Men’s soccer just short of playoffs

The Saddleback men's soccer team found out on Tuesday that it came up just short of qualifying for the upcoming 3C2A Southern California Regional Tournament, which starts on Wednesday.  The Bobcats finished their inaugural season four games above .500.

Saddleback had no idea what to expect when the season started.  The Bobcats put together a team a couple of weeks before the season and one of the goals was to be competitive.  They exceeded all expectations and were right in the mix with some of the top programs in the state when the regular season concluded.

Saddleback finished in third place in the Orange Empire Conference (OEC).  The Bobcats were 9-5-5 overall and 6-4-4 in OEC play, recording ties against four programs that qualified for the tournament. 

Saddleback outscored its opponents 42-28 for the season, finishing on a 6-game unbeaten streak which had them on the doorstep of the playoffs.  The Bobcats finished No. 18 in the southern half of the state in the power points system, with 16 teams qualifying for the tournament.

Over the final three weeks of the season, Saddleback tied Fullerton College (2) and Irvine Valley College (8), who both claimed high seeds for the playoffs.  They also had wins over Golden West College and Orange Coast College before finishing the season with a 5-2 victory over Santiago Canyon College.  Earlier in the campaign they tied both Mt. San Antonio College (10) and Santa Ana College (13), who also qualified for the tournament.

"I can't say enough about the effort of the team throughout the year," head coach BJ McNicol said.  "It was a great learning experience for all involved.  The future looks bright and we can't wait to get back to work in adding some pieces to the team so we can compete in the state tournament next season."