NCS soccer features 10 area teams seeking Section titles
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (Feb. 24, 2025) — Carondelet is the lone top seed in the North Coast Section soccer playoffs from the local area but both Ygnacio Valley and De La Salle boys are second seeds entering this week’s opening round of games with 10 local teams taking part.
The Cougars are no stranger to high expectations entering the post-season. The Concord school has won three of the past five NCS D-1 tournaments and seven overall.
This season Carondelet (17-3, 9-0 in EBAL) lost two of its first three games then ran off a 14-game winning streak including 9-0 in the East Bay Athletic League. That streak ended last Saturday in a 1-0 double overtime loss to Amador Valley in the league tournament finals.
Carondelet surrendered nine goals in the two mid-December losses and nine goals total in their other 18 games, including nine shutouts and the other nine games allowing only one goal each.
The Cougars open the Section playoffs hosting 16th seed Ukiah at their athletic complex in Walnut Creek.
Northgate (8-3-5, 4-1-3 in DAL) is the 12th seed in D-1 and travels to Mill Valley and No. 5 Tamalpais in its opener.
Clayton Valley Charter (7-4-6, 1-3-4 in DAL) hosts Foothill of the EBAL in an 8-9 Division 2 matchup at Gonsalves Stadium.
College Park (3-7-9, 0-5-3) is 14th in D-1 and visits No. 3 Sonoma Academy, the unbeaten Coastal Mountain Conference champions.
Spartans, Wolves No. 2 seeds
De La Salle (15-3-2, 7-1-1 in EBAL) is on a nine-match unbeaten run entering the playoffs. Most significant was last weekend’s 3-1 tournament championship win over EBAL regular season champs Dougherty Valley in San Ramon, reversing a 4-2 loss to the Wildcats in the league game.
The Spartans suffered quarterfinals defeats the past two years after last winning NCS in 2022.
Dougherty Valley is top seed over the Spartans in D-1 and they host No. 16 Northgate (10-6-3) to get the playoffs underway.
Clayton Valley Charter (15-2-1, 9-1 in DAL) is third seed and hosts No. 14 Campolindo in the opening round in Concord. The Ugly Eagles hold a pair of DAL wins over the Cougars. Should CVCHS and DLS each win their first two games they would meet in the semi-finals in a rematch of their quarter-final game a year ago when Clayton Valley as the eighth seed eliminated the top seeded Spartans in a historic 4-2 win.
College Park (6-7-7, 4-2-6 in DAL) and Ygnacio Valley (11-4-2, 10-1-1 in DAL) are in D-3 action.
The Wolves host No. 15 Castro Valley in the first round on an 11-game unbeaten run. Ygnacio Valley won only one of its first six games but has not lost since.
The Falcons seeded 16th travel to No. 1 Livermore.
In D-4, Concord (7-6-5, 6-3-3 in the DAL) finished second to YV in the DAL Valley Division standings. The Bears, seeded 12th, go to Kentfield to meet Marin Catholic, No. 5.
The playoffs continue through championship games on Feb. 28-Mar. 1. The Northern California playoffs are Mar. 4-8.
Jay Bedecarré
Jay Bedecarré is a long-time resident and writer in Concord and Clayton. He began his newspaper writing career while still a senior at Mt. Diablo High School and he has been part of The Pioneer since its inception in 2003. Jay also operates Bay Area Festivals, presenting events around the San Francisco Bay Area including Bay Area KidFest annually in Downtown Concord.