Prep soccer: Oak Ridge girls have top seed in sight; boys rankings see changes
Boys’ and girls’ soccer playoff pairings and seedings will be released Tuesday afternoon and we know this much: The Oak Ridge girls will be the top seed in Division I.
The Trojans are the top-ranked team in California and sixth-ranked in the country, according to MaxPreps.com’s look at soccer.
Oak Ridge is one of three Sacramento-area teams in the top 25, with Granite Bay (16) and Vista del Lago (25) also earning spots.
But there’s depth to spare in the area. Look no further than Inderkum, which is 18-5-2 overall and finished Capital Valley Conference play at 10-1-1. The Tigers knocked off Roseville last week in a game that was mostly about pride and playoff seeding. Everybody wants to be in their best form this time of year and Inderkum’s looking tough, following its 2-0 thumping of Roseville.
“The emotions are really high,” coach Creed Larrucea said. “The team is playing really well right now and we are trying to get the schools first playoff win in Division I or II.”
Inderkum pressed its advantage against Roseville throughout the game. The first goal came with 17 minutes left in the first half, when Allie Lucas scored from a deflection off a free kick. The second was a two-touch shot from inside the box by Madeline Puente midway through the second half.
With a potent offensive attack – this is an Inderkum team that scored 19 goals against River Valley in a January game – goalkeeper Noelani Juarez often doesn’t face a ton of dangerous shots. The win over Roseville was sweet.
“The Roseville-Inderkum rivalry has been something for years,” she said. “We have always been super competitive with them. Coming off a tie the last time we played them, it meant a lot to win this one.”
And, of course, the seeding committee will likely respect the late win as well.
Whitney No. 1
The boys’ side came into clearer focus last week, and the results of some key games shook up the top of the standings.
The Whitney boys moved into the top spot this week after a steady ascension from the start of The Bee’s rankings in early January. The Wildcats are the third-ranked team in the state, according to MaxPreps’ computer rankings, and the results back up the lofty position. Whitney took care of business against Rocklin and Granite Bay last week and finished the Sierra Foothill League season unbeaten, at 8-0-2. Whitney has just two losses overall, to second-ranked Jesuit and fourth-ranked Davis, and both of those defeats came in December.
Jesuit shook up the rankings last week by knocking off the Blue Devils 1-0. Whitney, Jesuit and Davis are all likely to earn good seeds in the DIvision I tournament.
The Bee’s Top 10 rankings
Boys’ soccer
(records entering play Monday)
1. Whitney 14-2-2
2. Jesuit 16-2-2
3. Davis 12-2
4. Placer 16-1-2
5. Vacaville 11-0-3
6. Vista del Lago 12-4-3
7. Rio Americano 10-2-2
8. Lincoln 13-2-1
9. Galt 12-1-4
10. Liberty Ranch 13-1-5
Bubble Teams: Del Oro, Granite Bay, Liberty Ranch, McClatchy, Pioneer, Ponderosa, Pleasant Grove, Woodland.