Huskies’ soccer loss still a win
Emilio Flores’ goal, which helped rocket the Mammoth Huskies to the CIF Division finals last Saturday.
Huskies play in Southern California Regional State Tournament March 8
The Mammoth High School Huskies boys soccer team took the field against the unbeaten Cate High School Rams from Carpinteria this past Saturday afternoon, but lost the CIF Division 7 title game 3-1. The game was a hard fought battle that saw the Huskies take the early lead in the match at Warren High School in Downey.
Despite the outcome the competition was nonetheless historic, in that it was the first time in Mammoth’s school history that the Varsity soccer squad made it all the way to the Division finals.
Mammoth’s team members were ready for a tough two periods, but had their work cut out for them going into the game, playing the top-seeded Rams and their blemish-free 20-0 record, including three shutouts in four wins during the postseason. The Rams were also ranked 24th nationally by ESPN.
The Huskies were a well-matched opponent for the Rams, however, coming out on top in Desert Mountain League, and banking a four-game win streak leading up to the title game.
And as it turns out, the loss isn’t the end of the road for the Huskies.
CIF officials announced over the weekend that the Huskies were selected to play in the Southern California Regional section of the State Tournament, which starts this week. The Huskies would be ranked in the lowest division, Division 3.
According to pre-game information at Max Preps, which tracks high school sports nationwide, the Huskies are set to take on the Annenberg Panthers from Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 8, at 4 p.m.
By the numbers at least the Huskies could be considered the favorites. At 21-2-3 overall and 10-0-2 in League, the Huskies come into the game with a 86.5 percent winning percentage, versus the Panthers’ 15-4-2 overall and 8-0-2 League record and a 76.2 percent win percentage. Mammoth’s defense also looks better in the box scores at 0.941 goals scored against compared to Annenberg’s 1.342 goals scored against average.
Again, a neutral site will host the game, this one being played at West Adams High School on Washington Blvd. in L.A. If the Huskies continue to progress, they’ll move to the Regional Semi-Finals on Thursday, March 10, at 4 p.m. A win there will take them back to Warren High School in Downey for the Regional Finals on Saturday, March 12, at 1 p.m. –Sheet Staff/Max Preps
