1 Alisal (Last Season: 17-0-3)
There is simply not enough to say about Alisal High School. Last year, one of the most successful in the history of the program, the Trojans went 17-0-3, continuing upon their current 53-game unbeaten streak.
Led by 2013 Prep2Prep Coach of the Year, Mark Cisneros, Alisal finished the season ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 10 in the nation, defeating Bellarmine 3-1 in last year’s Division I CCS championship.
Look for five seniors to contribute heavily to this year’s team: Danny Pulido, Willy Miranda, Andres Camacho, Luis Duenas, and Edgar Cervantes. This core group of experienced players will lead the Trojans through a season with one of the most difficult strength of schedules in the school’s history.
Miranda is a three-year starter as both an attacking central midfielder and forward with a scoring touch from both feet. Camacho, a senior goalkeeper who has split time the past two years with now graduated Fabian Narez, will step up as the team's main man between the posts.
Pulido and Duenas lead a Trojan defense that has a knack for a very quick counterattack once possession is won. Alisal is near unbeatable at home having not lost on its pitch in over two-and-a-half years.
Matchups against teams such as SoCal’s San Clemente - ranked No. 1 in the state - as well as with a total of four teams in the state’s top 25 this year will test Alisal’s endurance, but with the extraordinary level of talent on this team, expect continued success from this Salinas-based program.
2 De La Salle (18-3-6)
Winners of five straight NCS Division I titles, the De La Salle Spartans enter the 2013-2014 season as the undisputed and uncontested favorites to repeat their title, and lay claim to the top spot in the North Coast for the sixth year in a row.
Led by two-year varsity star, forward Joey Jones (19 games played, 11 goals), a first-team All-EBAL selection last season, as well as senior defender Dom Perez, the Spartans hope to not only contend on a sectional level, but as one of the top teams in the state.
Losing all-American goalkeeper Andrew Konstantino (95 saves, 15 shutouts) hurts the depth, but Coach Derricke Brown spoke to the team’s “next man up mentality”, especially regarding the goalkeeper and defensive positions, two areas with rich and storied legacies on the Spartan soccer team.
“Backing up a star goalie last year will definitely help Keegan Murphy, our starter for this season, especially as he gets more game time," Brown said. "We also have three out of the five defensemen we played consistently back from last year, so we are at a good place to start. I think we’ve done a good job sustaining our identity as a strong defensive team with talented goalies, and I look for that to stay relatively the same for this current year.”
Barring a significant turn of events, look for De La Salle to be the overwhelming favorite for the top seed in the NCS come playoff time.
3 Bellarmine (14-4-5)
The Bells had what most would consider a successful season last year, going 16-4-5, and reaching the title game of the CCS Division I Championship, eventually losing to No. 1 Alisal.
Bellarmine is not most teams though; put simply, the Bells have too much history of success to settle for anything less than being declared the overt favorites to win CCS.
With Mitty losing its star midfielder, Andres Ochoa, as well as nine starters from last year's CCS title team to graduation, Bellarmine comes into the season the new favorites to win the WCAL. But the Bells are going to have to improve defensively if they hope to contend favorably against the No. 1 team in these rankings, Alisal.
It will begin with senior sweeper Christian Aldama. The Santa Clara Sporting Club player organizes his three-man backline exceptionally well and uses the vastness of Bellarmine's very wide home field to his advantage by forcing teams to spread out leaving them susceptible to the quick counterattack.
The Bells' attack will rely heavily on returning key players Ben Hughes and JB Bruggeman. While Hughes moves swiftly with combinational play and the possession game, Bruggeman brings a blue collar work ethic to the striker spot with a physically imposing frame and solid presence winning balls out of the air.
After winning eight of the last 10 CCS championships from 2000-2010, Bellarmine has had a bit of a lull, winning just one title in the last three years. The standard has been set and the Bells will look to re-establish themselves atop the pantheon of Bay Area soccer.
4 Archbishop Mitty (16-1-6)
Losing star midfielder and junior captain Andres Ochoa is a tremendous hit for the Monarchs, which would have likely been considered the top team in the WCAL. That being said, Mitty’s talented and deep team never revolved around simply one player, a team that finished the 2012-2013 season ranked No. 15 in the nation.
The winners of the Division II Championship last year with a 2-0 victory over Lincoln High School proves that the Monarchs, no matter the seniors that graduated last year, will compete at a very high level.
They will be led by the lone returning starter from a year ago in senior Eric Espinoza. The Monarchs boast a wealth of size and physicality in their revamped lineup as well with defender Connor Sexton and midfielders William Foxcroft and Roy Powell.
Look for early-season matchups against No. 10 Carlmont (Dec. 12), No. 1 Alisal (Dec. 27), and No. 3 Bellarmine (Jan. 8) to prove to the CCS if Mitty’s traditionally excellent chemistry is still alive and well, as the season progresses.
5 Campolindo (18-8-2)
Campolindo made a strong run to the championship game of the NCS Division II finals last year, defeating No. 8 Ygnacio Valley in the semifinals, while ultimately losing to fourth-seeded Concord, but look for the Cougars to improve upon the success of last year.
The Cougars are traditionally extremely deep, and last year was no different, with 18 different players scoring goals for their team at some point in the year.
Usually in high school soccer, there is a specific discipline of the field that a team is talented above the rest, but Campolindo is unique in the fact that it is extremely balanced, with a strong offensive attack while still having the defensive talent to back it up. The Cougars return nearly their entire time, and are favored to win the NCS D-II title.
6 San Ramon Valley (18-7-3)
Probably a team with the best chance to challenge the Spartans of De La Salle for the D-I NCS crown - SRV lost barely to the Spartans in the D-I finals last year) - the Wolves lose extremely talented midfield players Matt Maul and Alex Maestre to graduation.
A strong senior class was the identity of this team last year, with their top seven goal scorers being seniors. That presence, while large, will be filled by a talented offensive attack being brought up from the ranks below.
Senior midfielder John Wayland and junior midfielder Nathan Miller will attempt to fill the void left by Maul and Maestre, hopefully bringing not only a D-I title to San Ramon Valley, but a dethroning of the perennial NCS dynasty that is De La Salle Boys Soccer. Look for conference matchups against De La Salle (Jan. 14 and Feb. 6) to determine how both teams match up against each other, come playoff time.
7 St. Francis (11-4-3)
The No. 3 seed in the D-II CCS playoffs last year, Saint Francis has a tendency to be overshadowed by recurring powers Mitty and Bellarmine, but don’t leave the Lancers off your radar this season.
Wins last year over teams such as No. 10 Carlmont, No. 5 Campolindo, and ties against No. 3 Bellarmine and No. 4 Mitty show the talent of this team, but playoff struggles have set this team at No. 7 to start the year.
The Lancers also went an unimpressive 3-4 on the road last year, which leaves much to be desired as well. Playoff futility and the inability to win on the road are directly correlated, so if the Lancers can fix some of last season’s problems, who knows what they will be able to achieve.
The Lancers will count on senior captain and returning starter Josh Edwards for leadership. Edwards moves from the outside midfielder spot up front this year as a key striker. Besides blazing speed, Edwards has a long throw-in that is so deadly accurate, the Lancers are a threat to score off of it every time.
Senior James Prusa, a two-year starter, will anchor the backline and Reilly Duran will be a main creator in midfield. If the Lancers are to be included in the conversation for the WCAL title, they will need to at least make it past their first game in CCS, unlike last year (the Lancers lost to No. 6-seed Lincoln in PKs in the quarterfinals).
8 Ygnacio Valley (15-5-5)
While ranked only eighth to start the season, Ygnacio Valley is a team that could absolutely move up later in the year. Having arguably the most talented player in the NCS, junior Tata Ayala, is a large part of why the Warriors are picked to be somewhat of a dark horse this year.
As a sophomore, Ayala scored 23 goals, and notched All-DVAL honors. Ygnacio also hopes to see contribution from senior midfielder Edgar Damian.
Damian has the talent to score 15-20 goals a year, but has a high soccer IQ to go along with that talent, choosing to distribute the ball amongst the rest of his team rather than rack up personal statistics, which in the long run makes the Warriors a threatening option to make a long run in the D-I playoffs. We would not be surprised if Ygnacio Valley is close to the top 5 of this list come season’s end.
9 Monte Vista (17-4-4)
Playing in an extremely talented division, along with No. 6 San Ramon Valley, No. 2 De La Salle, as well as California, a solid team, helps notch Monte Vista on this list. Strength of schedule is a large proponent of how good a team truly is, especially at the high school ranks, and if Monte Vista can come out of EBAL play relatively unscathed, then look for the Mustangs to make a long run in the NCS playoffs.
Senior midfielder Jeff Greenberg will be the catalyst that makes this team function, as he was in the running for the best player in his league last year. He is a model of multi-talented ability, having the ability to score one minute but also facilitate a pass, setting up his teammate for a goal the next.
Losing Ben Panconi to graduation hurts the offensive attack of the Mustangs, but with a strong team as they are, look for his presence to be filled relatively quickly by junior and senior contributors on this strong 2013-2014 team.
10 Carlmont (14-3-3)
Despite a tough CCS D-I semifinal loss to Bellarmine, which ended the Scots’ playoff hopes last year, head coach Jodi Beloff and company expect a very successful season.
Led by forward Brendan Magpayo, who Beloff says to “expect a significant amount of goals from” this year, as well as Prep2Prep's very own Graham Godwin at center back to anchor the defense.
The Scots will also have two four-year varsity starters, defender Ryan Freeman and goalkeeper Jared Fitzpatrick to help Carlmont to make an even deeper run in CCS this year.
Having two players who have contributed heavily on a varsity level since their freshman years is extremely rare, but is something that a team can absolutely use to its advantage. Look for Carlmont to rely upon Freeman and Fitzpatrick throughout the season for leadership and guidance in what hopefully is a fruitful 2013-2014 campaign for the Scots.
Carlmont dropped a 1-0 decision to St. Francis December 7 but takes on another talented WCAL foe December 12 when the Scots take on Mitty.
