Aztec kickers zoom to runner-up finsh in state regional finals

Metro Conference soccer teams are no strangers to competing — and excelling — in the state regional playoffs.

•Mater Dei Catholic captured the Division III boys regional title in 2009.

•Southwest captured the Division II boys regional title in 2014.

•Chula Vista captured the Division I boys regional title in 2015.

With four conference teams advancing to San Diego Section championship games this year, two of them qualified for the state regional playoffs.

Eastlake, the section’s Division I girls champion, dropped its quarterfinal opener at second-seeded Vista Murrieta, 1-0, in the Division II state regional playoffs.

Montgomery, the section’s Division II boys champion, however, cruised to a runner-up finish in the Division III state finals over the weekend.

The second-seeded Aztecs suffered a 3-1 setback at top-seeded Placentia El Dorado last Saturday to finish the season 18-4-4. Montgomery played in 26 games during the season, including seven playoff games (section and region combined).

It is the farthest that any boys soccer team from the Otay Mesa school has progressed in post-season competition.

“It was a great experience,” explained Montgomery senior Julian Castro. “We had a goal from the beginning of the season to win the state championship. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to win state, but it (the runner-up finish) was still a record for our school.”

“It was a great season — the best in the history of Montgomery,” Aztec head coach Gaston Vazquez said.

Montgomery, which finished runner-up in the South Bay League standings, had the home field advantage for its opening two regional playoff matches and capitalized in both instances.

The Aztecs defeated the seventh-seeded Saddleback Roadrunners by a score of 5-4 on March 7 and punched their ticket to the regional championship game by slipping past third-seeded Del Norte, the San Diego Section’s Division III champion, by a score of 3-2 in the regional semifinals on March 9.

Goals five minutes apart by Victor Ruiz and Jesus Salazar lifted Montgomery from a 1-0 deficit against the Nighthawks (16-5-5). Aztec goalkeeper Dennis Rabadan did the rest by blocking  a penalty kick with five minutes remaining to preserve the win.

Oscar Godinez scored in the final minute to provide the game-winner against Saddleback in the preceding quarterfinals.
The Aztecs’ magic carpet ride came to an end following the loss to El Dorado, however.

Tyler Coleman, Connor Leech and Connor Willey scored goals for the victorious Golden Hawks (20-7-5).

Freshman Ruben Aguniga scored the lone goal for Montgomery in the championship game.

The Aztecs, who trailed 2-0 at halftime, scored the only goal on El Dorado in the regional playoffs.

Eastlake, which advanced to the Division I regional semifinals in 2013, could not get past its opening opponent in this year’s regional playoff field as the seventh-seeded Lady Titans fell, 1-0, at second-seeded Vista Murrieta in the Division II quarterfinals on March 7.

Eastlake finished an otherwise season of achievement with a final 17-7-2 record. The Lady Titans won this year’s Mesa League title with a 9-2-1 record.

San Diego Section Playoff Champions

Boys Soccer
Open Division: St. Augustine
Division I: Canyon Crest Academy
Division II: Montgomery
Division III: Del Norte
Division IV: Holtville
Division V: El Cajon Valley

Girls Soccer
Open Division: Torrey Pines
Division I: Eastlake
Division II: La Jolla
Division III: Our Lady of Peace
Division IV: San Dieguito Academy
Division V: Lincoln

Boys Basketball

Open Division: St. Augustine
Division I: Santa Fe Christian
Division II: Helix
Division III: Sage Creek
Division IV: Brawley
Division V: Health Sciences

Girls Basketball

Open Division: Mission Hills
Division I: Mater Dei Catholic
Division II: Rancho Bernardo
Division III: Lincoln
Division IV: Escondido Adventist
Division V: Maranatha Christian