The Aliso Niguel and Sunny Hills girls soccer teams have reached their respective CIF-SS championship games the past two seasons.
When the playoff pairings were released Monday, the Wolverines and Lancers received seeds that suggest they could be destined to reach a third consecutive title game.
Aliso Niguel received the second seed in Division 1, behind Harvard-Westlake of Studio City.
Sunny Hills earned the top seed in Division 2. This was the third year in a row the Lancers (24-1-3, 9-0-1) have earned the top seed in their division.
——————————————————
——————————————————
Lancers coach Jeff Gordon said there is some added pressure as the top seed.
“I think it’s a pressure,” Gordon said. “But it allows our girls to play their best soccer.”
Sunny Hills hopes the third time is the charm after losing in the title game as the No.1 seed the previous two seasons.
The wild-card round begins Wednesday and first-round play opens Friday.
The Lancers will host the winner of Simi Valley-Palos Verdes of Palos Verdes Estates on Friday.
The Wolverines, like the Lancers, fell in a CIF title game in 2013. Aliso Niguel (14-3-1, 8-0) took home a section crown in 2012.
The Wolverines know they will be tested in every round as they attempt to reach the championship game again.
“At the end of the day, you have to play the best to be the best,” Aliso Niguel coach Randy Dodge said. “There’s six first-place teams on our side of the bracket … it’s going to take a lot of hard work.”
Aliso Niguel and Sunny Hills have navigated the playoff waters before, but teams such as Edison (8-5-4, 6-3-1) feature a few playoff newcomers.
“I think (the girls) are excited,” Chargers coach Kerry Crooks said. “We have not more than seven girls that have been to CIF.”
Edison hosts Rosary (12-8-2, 3-5) in a Division 1 first-round game Friday, and the Chargers could end up playing Sea View League champion Capistrano Valley (15-5-3, 7-0-1) in the second round.
Cougars coach Neil Powell is stressing to his players that they focus on what’s directly in front of them.
“It’s one game at a time,” Powell said. “I’ve already gotten texts from girls talking about Edison. But there’s no Edison if we don’t win against Beckman first.”
Contact the writer: amorales@ocregister.com
