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Boys soccer playoffs begin tonight, girls on Saturday
Ripon Christian girls get top seed for Division VI
SJS soccer playoffs
Sierra’s Maitland Kohoutek, left, tries to dispossess Manteca forward Alexia Alva in a Valley Oak League soccer game. - photo by Wayne Thallander

East Union will be the only local boys soccer team hosting a first-round game tonight when the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs kick off.

Four boys teams from the area have qualified along with five girls teams. The girls begin the postseason on Saturday with Manteca, Ripon and top-seeded Ripon Christian hosting their openers. Games start at 3 or 6 p.m.

After coming up short of the Valley Oak League title earlier this week, the Lancers (15-9-2) are seeded eighth in Division III and will take on No 9 Roseville (7-7-5), the third-place team out of the Capital Valley Conference.

The Division III bracket includes four Manteca Unified schools as well as sixth-seeded Kimball (12-2-2), which fended off East Union for the VOL championship. The Jaguars welcome second-time qualifier Lathrop (15-7-4), the 11th seed and Western Athletic Conference runner-up. 

Sixteenth-seeded Manteca (10-16-1) is in the playoffs for the first time since the fall 2013 season. The Buffaloes travel to Sacramento where they’ll tangle with No. 1 Valley (20-4-4) at Cosumnes River College. The winner squares off with East Union or Roseville. East Union has previously faced Greater Sacramento League champion Valley, losing 1-0 in the title round of the Ervin Mendiola Memorial Classico.

No. 13 Sierra (11-6-3) is traveling to No. 4 Rio Linda (18-4-2), the Golden Empire League runner-up.

Quarterfinal matches in the 16-team bracket take place next Tuesday, and the semifinals are on Feb. 15. The final is set for Tuesday, Feb. 22 starting 7 p.m. at Cosumnes River College.

The Manteca and Sierra girls squads are also competing in Division III. Manteca (21-2-3) is coming off a split of the VOL championship with Oakdale (15-6-3), which was awarded the No. 2 seed. The Buffaloes check in at No. 3 and are hosting No. 14 Del Campo (6-9-2) at Sierra on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, ninth-seeded Sierra (14-6-6) travels top No. 8 Roseville (4-6-4), which placed fourth in the CVC. The winner likely gets top-seeded West Park (10-2-3), a Division IV finalist last year.

WAC runner-up Lathrop (10-7-4) is seeded 12th in Division IV and makes its second playoff appearance and will head to No. 5 Dixon (17-6), which took second in the Golden Empire League. The Spartans played Dixon in their postseason debut, dropping the opener 4-1 in 2019.

Also in Division IV is Trans-Valley League co-champion Ripon (14-8-1). The sixth-seeded Indians are welcoming Southern Athletic League titlist and No. 11 seed Orestimba (18-3-2). Start time is scheduled for 3.

Ripon Christian (19-3-1) earned the top seed for the eight-team Division-VI bracket after placing second in the SAL. The Knights start with No. 8 Esparto (8-9-2), which finished third in the Sierra Delta League.

All second-round girls games will be played next Wednesday, Feb. 14. The Division VI final is on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Cosumnes River College starting at noon. The Division IV girls final is slated for a 5 o’clock start on Tuesday, Feb. 20. The Division III title round is two days later also at Cosumnes River College.