Parity Makes It Tough to Look Out for No. 1

Last season it was so easy.

Capistrano Valley, No. 1. It never changed. The Cougars dominated in girls’ soccer from beginning to end, winning the Southern Section Division I title.

This season the Cougars are on top again, and until someone in the county beats them, they will remain there. However, unlike last season, that is a possibility. The parity among the county’s top teams is unquestionable and the Cougars’ hold on No. 1 is shaky.

The coaches aren’t sure who the best team is. Capistrano Valley Coach Jack Peterson gives Aliso Niguel the nod. Santa Margarita Coach Chuck Morales picks Mission Viejo. Susie Daher, Mission Viejo’s coach, goes with Santa Margarita. Woodbridge Coach Jon Szcuka says Capistrano Valley.

Capistrano Valley beat Woodbridge and tied Woodbridge. Mission Viejo tied Aliso Niguel, beat Aliso Niguel, lost to Santa Margarita, beat Santa Margarita. Corona del Mar beat Santa Margarita, tied Mission Viejo. Woodbridge tied Santa Margarita, Mission Viejo and Capistrano Valley. Esperanza hasn’t played a top-10 county opponent. Edison tied former No. 4 San Clemente, beat San Clemente. Sunny Hills beat former No. 9 and now unranked Marina. El Toro lost to Santa Margarita and Aliso Niguel.

Not one of coaches of the current top-six teams, says his or her team deserves to be ranked No. 1. They all agree that if you didn’t play in the Excalibur tournament, you don’t deserve to move up the rankings.

It’s one thing to beat a top team, but it’s another thing to play the best teams on three consecutive days, and come out standing. That’s what the polls are looking for, consistency.

Capistrano Valley, which was ranked No. 2 last week, moved into the top spot because the Cougars didn’t lose in Excalibur, despite missing three starters, Laura Greenberg, Jen Horn and Roya Khannakhjavani.

The Cougars tied Santa Margarita, 0-0, in the semifinals.

The game featured the best talent from top to bottom and the two best passing teams in the county. The Cougars failed to advance to the final, falling in the shootout, 4-2, and then fell in a shootout to Woodbridge in the third-place game. But shootouts aren’t losses, just a quick way to move a tournament along.

Mission Viejo, which jumped from No. 8 to No. 2, has a strong argument for No. 1 after the Diablos won Excalibur, playing without Lindsey Huie. But, like Santa Margarita, they advanced on penalty kicks after tying Woodbridge, 1-1, in the semifinals. The Diablos, whose only loss is to Santa Margarita, 3-1, two weeks ago, beat the Eagles, 1-0, for the title.

Santa Margarita’s tournament play moved the Eagles up from No. 6 to No. 3. The Eagles, who are without Katie Rivera for the rest of the season, are the only top-six team with more than one loss. They lost to Corona del Mar early in the season. But Santa Margarita is known for not playing to its capabilities until it matters. Excalibur mattered, and the Eagles came to play.

Fourth-ranked Woodbridge, which has only lost to Capistrano Valley, had a close call against Rosary in the second round, with the Warriors advancing on penalty kicks. The Warriors rallied with a victory over Claremont in the quarterfinals, before facing Mission Viejo in the semis.

Aliso Niguel has an impressive record, but some say with the exception of games against Mission Viejo and El Toro, the Wolverines have yet to be tested. And with the absence of Stacey Lindstrom, who is out with a knee injury, the Wolverines offense has lost potency.

Sixth-ranked Corona del Mar is fighting for respect, but opted for the San Gorgonio tournament over Excalibur. They won the tournament, but the jury is still out. The Sea Kings have one of the best defenses in the county, but their offense is questionable.

Esperanza fell from No. 3 to No. 7, because despite being one of the more talented teams, the Aztecs have yet to play a strong county team. They have four ties this season, all to out-of-county teams.

Edison may have the talent to challenge for the top spot, but the Chargers have been inconsistent. They fell to Newport Harbor and had ties against North Torrance and San Clemente. But after tying four-time Division IV champion West Hills Chaminade in the first round of Excalibur, the Chargers went on to win the consolation title outscoring their opponents 11-2.

Sunny Hills has tried to make an argument for moving up in the rankings, but until the Lancers start scheduling tough county competition, it won’t happen. The Lancers (13-0-1) have the best record in the county, but the only top-10 team they have played was Marina, which was No. 9 at the time. They beat the Vikings, 3-0, but since then Marina has collapsed, losing to mediocre teams and getting hammered, 7-1, by Aliso Niguel in Excalibur.

So who is No. 1? Right now, it’s Capistrano Valley.

Next week, who knows?