Burbank, Burroughs girls’ soccer make CIF playoffs
Burroughs High girls’ soccer Coach Eddie Garcia knows a little something about his team’s first-round opponent in the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs.
To be more specific, he coached a pair of players on the team that will be the Indians’ first-round opponent.
Burroughs will take on host Flintridge Prep at 5 p.m. Thursday in a playoff opener.
“I coached two of the girls on that team,” said Garcia, who is also a club coach. “I also know that [Prep] is a very good program and they usually have their share of good players. It’s a good first-round match because we don’t have to travel very far.”
Flintridge Prep is from La Cañada.
The Indians (13-11-2) are coming off a regular season in which they stayed in contention for a Pacific League championship until the final two matches. Burroughs ended up placing third in league behind champion Arcadia and runner-up Crescenta Valley.
The Rebels (12-2-6) — a tough defensive squad — enter the playoffs after placing second in the ultra-tough Prep League behind champion Pasadena Poly.
“Looking at the playoffs overall, I think we got a favorable draw,” Garcia said. “The fact that we’re playing on Thursday is very good for us. We had five injuries and that will give us a little time to get healthy a little bit.
“I look for us to hopefully be able to play well in the playoffs.”
A win in the first round would put the Indians into a second-round contest against either Diamond Bar (17-3-3) — the Hacienda League champion — or Western (10-7-4) — and at-large team from the Empire League
Burbank (13-8-1) is the fourth-place team from the Pacific League. It will have to hit the road for a long trip to take on host Arroyo Grande at 5 p.m. Thursday for a Division III first-round contest.
Arroyo Grande (16-1-6) won a championship in the PAC 7 League.
“We have nothing to lose and [Arroyo Grande] has everything to lose,” Burbank Coach Eric Montoya said. “I like to be in that position.”
If Burbank wins, it would take on Mayfield (9-5-2; No. 3 from the Prep League) or Victory Valley (5-11-3; No. 2 from the Desert Sky League).