Girls’ soccer: Kennedy pulls off first big upset in City playoffs
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One round into the City Section girls’ soccer playoffs we don’t know much more than we did before the tournament started. Higher seeded teams won 14 of 16 games and one of the two lower seeded squads to advance was No. 17 Belmont, which squeaked by No. 16 Verdugo Hills in overtime -- hardly a shocker.
The only major upset was No. 28 Kennedy‘s 1-0 victory over fifth-seeded North Hollywood. Chloe Reyes scored on a corner kick with less than five minutes left as the Golden Cougars snapped the Huskies’ eight-game unbeaten streak. Fourth-seeded Palisades, an easy 8-1 winner over No. 29 Manual Arts, stands to benefit the most from Kennedy’s win because the highest seeded team left in the Dolphins’ quarter of the draw is No. 12 Cleveland.
The first round also showed the strength of the West Valley League. Five of the six teams advanced (outscoring their opponents, 30-0) with only last-place Taft losing. The No. 19 Toreadors now become one of the favorites to win the Invitational Division.
Potential upsets in the second round? Watch out for No. 15 Birmingham at No. 2 Sylmar. They met in the Sylmar tournament in December with the host Spartans prevailing, 2-1.
If common opponents are any indication, 10th-seeded Hollywood at No. 7 Locke is another game to keep an eye on. Both teams lost to Taft and beat Manual Arts, but the Saints tied Fairfax, 3-3, while Hollywood beat Fairfax, 3-0. Sheiks’ junior Geyme Guzman could be the X factor. She’s the section scoring leader with 41 goals and six assists.
-- Steve Galluzzo