The San Diego SeaLions missed out on a perfect season Saturday, falling to the San Diego Surf Soccer Club 5-3.
That leaves the Women’s Premier Soccer League team at 7-1 entering the league playoffs as the Pac-South San Diego Division champion.
They will play the Albuquerque Football Club, 6-1-1, at 3 p.m. Saturday at home at Cathedral Catholic High School’s stadium.
The Albuquerque team won the Desert Division championship.
Tickets cost $7 for adults and $5 for youth for Saturday’s playoff match.
The SeaLions outscored their opponents 20-3 during the season. Kiera Bocchino, who played at UC San Diego and Cori Deason, who played at Point Loma Nazarene University, led the offense. Bocchino scored six goals, and Deason, four.
Rookie goalkeepers, including Maria Andreyev of Miramar College, and Sophia Garrido of UCSD, combined for four shutouts.
“Our defense has been productive at both ends of the field, both in snuffing out attacks and by quickly setting-up counter-attacks and supporting pressure in front of the other team’s goal,” coach Lu Snyder said.
The team that became the SeaLions was established in 1988. The team won the WPSL championship in 2000 and later served as developmental squad for the now-defunct San Diego Spirit.
The SeaLions’ roster consists of former professionals, players from college programs and local high school talent.
– Staff reports
