Third-Seeded Esperanza Faces Alta Loma in Girls’ Soccer

Esperanza High School, a girls’ soccer power in Orange County, is the third-seeded team in the Southern Section 4-A playoffs, which begin Thursday.

Esperanza (21-2-3 overall, 7-0-2 in league), which won its third consecutive Empire League title last week, opens against visiting Alta Loma (14-6-4).

The Aztecs are led by a core of seniors, which includes Michelle Rullo, Chrissy Coppage and Jennifer Gulden.

Simi Valley (24-1-0), which finished second in the 4-A last season to Capistrano Valley, is the division’s top-seeded team. Upland (21-1) is seeded second and Arcadia (23-1-1) is fourth.

In other first-round 4-A matches involving county teams: Fifth-seeded Dana Hills (18-3-2) plays host to Redondo Union (10-7-1); sixth-seeded El Toro (16-3-3) plays host to Chaffey (14-8-3); eighth-seeded Mission Viejo (16-4-2) plays at University (10-5-5); ninth-seeded Corona del Mar (15-5-4) plays host to West Torrance (11-9), and 10th-seeded Los Alamitos (11-4-3) plays at Mira Costa (14-5).

In 3-A, which begins first-round action Friday, Mater Dei (19-2-2) is the second-seeded team; Canyon (14-0-4) is third. Agoura (22-1-2), whose only loss this season was to El Toro, is the top-seeded team; Santa Barbara (21-1-2) is fourth.

Friday’s 3-A matches involving county teams are: Redlands (12-4-6) at Sunny Hills (14-2-5); Foothill (8-11-1) at Trabuco Hills (18-4-1); Bishop Montgomery (8-10-2) at La Quinta (14-3-1); San Gorgonio (13-8-1) at El Modena (13-6-3); Moreno Valley (13-6-4) at Woodbridge (12-5-2); Laguna Hills (11-10-3) at Kennedy (15-4-1); La Habra (10-6-5) at Riverside Poly (16-5-2); Millikan (9-10) at Troy (13-3-3), and Pacifica (11-5-3) at Long Beach Poly (13-7).

* COMPLETE PAIRINGS: C11