San Marcos boys soccer was not impacted by the long road trip to Victorville, rolling to a 4-0 road victory over Silverado in their CIF-SS Div. 5 playoff opener on Wednesday.
The Royals will return home to take on Golden Valley in the second round on Friday at 5 p.m. at Warkentin Stadium.
“Every player who came in the game kept our level high. It was a fantastic team win to get us started in the playoffs,” San Marcos head coach Paul McLean said.
San Marcos opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Sergio Ramirez beat his defender and crossed it into Luis Campos, who slotted his shot into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead.
Later in the first half, Campos curled a ball into the box and Yael Solano rose up for the header to double the advantage to 2-0. That lead held into halftime as the San Marcos defense maintained the shutout.
The Royals stayed hot in the second half when Ricky Olivo played a ball to Solano, who beat the goalkeeper on a 1-on-1 to bring the lead to 3-0.
San Marcos rounded out the scoring when Campos completed his brace with a penalty-kick goal for the 4-0 victory.
“Silverado has a strong back line with an excellent goalkeeper,” McLean said. “They did a good job putting us under pressure with their direct balls over the top. Luis Campos and Yael Solano were creative and sharp on the offensive side and had a brace each as a reward for their work.
“Axel Martinez was outstanding, breaking up plays and starting our offense all night. Our back line, led by Abraham Jimenez, Rover Ojendis and Wes Monroy were organized and passed the ball really well.”
Laguna Blanca 2, Covina 0 (Div. 7)
The Owls earned a shutout road win over Covina in their first game of the CIF-SS Div. 7 playoffs on Wednesday.
Laguna Blanca will remain on the road to take on Polytechnic High on Friday at 3 p.m. in Pasadena.
Baylor Wilson broke the scoreless tie just 10 minutes into the match when he finished off an assist from Isaac Duron-Angeles.
The second and final goal of the match came 10 minutes later when Wilson dished off a pass to Inak Phillips, who rocketed his shot into the back of the net.
The 2-0 Owl lead held until the final whistle sounded thanks to a strong defensive performance from the back line of Finlay Sutherland, Jacopo Sutherland, Niccolo D’Agruma and Beckett Smythe.
Meanwhile, Laguna Blanca goalkeeper Enzo Vinoly came up with a clutch penalty-kick save in the second half to preserve the clean sheet.
Cate 5, Colton 2 (Div. 5)
The Rams went on the road and came away with a victory over Colton in the opening round of the CIF-SS Div. 5 playoffs on Wednesday in San Bernardino.
Cate will remain on the road to take on Viewpoint in the second round on Friday in Calabasas at 3 p.m.
Colton kicked off the scoring with a goal in the 18th minute, but Cate’s Teke Meisel found George Marin for a score just two minutes later for the equalizer.
The Rams found their groove as the opening half rolled on, and Nolan Montoya and Meisel each scored off assists from Miles Thompson and Marin, respectively, to take a 3-1 lead into halftime.
Cate stayed hot in the second half as Meisel netted his second goal of the night before Colton scored on a penalty kick to bring the score to 4-2.
Thompson rounded out the scoring for the Rams with a 20-yard rocket to seal the victory.
“While we would like to avoid conceding early, our resilience, composure, and ability to respond under pressure highlighted the group’s maturity and playoff readiness,” Cate head coach Jorge Reynoso said.
“Contributions across the lineup and strong team defense helped secure the road win.”
Bishop Diego 12, Grove 1 (Div. 8)
The Cardinals dominated both ends of the pitch en route to the CIF-SS Div. 8 playoff-opening win over Grove on Wednesday in Santa Barbara.
Bishop Diego scored early and often, with goals coming from Ricky Diaz-Rea, River Castellanos, Eddie Peña, Fisher Pennestri, Ivan Gonzalez and Sebastian Garcia.
Grove’s lone goal came on a penalty kick to prevent the clean sheet, but the Cardinals still soared to the lopsided win.
“This playoff appearance marks an important milestone for the program,” Bishop Diego head coach Emmanuel Verduzco said. “The Cardinals have not reached the postseason since 2022, making this year’s run especially meaningful for players, coaches, and supporters alike.”
Bishop Diego will remain at home to clash with Le Lycee on Friday at 1 p.m.
Santa Paula 3, Carpinteria High 1 (Div. 4)
The Warriors dropped their CIF-SS playoff opener to Citrus Coast League foe Santa Paula on Wednesday.
Carpinteria High ends its campaign with an overall record of 10-7-2, including a third-place finish in the CCL.
No information was provided by Carpinteria High soccer.