The Score: Serra 2, Woodside 0.
The Star: Serra High right fullback Eduardo Velado was instrumental in both goals and was an important part of the host Padres’ solid defensive effort in the Central Coast Section Division I opener on Wednesday afternoon. The senior’s long through ball down the right sideline to Dylan Shafe resulted in Robert Peardon’s goal in the 16th minute, and then Velado’s indirect kick led to another score late in the first half.
The Turning Point: Eighth-seeded Serra’s second goal put No. 9 seed Woodside (10-6-4) in too big a hole to climb out of. Eduardo Velado fired an indirect kick into the box and Dylan Shafe beat Woodside goalie Brian Lopez to the ball and clipped it in – much to his own surprise -- in the 32nd minute. Padres coach Jeff Panos couldn’t remember the last time his team enjoyed a 2-0 lead, an advantage the hosts confidently protected to advance to the Division I quarterfinals for the third straight year.
The Quote: “You can’t underestimate any public school teams. Everyone in this tournament’s going to give you a good fight. It’s the playoffs – you lose and you go home. And we don’t want to lose.” – Serra junior sweeper Matt Pastore, on the focus the Padres brought into their first-round game against a Woodside team that had been peaking.
What’s Next? Surprise, surprise – a quarterfinal date with No. 1 seed Bellarmine on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Piedmont Hills. The Padres (10-8-5) face their West Catholic Athletic League nemesis in the quarters for the third year in a row. The Bells (15-3-5) advanced via penalty kicks in 2009 and Serra prevailed last year.
The Bottom Line: Battle-tested Serra, No. 2 in , took care of business on its home turf against seventh-ranked Woodside, a talented but youthful opponent. Next up? A mammoth challenge. WCAL champion Bellarmine has amassed 14 CCS titles, all since 1990. The Padres forged a 0-0 draw against the Bells in league play and came back to tie another match 1-1 before losing. But Serra also allowed a Bellarmine goal in the first minute of a WCAL tournament game and couldn’t recover. The Padres likely need their best performance of the year to advance.
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Serra 2, Woodside 0
At Serra
Scoring: S: Peardon (Shafe) 16:00, S: Shafe (Velado) 32:00.
Records: Woodside 10-6-4. Serra 10-8-5.
