Santa Ana, Cypress Chasing State Titles, Perfect Seasons

The Cypress women’s soccer team and the men’s team from Santa Ana can complete impressive quests this weekend.

The teams each need two more victories to repeat as state champions and go undefeated in the process.

Cypress (25-0) brings an unbeaten streak of 51 games into Saturday’s 2 p.m. semifinal game against Ohlone (19-2-1) at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. The women’s title game is at 2 on Sunday.

This whole experience is very familiar for Cypress and Coach Ray Haas. This is the fifth consecutive trip to the state tournament for the Chargers.

It is also the third consecutive time that Cypress has played Ohlone in the semifinals. Cypress won last season and Ohlone won in 1997.

“This makes our season,” Haas said about reaching the state tournament. “We have set a high level of expectation for our program and that’s good. We will need an emotional performance out of our people if we are to be successful.”

Santa Rosa (18-0-1) takes on El Camino (19-1-1) in the other semifinal, which is also a rematch of last year’s game won by El Camino.

Cypress, which has won its last nine games by shutouts, is led by record setters Jane Specht and Alie Nunez.

Specht, who became the Cypress all-time leading scorer earlier this season, has 29 goals and 12 assists. Nunez, the Orange Empire Conference’s most valuable player, has established the Chargers’ single-season goal record with 36 and had 23 assists.

Santa Ana has impressive scorers of its own, led by forward Tomas Serna, who has a state-leading 39 goals.

Serna, the Orange Empire Conference’s most valuable player, got his latest two goals in a 3-2 victory over Pasadena that put the Dons in the state tournament.

Santa Ana (23-0) opens the tournament against Santa Rosa (14-1-5) Saturday at 10 a.m.

Santa Ana has no information about Santa Rosa but not because Don Coach J.P. Frutos didn’t try to find out something.

“We asked but nobody would tell us anything,” Frutos said, “but that’s all right. We’ll just do our thing and have them try to adjust to us.”

San Diego Mesa (18-1-3) plays Canada (16-2-5) in the other semifinal, which also starts at 10 on Saturday. Mesa’s only loss was 6-0 earlier this season to Santa Ana.

“It’s been a very good year,” Frutos said, “we are at full force and everybody is ready to go.”

ROLLING RUSTLERS

Golden West, the top-ranked women’s volleyball team in the state, is 27-0 and one victory away from making its 13th consecutive appearance in the state tournament.

The Rustlers, which have a 25-match winning streak in Southern California playoffs, play host to Cerritos (13-2) Saturday at 7 p.m.

The Rustlers, who are the six-time defending state champions, have won 60 matches in a row.

The bad news for the rest of the state is that Golden West is playing better than it has all season.

“We are not as physical a team as we were last year,” Golden West Coach Albert Gasparian said, “but we do all the little things as well as any team I’ve had.”

Golden West is also benefiting from the return of sophomore outside hitter Lori Daedelow, who was slowed by a foot injury and sore ribs that forced her to miss about a month of the season.

“Having her back really helps,” Gasparian said, “She has been through it all about 100 times and is really cool under pressure.”

In the other 7 p.m. matches: No. 10 Irvine Valley, which took out No. 7 Long Beach in the first round, travels to No. 2 Ventura (18-1) and No. 4 Cuesta (16-4) plays host to No. 5 Moorpark (12-9).

Canyons (17-4), which is seeded sixth, is at No. 3 Santa Barbara at 2 p.m.