North and South clash at Mt. SAC on Friday and Sunday for CCCAA Men's Soccer Championship
WALNUT - After a handful of Regional upsets and the state’s top seeds still standing, it is down to four teams who will compete for the 2021 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) men’s soccer state title.
Hartnell (N1), Mt. San Antonio (S1), American River (N2) and El Camino (S2) comprise the final four with action set to begin on Friday, December 5 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut. All games will be broadcast by BAOSN.TV. Links are available on the Tournament Headquarters website here.
Hartnell leads the charge out of the North after being a consistent top-three ranked team in the California Community College Sports Information Association (CCCSIA) poll. They currently hold a 19-1-3 record with their only loss to the North’s No. 4 De Anza. They earned their revenge against De Anza by defeating them in the third round of the Northern Regional Championships by the final score of 2-1.
Their biggest threat thus far came at the hands of No. 16 Napa Valley. They faced a 2-2 tie entering the 90th minute, but a netter from Anthony A. Rangel pushed the Panthers to the next round. It didn’t get any easier as their second-round contest featured a pesky No. 8 Fresno City. The game extended into penalty kicks following a two-all draw. Nevertheless, the Panthers prevailed by advancing after penalty kicks (5-3).
American River is the Cinderella of this season’s championship ball as they entered the tournament as the 10th seed and worked an upset over No. 7 Feather River, 2-1. Fortunately for the Beavers, they would not have to face an opponent seeded higher than them for the remainder of the Northern Regional tournament. They continued to defeat No. 15 College of the Sequoias (3-0) and No. 14 Consumnes River (2-1).
In the third-round showdown against Consumes River, the Beavers were issued a late red card that forced American River to play a man down. However, two early first half goals from Adrian Galeana and Zac Dye fended off Consumes River.
The South boasts two squads from the South Coast Conference (SCC), each coming from separate divisions.
It was easy money for the top-seeded Mt. San Antonio College Mounties as the reached their 12th-consecutive state championship. In the Southern Regional Championship, they outscored their opponents 10-3 highlighted by victories over No. 16 Cypress, No. 8 Santa Ana, and No. 4 Golden West.
The Mounties’ most challenging competitor was Santa Ana as they forced double overtime, but three unanswered goals in the second overtime period put an emphatic nail in the Don’s coffin.
No. 3 El Camino got the job done and upset No. 2 Cerritos in third round of the Southern Regional Championships to earn their first bid since 1992. The two teams faced off three times this season. The season series was tied 1-1 and the Warriors got the last laugh.
El Camino earned a penalty kick in the 35th minute and buried the shot which proved to be the game winner. They added one more goal in the second half which granted them a big enough cushion leading to the win.
Hartnell
TEAM QUICK FACTS
Leads the state in goals (84) and points (230)
Third in assists (62), sixth in shutouts (10), eighth in shot percentage (2.897)
Recorded 10 shutouts, 12 wins by two or more goals, eight wins by three or more goals
TOP PERFORMERS
Anthony A. Rangel – 14 goals, 5 assists, 33 points
Allan Bedolla Corrales – 9 goals, 6 assists, 24 points
Isaac E. Lomeli Zuniga – 14 assists, 7 goals, 28 points
Santiago G. Cervantes – 29 saves, 16 wins, 1659 minutes played
American River
TEAM QUICK FACTS
Five wins by two or more goals, eight one-score wins
11th in shots on goal (116), third in penalty kick efficiency (4-4)
TOP PERFORMERS
Roberto Carlos Plascencia – 10 goals, three assists, 21 points, .909 SH%
Kyle Prusia – 6 assists, five goals, 16 points
Aguirre & Cisnerso – 5 goals
Mt. San Antionio
TEAM QUICK FACTS
Sixth in goals scored (59), sixth in assists (49), 11th in shutouts (9)
14 wins by two or more goals, four-game winning streak
TOP PERFORMERS
Edward Castro – 12 goals, 5 assists, 20 points
Alex Mendez – 9 goals, three assists, 21 points
Jason Garcia – 8 goals, five assists, 21 points
El Camino
Leads state in shots on goal (153), seventh in shots (259), third in shutouts (11)
Three-game winning streak, started season 10-0, 11 wins by two or more goals
TOP PERFORMERS
Mario Carlos – 16 goals, five assists, 37 points, 50 SOG, .625 SH%
Andy Cabrera – 7 goals, six assists, 20 points
Justin Ortega – 6 assists, 4 goals, 14 points
Luis Garibay – 80 saves, 15 wins, .769 SV%
(Nicho DellaValle, CCCSIA President)