The Servite Friars will face off against the Canyon Comanches at TBD on Tuesday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Servite had no problem doing just that on Friday. Their defense stepped up to hand the Cowboys a 5-0 shutout. Given Servite's advantage in MaxPreps' California soccer rankings (they are ranked 16th, while Cajon is ranked 89th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Servite hit Cajon with a three-pronged attack, as the team got scores from
Esteban Abarca (2),
Justin Cuevas (2), and
Nicholas Nodarse.
Meanwhile, Canyon entered their tilt with Palos Verdes with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Canyon beat Palos Verdes by a goal, winning 1-0. Give Canyon's defense some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Servite's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-6-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they scored nine goals over those three matches. As for Canyon, their victory bumped their record up to 16-5-4.
Servite took their win against Canyon in their previous matchup back in November of 2016 by a conclusive 5-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Servite since the squad won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
