–File photo by Aaron Valdez / Beacon Media News
By Aaron Valdez
Both the Arcadia girls’ water polo team and girls’ soccer team were eliminated from the CIF playoffs by West Torrance as the winter sports season comes to a close.
Water Polo
Despite not having the best regular season – one that produced a 12-14 overall record by the end of league play – the Apaches kicked it into high gear once the postseason came around by winning both the Pacific League Prelims and Championship.
This qualified Arcadia for the CIF-SS Division 6 playoffs where the team continued to shine as it eliminated Mayfair 17-0, Western 10-3 and Jurupa Valley 5-2 in the first three rounds. Unfortunately, the Apaches ran out of gas in the semis on Feb. 13 against a formidable West Torrance side that moved on to the finals with an 8-3 victory.
Soccer
Arcadia had solid regular season as the team finished with a 10-9-3 overall record and 9-3-2 Pacific League record, good enough for third place behind Crescenta Valley and Burroughs. However, the Apaches stumbled to the finish line as they lost two of their final three games while tying Crescenta Valley 0-0 in the other.
Nevertheless, Arcadia still qualified for the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs but there luck would not good any better. Despite a strong effort and a goal from Bertha Guzman, the Apaches fell short to West Torrance 2-1 in the first round on Feb. 6.
