3C2A Men's and Women's Soccer Championships ready for action at Saddleback College
State Championship Brackets: Men l Women
Tournament Central (links to watch, recaps, photos, brackets and more)
MISSION VIEJO - The 2025 season is in its final phase as eight programs from across the state head to Saddleback College for the 3C2A state tournament. The tournament starts on Friday with the semifinals, with the championship games set to be played on Sunday.
The opening game of the tournament has the upstart Golden West College women’s team facing two-time defending champion Folsom Lake College. For Golden West, it is the first state tournament appearance in program history while Folsom Lake has become an annual expectation after winning back-to-back titles the past two seasons. Golden West stunned top-seeded Saddleback College, 1-0, in the regional finals on Saturday for their 19th shutout of the season. Folsom Lake advanced to the tournament with a 2-0 shutout over Santa Rosa Junior College. It was the 20th shutout of the season for the Falcons.
Kylie Deome leads Folsom Lake in goals with 15 for the season while Madi Stroh leads the Falcons with 18 assists. Kaylee Gomez leads Golden West with 10 goals for the season. Golden West (15-4-6) and Folsom Lake (22-0-2) are scheduled to kick off at 10:00 AM.
The second women’s semifinal has Sierra College (17-2-4) facing Santiago Canyon College (17-2-5) with a 1:00 PM scheduled start. Sierra is the No. 2 seed from the northern half of the state and advanced to the final four with a 2-1 win against Fresno City College. It’s the first appearance in the state tournament for the Wolverines since 2012 when they lost to Cerritos College in the state semifinals. Santiago Canyon is back in the final four for the first time since 2019 when they captured their second straight title, and fourth overall. The Hawks advanced to the tournament with a 4-2 win against Long Beach City College in the regional finals.
Addison Johnson leads Sierra on offense, entering the tournament with 14 goals for the year. Santiago Canyon has a talented tandem in Mia Lussier and Ayleen Jimenez, who enter with 13 and 11 goals, respectively.
The opening semifinal in the men’s bracket has Cañada College (12-2-8) facing Cerritos College (15-6-3) at 4:00 PM. Cañada advanced to the tournament by virtue of a 3-2 win in penalty kicks over Fresno City College in the regional finals after the two teams went scoreless for 120 minutes. The Colts were in the state tournament last season, falling to eventual champion Cuyamaca College in the semifinals, 2-1. Cerritos makes its first appearance at the state tournament since 2019 but is by no means a newcomer to the scene. The Falcons have won four state titles in program history, with the most recent coming in 2018. Cerritos advanced to the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Santa Barbara City College in the regional finals.
Cañada is led on offense by Dylan Antunovich, who enters the tournament with 14 goals. Cerritos is led on offense by a trio of goal-scorers in Gustavo Arias (14), Christopher Ramirez (10) and Nathan Pineda (9), who combined for 33 goals during the year.
The second men’s semifinal has Los Angeles City College (15-4-7) facing Hartnell College (17-3-4) at 7:00 PM. Los Angeles City entered the playoffs as the No. 11 seed in the Southern California Regional Tournament and proceeded to knock off No. 6 Norco College, No. 3 Cuyamaca College and No. 2 Oxnard College (2-0) on way to the state tournament. Hartnell started as one of the favorites in the men’s bracket up north and did not disappoint, beating Evergreen Valley 1-0 in the regional finals to reach the tournament. The Panthers last appeared in the state tournament in 2021, falling to Mt. San Antonio College in the state finals (2-1). Hartnell has one state title to its name, hoisting the trophy in 2013.
Los Angeles City has a balanced attack on offense, with Juan Munoz leading the way with nine goals entering the tournament. Hartnell has five guys with seven-or-more goals, led by Ryan Ruiz (10).
The winners on Friday will play for the 3C2A state championship on Sunday. The women’s championship game is scheduled for 10:00 AM while the men’s championship is scheduled for 2:00 PM.
(Brad Hoiseth, CCCSIA)