Expectations are high as Atwater, Merced soccer open the playoffs

Jimmy Brewer had done his research.

The biggest deciding factor in the Sac-Joaquin Section soccer playoff seedings is the MaxPreps rankings, and Atwater High School was a top-four team for the bulk of the season. Of those four, Atwater was the only one that would be competing in Division II.

Still, Brewer couldn’t help but smile when the seedings were released last week and Atwater was named a No. 1 seed for the first time in school history.

“I’d looked at it, and all signs pointed to us being No. 1, but you just never know,” the Falcons’ coach said. “It’s something I believed we’ve earned, and I was pleased to see the kids recognized.

“I think they know that some expectations come with that seed. A No. 1 is supposed to win a couple games and be right there fighting for a title. So the kids are pleased, but I think they’re feeling a little pressure, too.”

The Falcons (22-2-3) are one of six local teams hoping for a deep playoff run. They are joined in Division II by No. 6 Merced (18-4-3) and No. 15 Golden Valley (8-14-2). All three will open the playoffs Tuesday with Merced hosting No. 11 Tracy (10-3-6) at 3 p.m. and Golden Valley traveling to Elk Grove to play defending champion and No. 2 Cosumnes Oaks (12-2-5) and Atwater hosting No. 16 Grace Davis (14-8-1) at 6:30 p.m.

The rest of the local squads play Thursday. Livingston (12-4-5) won two games in the final week of the regular season to earn a playoff spot and was rewarded with a trip to No. 4 Placer (14-1-4) in Division IV. No. 7 Delhi (12-7-3) will take on No. 2 Riverbank (16-6-2) in Division V, and No. 7 Gustine (10-9-3) will visit No. 2 Summerville (11-4-2) in Division VI.

The biggest surprise might have been all three local Central California Conference teams falling into Division II. Merced, which has made Division I semifinal runs the last two years, missed the DI cut by three students. A possible fourth meeting with league champ Atwater in the championship game helped soften the blow.

“We were surprised but are excited for the challenge,” Merced coach Bart McAfee said. “The toughest part might be convincing the kids that because there’s no Jesuits or Davises or Granite Bays doesn’t mean the competition is going to be any easier.

“We don’t know a lot of these teams, so you never know what’s going to happen. The good thing is, we have a number of guys that were on last year’s team, and they’ve seemed to really want to win once the playoffs come around.”

Atwater is the only team that’s seen its first-round opponent. The Falcons defeated Grace Davis 2-0 in the Gregori Tournament. But given that the Spartans had to knock off previously undefeated Modesto Metro Conference champ Modesto on the final day of the regular season to slide into the playoffs, Brewer is expecting a different team.

“It’s hard to gauge anything from those early tournaments,” Brewer said. “In those shortened games, it might take a team a little while to find a rhythm, and by the time they do, the game is over.

“This team felt like it should have been in the playoffs a year ago, but we fell short and missed out on that experience. The good news is, the coaches in our league all unanimously agree that our conference play really leaves you ready for the playoffs. It’s showed. All three of our teams reached the semifinals last year, and over the last six years our league has probably had more semifinalists than any other.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2014 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Expectations are high as Atwater, Merced soccer open the playoffs."