The West High boys soccer team battled to the end but finished its playoff run with a 2-1 loss at Granite Bay.

West’s loss on Thursday, Nov. 1, in the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs ends the 2012 season for the Wolf Pack (10-3-3, 5-2-3 Tri-City Athletic League).

West coach Nate Perry said it was a close game all the way, with two of his players, seniors Waseem Latifi and David Reyes, taping up injured knees so that they could compete.

The Grizzlies took a 1-0 lead three minutes into the first half, but it was a close game after that. Granite Bay scored again 15 minutes into the second half and West scored five minutes later when junior Alex Valencia launched a free kick toward the goal and junior Javier Rios was there to head the ball into the net.

Granite Bay drew a red card shortly afterward, and West pressured the Grizzlies’ goal.

“We had good chances but couldn’t get one in,” Perry said. “It could have gone either way.”



Encina 4, Millennium 0

The Millennium boys soccer team was eliminated early from the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI playoffs. The Falcons finished their season with a 4-0 loss at Encina Prep in Sacramento on Thursday, Nov. 1. Millennium also had placed second out of 10 teams in the combined Central California Athletic Alliance/Mountain Valley League this year.

Millennium coach Alex Gonzalez said that the Falcons (17-8-2, 13-3-2 CCAA/MVL) started with a disadvantage on Thursday after freshman goalie Quinton Beffa was injured in practice with a dislocated shoulder. The Encina Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the first half and scored three more goals in the second half.

“It was a rough game, but we actually did very well,” Gonzalez said. “(The Bulldogs) were a great team. We played with a lot of heart.”