More than one Redwood Empire team may step onto the pitch Wednesday with a chip on its shoulder as the North Coast Section boys high school soccer playoffs begin.
Both Windsor and Montgomery may have been underestimated by the selection committee in Division 2, local coaches said.
Montgomery was ranked the highest, fifth, of any NBL or Sonoma County League team. Windsor was ranked 11th in the field of 16.
The Vikings tallied 17 wins overall (with 4 losses and 3 ties) and were the North Bay League champion (12-2), edging out Windsor (11-2-1) on the final game of the season.
They had more wins than the four seeds placed above them. But they were deemed to be below second-seeded Acalanes (16-2-4) and No. 4 Concord, which was 12-3-4 and 8-1-1, and finished second in their league.
“To be honest, we expected to be a little bit higher,” Vikings coach Jon Schwan said.
“To be put in as five-seed, to be put below Concord and Acalanes, both in same league…We feel a bit disrespected.”
Windsor, too, arguably should have been seeded higher.
“This could be a blessing in disguise,” argued coach Andres Flores, who has led the Jaguars to their first soccer playoffs in years.
“It’s nicer to be the underdog, I like that,” he said. “It makes it a little easier to get up for it knowing you guys think we’re not as good as we are. That naturally is going to piss you off a little.”
All 10 SCL and NBL teams in the playoffs have first-round games Wednesday.
In Division 3, (10) Healdsburg kicks off at (7) St. Mary’s in Albany at 3:30 p.m. At 5 p.m., (15) Analy plays at (2) Marin Academy, and at 7 p.m. are (8) Elsie Allen hosting (9) Albany and (11) Sonoma Valley at (6) Kennedy.
In Division 2, (10) Petaluma at (7) Campolindo and (11) Windsor at (6) Las Lomas play at 5 p.m.. At 7 p.m. are (5) Montgomery hosting (12) Tamalpais, (14) Rancho Cotate at (3) Richmond and (15) Casa Grande at (2) Acalanes.
Santa Rosa is the only Empire team in a Division 1 game, and the (8) Panthers (13-8-2 and 8-5-1) host (9) College Park (10-6-6 and 5-3-2).
Flores is looking forward to seeing Tamalpais again.
The Vikings played the Red Tailed Hawks to a 1-1 tie in a preseason game. The teams played even through the first half, then Montgomery scored early into the second half. Tamalpais tied it up with about 10 minutes to go.
“We’ll be ready,” Schwan said. “We have players playing now that weren’t eligible then because of club soccer. We are a much deeper team. We’ve changed a lot, grown a lot since then.”
Carson Wyatt, one of the team leaders, should be back after an ankle sprain. With Ben Cawood in the back and Bryan Rosales and Alan Soto attacking, Schwan said he is confident the match will be competitive.
Schwan said Windsor may have even better reason to feel disrespected than his Vikings do.
“It took us to the very last game to put (Windsor) down and they got put down at 11 seed. Windsor and us were that comparable,” he said. “We beat Petaluma 4-0 and they got a higher seed than Windsor. Our league as a whole didn’t get respect.”
NCS Boys SOCCER Tournament
First-round playoff schedule for Redwood Empire teams
All 7 p.m. kickoffs unless noted
Today’s games (seedings in parentheses)
DIVISION 1 (8) Santa Rosa vs. (9) College Park
DIVISION 2 (5) Montgomery vs. (12) Tamaplais (10) Petaluma at (7) Campolindo, 5 p.m. (11) Windsor at (6) Las Lomas, 5 p.m. (14) Rancho Cotate at (3) Richmond (15) Casa Grande at (2) Acalanes
DIVISION 3 (8) Elsie Allen vs. (9) Albany (10) Healdsburg at (7) St. Mary’s, 3:30 p.m. (11) Sonoma Valley at (6) Kennedy (15) Analy at (2) Marin Academy, 5 p.m.
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