Boys soccer playoffs: Moorpark survives Oxnard on PKs; seven other local teams advance

Goalkeeper Leon Chavez made a key save in the decisive shootout as the host Moorpark High boys soccer team turned away 10-man Oxnard’s valiant comeback bid Wednesday night in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 playoffs.

After Chavez dove to save the first Oxnard attempt, Armando Acevedo, Leo Zavala and Andrew Menjivar converted penalty kicks as the Musketeers advanced 3-2 on penalty kicks after a 2-2 first-round tie.

“There was some weight lifted off his shoulders,” Moorpark coach Manny Galvez said of his goalkeeper’s performance. “He’s our captain and it definitely means a lot to him.”

Mattheo Silaque and Jett Barrett scored goals and Acevedo had an assist for Moorpark (12-7-4), which will host top-seed Palmdale in Friday’s second round.

“The guys were motivated to play tonight,” Galvez said. “They felt like they had something to prove. When we stick together good things happen.”

Oxnard (15-7-2) was eliminated despite equalizing twice, including Mariodavid Vega’s headed goal from a corner kick in second-half stoppage time.

More: CIF-Southern Section boys basketball playoffs: Twelve area teams advance to second round

“We’re proud of the way the boys came back,” Oxnard coach Chris Conte said. “We had some good chances to win. … It just didn’t go our way.”

Conte was especially disappointed in the performance of the officiating, which has been a theme in high school soccer this season.

The local unit of the Southern California Soccer Officials Association continues to boycott CIF-SS matches over a years-long pay dispute, which started in 2022 when the section essentially approved raises for officials from every other sport but soccer.

As a result, schools are still providing their own officials.

“It was horrendous,” Conte said. “Anytime they fell, it was a foul.”

Both sides had complaints. Moorpark had two goals disallowed and Galvez argued the first Oxnard goal — scored by Pabel Ayala on a counterattack in the 25th minute — was offsides.

Oxnard had a significant penalty kick shot turned away in the 84th minute, after a Moorpark defender stopped an Oxnard shot in the 6-yard box with his outstretched hand.

But the biggest flashpoint came at the end of regulation, when an Oxnard player was shown a second yellow card for kicking the ball in celebration after the Yellowjackets tied the score.

That forced Oxnard to play overtime down a man.

“It was a very disappointing game,” Conte said.

Division 1

Oak Park 5, Littlerock 0: Tamir Ratoviz finished with a hat trick and an assist, Charles Chowena and Evan Ziglari also had goals and Tyler Cash added an assist as the fourth-seeded Eagles cruised at home.

Oak Park (13-2-1) will visit Alta Loma in Friday’s second round.

Division 2

Pacifica 2, Tustin 0: Andy Martinez scored in the seventh minute and Michael Sauceda scored in the 65th minute as the second-seeded Tritons advanced at home.

Pacifica (18-5-2) will visit Long Beach-Wilson in Friday’s second round.

Agoura 1, Lake Forest-El Toro 0: Jake Tomay scored from a corner kick in the 67th minute as the Chargers advanced to the second round for the fourth straight season.

Agoura (10-5-4) will host Newport Harbor in Friday’s second round.

Channel Islands 2, Santa Ana 1: Benjamin Aguilar and Damian Renteria scored goals as the Raiders advanced to the second round for the second time in three seasons.

Channel Islands (16-2-3) will host Beaumont in Friday’s second round.

Division 3

Thousand Oaks 3, Chaffey 1: Gabriel Torrenblanca scored twice to give the Mamonte League champion a 2-0 halftime lead and Uziel Diaz added an insurance goal in the 58th minute as the Lancers won their first playoff game in five years.

“We got off on the right foot,” Thousand Oaks coach Mark Tietjen said.

Thousand Oaks (13-7-3) will visit Temecula-Great Oak in Friday’s second round.

Newbury Park 2, Downey 1 (OT): Jaden Griffin equalized in the second half and Dragen Vrataric scored the golden goal two minutes into overtime as the 10-man Panthers earned a playoff win for the third straight year on the road.

"Our boys never let up," Newbury Park coach Eric Sanford said. "Elite effort the entire game."

Newbury Park (11-9-2), which had a player sent off midway through the second half, earned the right to host Friday's second-round match against Adelanto.

Division 4

Ventura 3, Anaheim-Katella 1: Marcos Hernandez scored two goals and Joseph Ramirez converted from the penalty spot as the Cougars earned their first playoff win in eight years.

Ventura (13-4-4) will visit Coachella Valley in Friday’s second round.

Wiseburn Da Vinci 3, Santa Paula 2: Isaac Salgado scored twice to dig the Citrus Coast League champions out of a 2-0 hole, but the visitors scored a winning goal in the second half at Jones Field.

The Cardinals end their season 13-7-2.

Whittier-California 1, Hueneme 0 (OT): The Vikings pushed the first-round match on the road into overtime, but were eliminated after a penalty kick was controversially awarded.

The Vikings end their season 3-12-1.

Division 5

Pasadena Poly 2, Fillmore 1 (OT): Jesus Angel Avila’s goal from Danny Medina’s pass opened the scoring for Fillmore early in second half, but Pasadena Poly took advantage of a Fillmore red card to tie the game in regulation and win it in overtime.

The Flashes end their season 9-8-5.

Division 6

Cate 2, Royal 2 (Cate advances on PKs): Jared Dew and Roberto Garcia-Ramirez scored goals for the Highlanders (10-10-4), which was eliminated 4-3 in a penalty shootout.

Division 7

St. Bonaventure 5, Beacon Hill 1: Jack Nelson and Oscar Orozco scored two goals apiece, George Mann had three assists and Luke Alatorre also found the net as the Seraphs won a Division 7 wild-card match Wednesday at Temple Baptist Church in Camarillo.

St. Bonaventure (8-7-1) will travel to Hawthorne Math & Science Academy in Friday’s first round.

Beacon Hill, the Omega League runner up, finished its season at 9-3-1.

Joe Curley covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Boys soccer playoffs: Moorpark survives Oxnard on penalty kicks