The 2020 high school soccer sectional tournament kicked off this week and several Alameda teams are vying for a North Coast Section (NCS) title.

Women’s soccer
The Alameda High School (AHS) women’s soccer team finished first in the West Alameda County Conference (WACC) Shoreline League with a 9-1 league record. This gave them an automatic berth in the NCS Div. II tournament. The Hornets are the 10th seed in the 16-team tournament. 

They faced No. 7 seed Casa Grande High of Petaluma on the road in the first round yesterday. The Hornets finished 14-6 overall. They beat both rivals this season. They beat St. Joseph Notre Dame (SJND), 6-0, in the season opener on Dec. 3 and took down Encinal High School (EHS) twice; 3-2, on Feb. 7 and 4-0 on Feb. 13. Seven of the Hornets’ 14 victories came in shut-outs. 

Despite a 4-11 overall record the EHS women’s soccer team qualified for the NCS Div. III playoffs. The Jets entered the tournament as the 13th seed in the 15-team tournament. They took on No. 4 seed Alhambra High of Martinez in the first round yesterday. The Jets went 2-5 in the WACC Shoreline League, but their record put them in fourth place in the eight-team league. 

The Jets biggest victory of the season was their first. After losing their first five matches by a combined 19-1 — four shut outs — the Jets took down Pinole Valley High School 4-2 on Dec. 13. Both Jets’ league victories came against Tennyson High of Hayward.

The SJND women soccer team was also given the 13th seed, but in the NCS Div. IV tournament. They took on Lick-Wilmerding High of San Francisco in the first round of the 16-team tournament yesterday. 

The Pilots went 8-6-1 overall this season. Six of their eight wins came in Bay Counties East (BCE) League contests. They went 6-2 in the BCE for second place behind Head-Royce of Oakland. The Pilots enter the postseason with a little momentum. SJND beat both Redwood Christian of San Lorenzo and Bentley Academy of Lafayette, 2-0, in its final two games. 

Men’s Soccer
The AHS men’s soccer team just snuck into the NCS Div. II tournament as the 16 seed in the 16-team playoff. They took on Las Lomas High School of Walnut Creek in the opening round yesterday. The Hornets went 9-7-5 overall on the season including 8-3-3 in the WACC Shoreline League. Two of those league wins came in shut-out victories over EHS. 

They beat the Jets, 3-0, on Jan. 24, and 2-0, on Feb. 11. The Hornets rode a four-game winning streak into the postseason. It started with a 4-0 win over Piedmont High on Feb. 5. The Hornets beat Tennyson High 4-1 on Feb. 7. After beating EHS on Feb. 11, they won over San Lorenzo High, 4-0, in the season finale on Valentine’s Day.

The EHS men’s soccer team did not qualify for any postseason tournaments after going 0-10-1 overall and 0-8-1 in the WACC Shoreline League.

The SJND men’s soccer team played its season in the fall. They went 5-7 overall and 4-7 in the BCE.