Galt, Liberty Ranch chasing section titles
GALT — Members of the Galt High boys and Liberty Ranch High girls soccer teams only have one thing on their minds — a Sac-Joaquin Section blue banner.
Today at Elk Grove High, the two teams will play for the section’s Division IV championship. At 2 p.m., the battle of the top boys teams takes place between No. 1 seed Galt (25-0-1) against No. 2 Livingston (16-2-6). At noon, No. 1 Liberty Ranch (18-1-3) plays No. 3 Center of Antelope (18-3) in the girls championship.
Galt boys
To reach today’s game, Sierra Valley Conference champion Galt soundly defeated No. 5 seed Venture Academy of Stockton, 7-2, in the section’s semifinal game at Walker Park on Tuesday. Livingston, which took second place in the Western Athletic Conference, blanked No. 3 seed Natomas of Sacramento 3-0, also on Tuesday.
The winner of today’s game would advance to the first-ever NorCal Regional playoffs, which start next week. According to Will De Board, the section’s assistant commissioner, Divisions II through VII in both boys and girls send only the section champions to the NorCal tournament. Division I sends both the section winner and runner-up for both boys and girls.
Throughout the season, Galt has used many players to score. Leading the way is forward Arath Chavez, who leads the Warriors in goals with 28. Another top player is junior forward Davian Marquez at 25 and forward/midfielder Gilberto Lopez, who scored five goals in the Warriors’ 7-2 playoff win over Lindhurst of Olivehurst on Feb. 22, at 18. Galt has averaged 4.6 goals per game.
“We have a lot of guys who can put the ball in the back of the net,” said Galt coach Dane White. “We have some players back from injuries. We have a lot of guys who are not afraid to score.”
Galt has taken 334 shots on goal this season. Chavez leads the way with 70, followed by Marquez at 59 and Lopez 40.
Another perk for the Warriors is spreading the ball around the field to set up scoring. Midfielder Ramiro Ramirez leads Galt with 20 assists, followed by another combo player in midfielder/forward Adrian Copado with 18 and Chavez 17.
Galt goalkeepers Maico Ortiz and Hector Ochoa, both juniors, have split time at the net throughout the season. Ortiz has 46 saves and Ochoa 21.
Compared to Galt, Livingston has averaged a tame 2.4 goals per game. The Wolves tout their leading scorers in Francisco Lopez at 17 and Antonio Aguilar and Jose Balderas at 13 each. Aguilar also leads the team in assists at 15.
“We have checked out their stats and record, and talked to other coaches who have played them and learned about their formation,” White said.
But the Warriors playing their brand
of soccer way has led to reaching the title game. Forcing opponents to play Galt’s way is the key.
“We hope that philosophy works out,” White said. “We have a lot of confidence. We had a solid practice (Friday) in the rain, and we feel pretty good.”
Liberty Ranch girls
Winning its second consecutive SVC title, Liberty Ranch and Center are entering the title game overtime tested.
Liberty Ranch scored three goals, including two from midfielder Sydney Klink, in overtime to beat No. 4 Casa Roble of Orangevale 5-2 in overtime, also at Walker Park, on Wednesday. The game was tied at 2-2. In Placer County on Wednesday, Center topped No. 2 Placer 2-1.
Klink leads the team in scoring with 44 goals this season. Junior midfielder/forward McKenna Brown is second at 43. The duo are part of the reason for the Hawks averaging 5.5 goals per game. Brown has 27 assists, followed by midfielder/striker Marissa Regla and Klink at 11 each and midfielder Madison Schultz nine.
Liberty Ranch goalkeeper Carson Jackson has 90 saves. Against Casa Roble on Wednesday, she hauled in nine saves.
Center, which took second place in the Pioneer Valley League, is averaging 4.1 goals per game. The Cougars’ Clara Lenihan leads in scoring at 24 goals, followed by Taylor Curtis at 16 and Gabby Osorio 13. Goalkeeper Jenna Tardift has 12 saves.
“I know that they’ve scored quite a few goals this year,” said Liberty Ranch coach Robert Huarte. “Descent players play in the midfield.”
Like White’s philosophy, Huarte and the Hawks are running with, which is play their game.
“I, 100 percent believe, that if we play our game, our strengths will match up with their opportunities, which is not going to hold well for them,” Huarte said. “We’re attacking from the outside midfield positions, Their outside backs are weaker.”
Huarte notes that there’s no secret to the Hawks’ offense, which is a 4-2-3-1 formation that relies on seeing the ball, and the forward and midfielders move and move the ball in the air and ground.
“What McKenna and Syd can do up top, and stay true to our game plan, we should have a pretty descent result,” Huarte.
The fact that the winner will play, at least one game, in the first-ever state playoffs is another reason for both the Hawks and Cougars to be motivated toward winning the section title.
“It’s exhilarating to know to play (in the NorCal),” Huarte said. “Everyone is really excited.”
Last winter, Liberty Ranch lost to Woodland in penalty kicks in the D-IV title game. Now Woodland, which has won the last three D-IV titles, is No. 4 in D-III, and is playing No. 3 Central Valley of Ceres in the title game that is being played on the west side of Elk Grove, at Cosumnes Oaks High, also today.