Porterville highlights Tulare County soccer season with section title, state playoff run

It was a memorable 2023-24 high school soccer season for several Tulare County teams.

Here are some of the top highlights from the pitch this season.

Porterville wins Central Section title, makes deep state playoff run

The Porterville Panthers (27-4-3) won the 2024 Central Section Division III boys soccer championship, beating Chavez 2-1 in overtime on Feb. 23.

That success rolled into the 2024 CIF SoCal D-III Championships.

No. 6 Porterville won a pair of state playoff matches, topping higher seeds Animo Leadership 3-2 in the opening round and outlasting Foothill-Santa Ana 3-2 in the semifinals to punch its ticket to the SoCal D-III regional championship game.

Animo was the bracket's No. 3 seed and Foothill-Santa Ana was seeded second.

In the SoCal regional title match on March 3, Porterville fell 5-0 to Foothill-Bakersfield. Foothill-Bakersfield was also the 2024 Central Section Division II champs.

Porterville culminated its outstanding run scoring 108 goals for a 3.1 per game average. The Panthers' 27 victories this season were the most for any Central Section team.

Woodlake captures Division VI boys championship

Woodlake also reigned supreme in the Central Section this season.

The top-seeded Tigers beat No. 3 Kennedy-Delano 5-4 in shootout fashion on Feb. 24 to claim the Central Section Division VI plaque.

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Woodlake's Miguel Diaz scored the championship game's opening goal in the eighth minute to hand the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

The Tigers (17-11-4) earned the seventh seed in the 2024 CIF SoCal Boys Soccer Division V Championships but fell 2-1 to No. 2 and eventual regional champion Maranatha on Feb. 27 in Pasadena.

El Diamante boys make a deep playoff run

The El Diamante boys played its best brand of soccer in the playoffs this season.

The No. 8 Miners reeled off three straight wins over No. 9 Kerman, top-seed Fresno and fifth-ranked Lindsay in the section playoffs to advance to the 2024 Central Section Division II final.

In the title match on Feb. 23, No. 7 Foothill-Bakersfield downed the Miners 3-1.

Fourth-seed El Diamante concluded its 17-8-5 season with an appearance in the 2024 CIF NorCal Boys Soccer Division II Championships, losing 3-2 to fifth-seed Del Oro.

Dinuba claims WYL boys crown, plays for a section plaque

The Dinuba boys made school history this season.

The Emperors won the program's first West Yosemite League championship in school history with an 8-2 record in conference play.

Dinuba allowed just 13 goals in 10 league matches and averaged 2.2 goals per game.

That type of production rolled into the 2024 Central Section Division IV playoffs.

Fourth-seed Dinuba posted postseason victories over No. 13 Farmersville, fifth-seed Orosi and top-ranked Bishop Union to punch its ticket to the Central Section Division IV finale.

In the section championship game on Feb. 23, the Emperors fell 2-1 to Justin Garza and wrapped up their season with a 14-win campaign.

Golden West boys, Redwood girls cruise to EYL championships

A pair of Visalia soccer teams stood atop the East Yosemite League this season.

The Golden West boys captured its sixth straight league championship, including its ninth conference crown in the past 10 seasons (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024).

The Trailblazers won this season's EYL championship outright with an 8-1-1 record.

During that highly successful 10-year reign, Golden West has amassed a combined 149-56-32 under the leadership of longtime head coach John McCaw.

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Golden West's top players this season were Ricardo Lemus, a central midfielder, and Chris Caballeros. Caballeros, a forward, led the team in scoring with 11 goals.

The Trailblazers surrendered only five goals in 10 EYL matches and were led by top defender Omar Fernandez and goalie Aaron Rodriguez.

On the girls' side, Redwood continued its dominance in league play, winning back-to-back EYL championships. The Rangers cruised in conference action with a 9-0-1 mark and have still not lost an EYL game in school history.

Under veteran head coach Jason Vieira, Redwood has claimed 12 league championships (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024).

The Rangers won 10 WYL titles from 2012-22 before joining the EYL the following season.

Redwood was the only Tulare County team, boys or girls, to compete in the Central Section Division I playoffs in 2024.

The Rangers, as the ninth seed, defeated No. 8 Centennial 3-1 in the opening round before falling to eventual section Division I champion and top-ranked Liberty 3-1 in the quarterfinals.

Redwood was led this season by Jayme Gomez (20 goals, five assists), Graycie Serpa (11 goals, three assists), Avery Yagle (10 goals, two assists), Ellie Gilbert (three goals, 15 assists), Roxana Bahr (eight goals, nine assists), Emmah Garcia (nine goals, nine assists), Paityn Bruce (seven goals, three assists), Leah See (six goals, six assists) and Alec Ortiz (two goals, three assists).

CVC wins Tri-County Conference girls title

The Central Valley Christian girls enjoyed one of its best seasons in a decade.

The Cavaliers won an absolute Tri-County Conference-Kings Canyon championship with a 7-1 record.

CVC capped off its outstanding season with a 21-5-1 overall record and posted its first 20-plus win campaign since the 2013-14 season. The Cavaliers are coached by Jacob DeGroot.

CVC outscored its foes a combined 61-18 during its run to 21 victories and was anchored offensively by Zoey Hartfield (16 goals, seven assists), Reagan Neese (14 goals, nine assists) and Taylie Avila (nine goals, 10 assists).

As the No. 1 seed, CVC advanced to the 2024 Central Section Division III semifinals but was upset by No. 4 Justin Garza 2-1.

Hartfield fired the equalizer in that playoff match but Justin Garza secured the victory with a late goal in the final minutes by Jasiel McGrew. Hartfield culminated her CVC career with 54 goals.

Tulare Western stampedes to WYL girls championship

Tulare Western was the class of the WYL in girls' soccer this season.

The Mustangs coasted to an undefeated 9-0-1 WYL en route to an outright league championship.

In 10 WYL games, Tulare Western (19-5-6) conceded just eight goals and scored more than triple that total on the offensive end, pouring 28 goals.

The Mustangs received standout performances from Trinity Bailey (17 goals, five assists), Lauren Starr (15 goals, five assists), Jaclynn Martins (12 goals, five assists), Milea Rogers (three goals, 15 assists) and goalie Alivea Salcedo (18 saves).

Tulare Western won a Central Section Division II playoff game, beating No. 15 Clovis 2-1 as the bracket's second seed.

Lindsay, Orosi dominate ESL play

Both the Lindsay and Orosi boys and girls soccer programs dominated their leagues this season.

Lindsay won the East Sequoia League-Sequoia championships.

The Lindsay boys ran through ESL action with a perfect 6-0-1 mark, scoring 27 goals and allowing just four in seven league games. The Cardinals (19-4-4) advanced to the Central Section Division II semifinals but fell to El Diamante in the semifinals.

Lindsay was one of the highest-scoring boys teams in Tulare County this season, firing 102 goals while averaging 3.7 goals per match. The Cardinals offense was driven by Andres Perez (24 goals, 11 assists), Bryan Martinez (20 goals, eight assists), Carlos Torres (16 goals, 11 assists) and Jesus Martinez (15 goals, assist).

The Lindsay girls stormed past ESL teams to an undefeated 8-0 record and an absolute ESL-Sequoia championship. The Cardinals (17-9) were dominant against league opponents, surrendering just four goals while registering 20 goals in eight league matches. Izabel Perez burst onto the scene as one of the top freshmen in the section, scoring 20 goals with eight assists.

Orosi was ESL-Redwood champion in both boys and girls soccer.

The Orosi boys shared the 2024 title with Farmersville. Both squads wrapped up conference play with identical 7-1 records.

Meanwhile, the Orosi girls turned in an undefeated league season with a 7-0-1 record and an outright ESL-Redwood title.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Porterville highlights Tulare County soccer season with section title