Area's returning soccer faces in 2023-24 season: Sutter was Sac-Joaquin Section finalist in 22-23
Nov. 22—Thanksgiving means the dawn of winter sports in the mid-valley region, and there are many squads to be diagrammed and dissected this year.
Sutter Union High girls soccer is coming off an appearance in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V final a year ago where it fell to Colfax, 6-0. The team went 17-5-2 and finished third in the Pioneer Valley League in 2022-23. This year's squad returns a boatload, including an upcoming star in the SJS, junior Reece Stevenson. As a sophomore, Stevenson netted 10 goals and accrued 25 points for the Huskies to finish as one of the top returning area threats.
Sutter opens the 2023-24 year Tuesday at Antelope in a nonleague battle beginning at 6 p.m. It will be an opening three-match trip that ends Dec. 5 at Marysville. Sutter, Marysville are two of a host of area foes in the PVL before leagues realign next year. Joining the Huskies and Indians are Wheatland and Lindhurst.
Of course everyone will be chasing last year's PVL and section champ Colfax, who went 27-2-1 a year ago. Sutter will get its first taste with Colfax on Dec. 7 at home beginning at 3:15 p.m. on the campus of Sutter Union High School.
The top-3 in the PVL a year ago was Colfax, Twelve Bridges and Sutter, respectively.
Capital Valley Conference
Yuba City and River Valley makeup the area portion of the CVC before the shakeup next year. The Honkers split their first two games this season, taking down Lindhurst last week and falling to Live Oak, of the Northern Section, 2-1 on Monday.
Yuba City returns 10 seniors off a team that went 15-5-3 overall and finished fifth in league last year. YC opens league Dec. 14 and will get its first matchup with rival River Valley on the road on Dec. 21 beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Honker Stadium on the campus of Yuba City High School.
Once league begins, Yuba City will need to replace the CVC's top goal scorer in 2022-23, Lorelai Miller. Miller scored 48 goals last year as a senior. Woodcreek won the league in 2023 at 14-1-1.
River Valley opens this season at home Monday against Marysville at 5:30 p.m. The Falcons' first league contest is Dec. 14 at home against Antelope where it looks to improve off an 0-12 finish in the CVC last year.
Northern Section
Live Oak brings back the top two point scorers in the section from a year ago in Mckayla Holman and Johanna Petrone — the latter netting over 100 goals in 2022-23.
With Holman and Petrone at the helm, the Lions made it to the Northern California state regional playoffs, eventually falling to Oakland Tech.
This year, Live Oak opened with a win over Yuba City, and will continue its run at home against Las Plumas Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. Live Oak is back in Yuba City Dec. 12 to take on River Valley at 5 p.m.
The team is coached by Jose Acosta.
