NorCal Regionals Playoff Bracket
The road to the men's soccer state championships begins this week for the Taft College men's soccer team. On Tuesday, the Cougars received the No. 12 seed for the upcoming Northern California Regional Playoffs.
No. 12 Taft will travel to No. 5 Butte College on Friday (Nov. 19) for a Round 1 playoff game at Harrison Stadium (1674 3rd Ave; Oroville, CA 95965). Game time is 2 p.m.
Fans are welcome to attend the game but will need to purchase tickets in advance or pay via check only at the door. Ticket prices for the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) postseason game are $12 for general admission and $8 for all identified students, faculty, staff, senior citizens age 60 and over, and children under 12 years old and can be purchased online at this link. Parking is free.
The Cougars enter the postseason with an 11-4-6 overall record and finished fifth in the Central Valley Conference with a 3-4-3 mark. Taft has outscored its opponents by a 28-15 margin this season and has posted 11 shutouts.
The Cougars return to the postseason after a one-year absence. In 2018, Taft faced Butte in the second round of the regionals and after 120 minutes of scoreless soccer, Butte advanced on penalty kicks. TC looks to return to the state championships for the first time since reaching the finals in 2017.
Butte brings a 14-3-2 overall record into Friday's game and was co-champions of the Golden Valley Conference at 8-1-1. Friday's contest will mark the first meeting of the season between the two squads.
The winner of Friday's game will face either No. 4 De Anza College (12-2-5) or No. 13 Lake Tahoe Community College (10-7-3) in Round 2 on Tuesday, Nov. 23. Three wins are needed by the Cougars to advance to the CCCAA Soccer State Championships on Dec. 3 and 5 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.