The Analy Tigers are the co-champions of the Sonoma County
League after posting an exciting 2-1 win over visiting Sonoma in
the league finale on Oct. 26.
The clutch victory gave Analy a final SCL record of 9-1-2,
forging a virtual tie with the Dragons, who finished with a league
mark of 10-2. Since both teams had 20 points, they will share the
SCL title, although the Tigers gained the automatic North Coast
Section playoff berth by virtue of a lower tie-breaker number drawn
at the start of the season.
The Oct. 26 battle with Sonoma went about as expected, with the
game taking on playoff intensity. Following a scoreless first
half, the Tigers drew blood 15 minutes in when Armando Coronel was
taken down in the box, leading to a successful penalty kick off the
foot of Cameron Wehrfritz for a 1-0 lead.
The Tigers caught another break with seven minutes left when
Wehrfritz was taken down by the Sonoma goalkeeper, and he nailed
the subsequent PK for a 2-0 advantage. The Dragons would make
things interesting in the waning minutes, but Analy hung on for a
2-1 win.
“The game was intense, as was expected,” said Analy coach Peter
Meechan, who led the Tigers to their 14th title in his 20-year
tenure. “It’s a tribute to the team’s hard work and character that
we were able to win the SCL after trailing Sonoma for the second
half of the season. We hope we can keep it going in the playoffs,”
he added.
The Tigers will now turn their attention to the NCS Division-1
playoffs, where they were awarded the second seed in the 16-team
tournament.
At press time, Analy was preparing to host 15th-seeded Arcata on
Nov. 3, with the winner slated to face the team emerging from the
Windsor-Elsie Allen game this Saturday, Nov. 6 (time TBA). Check
the NCS website at cifncs.org for
updated bracket information.
The list of boys NCS Division-1 tournament teams in order of
seeding is: Montgomery (15-2-4), Analy (19-2-3), Tamalpais
(12-3-8), Maria Carrillo (12-4-5), Sir Francis Drake (14-4-6),
Ukiah (10-5) Windsor (14-4-1), San Rafael (12-4), Marin Catholic
(10-9-6), Elsie Allen (7-8-7), Cardinal Newman (9-7-6), Redwood
(7-8-6), Sonoma (13-5-3), Fortuna (18-2), Arcata (16-6-1), and
Rancho Cotate (10-10-1).
