Sage earns No. 4 seed

Patrick Laverty

The Sage Hill School boys soccer team received the No. 4 seed when

the CIF Southern Section Division VI playoff bracket was announced

Monday.

The Lightning (11-5) finished atop the Academy League standings

and were ranked No. 4 in the final CIF Southern Section Division VI

poll. They will open the postseason at home on Friday against St.

Bernard (7-8-6), the second-place entry from the Camino Real League.

Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar, the other two Newport-Mesa boys

soccer teams to make the playoffs, also received home games and will

begin first round play in Division II Friday.

“Home-field advantage, that’s all you can ask for,” Newport Harbor

first-year Coach Ryan Hernandez said.

The Sailors (14-6) were the No. 1 entry from the Sea View League

after finishing 7-3 in league play and winning a coin toss that

included Foothill and Woodbridge, both of whom finished 6-2-2. They

open the playoffs against El Dorado (8-11-2), the third-place entry

from the Century League.

“I told the boys [Monday], ‘It just doesn’t matter [who the

opponent is],’ ” Hernandez said. “Every team you’re going to play

from now on is going to be a good team. Woodbridge got the third seed

out of our league and they’re a very good team. They can get to the

finals as much as we could. It just doesn’t matter that much.”

Looking ahead, the Sailors could meet top-seeded Thousand Oaks in

the quarterfinals if both teams win their first- and second-round

contests.

The Sea Kings (12-3-6) have a tougher draw despite also being a

league champion. Corona del Mar has a first-round matchup against

Moreno Valley, who is 18-4-2 despite finishing in third place in the

Ivy League, one spot behind Valley View, a possible second-round

opponent for Harbor.

If Corona del Mar wins its first-round game, it could face No. 4

seed Santa Monica (10-2-4) in the second round. It is the only

possible meeting of first-place teams in the second round in the

32-team field.

“All teams in the playoffs are going to be good,” Corona del Mar

Coach Pat Callghan said. “But they have not given us the easiest

road, for sure.”

The Sea Kings will also be forced to play without standout

midfielder Julien Cerutti in the first round after he received two

yellow cards in CdM’s regular-season finale. But Callaghan remains

confident.

“Our team should be able to compete with everybody,” Callaghan

said.

Sage Hill, which tied St. Margaret’s atop the Academy League

standings with a 9-1 record, earned the tiebreaker and the No. 4

seed. Their side of the bracket includes top-seeded Ontario Christian

(15-5-3).