1-1 IVL) on Saturday at Ward Field will host the winner of today’s Division IV match between the hosting eighth-seeded Brawley Wildcats (6-15-3, 1-7 IVL) and ninth-seeded Chula Vista which will be played at Warne Field.
Three Southeastern Conference girls’ soccer teams have qualified for the CIF Division V eightteam playoff bracket including Southwest Eagles who garnered the D-V’s third seed and will host the sixth-seeded Palo Verde Yellowjackets at Birger Field tomorrow.
Also in girls’ D-V CIF playoff action tomorrow will be the fifth-seeded the Desert League champion Holtville Vikings (12-10-1, 8-0-1 DL) who will travel to San Diego to take on Gompers Prep Academy.
Meanwhile, in the Division V-AA playoff bracket, which only has eight teams, all teams have advanced to Saturday’s quarter-finals when all three Desert League entrants will be on the road.
On Saturday, fifth-seeded Vincent Memorial Catholic Scots (5-11-1,
5-5 DL) will play at fourth-seeded Liberty Charter and the seventh-seeded Desert League’s Borrego Springs Rams (2-15, 2-8 DL) will play at second-seeded River Valley Charter in Lakeside.
Also, the sixth-seeded West Shores Wildcats (514, 5-5 DL), who tied for third place in the Desert League with Vincent Memorial, travel to San Diego to play third-seeded High Tech High-Mesa.