Girls soccer playoffs elude Warriors

Twelve teams were selected for the CIF Division II playoffs based on power rankings which factor records and strength of schedule. Fallbrook was 14th in the power rankings among the Division II schools. The Warriors had a 6-6-4 overall record, and their 4-3-3 statistic in Valley League play was worth third place in the six-team standings.

The 2020-21 CIF girls soccer playoffs did not include Fallbrook High School.

"It was a disappointment. I think we had a good squad and would have loved to make the playoffs," said Fallbrook coach Sergio Garcia. "I think a few ties during the season were the tilting point."

Three of those ties were in consecutive games: April 22 at home against Mount Carmel, April 27 at Valley Center, and April 29 at Escondido.

The most recent North County Conference league realignment for soccer added Mount Carmel and Mission Hills to the Valley League.

Mission Hills won the 2020-21 Valley League championship and Mount Carmel finished second. "Mission Hills I would say was higher," Garcia said of the comparison between Mission Hills and Mission Vista.

Mission Hills was undefeated both in Valley League and regular-season play. Mission Hills and Mount Carmel played each other only once, accounting for Mount Carmel's only league loss of the season. The tie against Fallbrook was the other blemish on Mount Carmel's 7-1-1 record.

Fallbrook had 19 girls on the varsity roster and 14 junior varsity players. "Would have liked more, perhaps on JV," Garcia said.

The compression of the normal three CIF seasons caused many soccer players to split time between soccer and other sports. The waiver of the prohibition against club play during the CIF season also meant that high school soccer players had club competition during the Warriors' season. "Usually the two don't conflict," Garcia said.

Although club soccer did not create direct schedule conflicts, players could potentially be injured during club play as well as during CIF play, and the increased activity also made high school teams susceptible to injury losses. "Them playing simultaneously, it is prone to more injury," Garcia said. "Luckily injuries were minimal for our team."

Five of Fallbrook's 2020-21 starters are freshmen. "We're a young team," Garcia said.

That means that if those players remain in the program they will be experienced players over the next three seasons. "A lot of talent for the years to come," Garcia said.

The Warriors followed the three consecutive ties with a 4-2 win May 4 at Ramona and a 2-1 victory May 6 at home against Valley Center. Mission Hills won a 3-0 game at Fallbrook on May 11, which was Senior Night for the Warriors. Fallbrook had five seniors, and depending on the preferred formation based on the opposition three or four of them were starters.

Fallbrook closed out the 2020-21 season May 13 at Mount Carmel, whose Rancho Penasquitos location places the Sundevils' student-athletes near many prominent soccer club facilities. "They've got strong club players," Garcia said.

May 13 was also the date of Fallbrook High School's senior prom. "We played without our seniors that night," Garcia said.

The Warriors were still competitive against the Sundevils, and neither team scored until late in the game. "We held them until the last 15 minutes," Garcia said. "It was a pretty even game."

The Sundevils scored with about 15 minutes left. Garcia went to a more offensive formation in an attempt to score the equalizer, which meant that Fallbrook was sacrificing defense, and Mount Carmel scored a second goal.

"Grateful after the COVID situation that they were able to return to play," Garcia said.

The compression of the CIF seasons minimized pre-league games. "Grateful that there was a season to be played, but very little pre-season to prepare," Garcia said.

The 2021-22 season is scheduled to begin in November with the regular season concluding during February. "The girls are excited for next season, which is just around the corner," Garcia said.