All that’s left are the formalities, but propelled by its 2-2 draw with West Valley on Friday, the Gavilan College men’s soccer team looks to be headed to the Northern California Regional playoffs for the first time in program history.
After crunching some numbers, the Rams, who finished Coast Conference play with a 7-3-4 record, will most likely be the 11th seed when all is said and done at Monday’s seeding meeting, Gavilan head coach Justin Johnson said.
“The guys are excited. Our goal wasn’t beating one team or the other. Our goal was to get into the playoffs. And here we are,” Johnson said after Friday’s game. “The guys have been working hard. And we want to keep on rolling.”
The tie caps a string of six unbeaten games (5-0-1) to close out the regular season – a streak that included a 2-1 victory over Foothill on Tuesday, which really set the Rams up for their postseason berth.
“People are playing with injuries and we just keep plugging away,” Johnson said, “They are doing it for each other. And when you play for each other, that’s when you can call yourself a team. I think these last three games, we have really embodied what it means to be a team.”
Gavilan had a 2-0 first-half lead, tallying twice off of set pieces. West Valley, the No. 4 team in the region, cut into the lead in stoppage time of the first half and found its equalizer early in the second.
“We had a lot of confidence. We played right with them,” Johnson said. “It was a good game. From a spectator’s perspective it was just a really good game. It was back and forth, and whoever had the ball, kept it. We had our chances they had their chances. The score was very fair in that way.”
Miles Mammen and Andy Moya (from Fabian Ruiz) had the goals for Gavilan.
“You want to peak at the right time. And I guess we are doing that,” Johnson said.
