Page One
Berkeley likely to share title with O’Dowd
Boys’ lacrosse on track for home field advantage in first round of Northern California playoffs
The Berkeley High boys’ lacrosse team will probably share the Shoreline Lacrosse League title, the Yellowjackets’ head coach said Friday.
Berkeley split the season series with Bishop O’Dowd, but the ’Jackets would win a tie-breaker based on goal differential. Berkeley outscored the Dragons 11-10 in two games.
But according to Berkeley head coach Jon Rubin, the teams will most likely be declared co-champions of the first-year league. Both teams will make the Northern California postseason tournament in two weeks, so Rubin doesn’t consider the league championship a huge issue.
“I don’t really care if we’re named champions or co-champions,” Rubin said. “I don’t know if the team cares, but we’re focusing on the playoffs now.”
The seeding of the postseason tournament, to be determined at the end of next week, is key for the ’Jackets. Eight teams will be entered into the draw, with the top four seeds earning home games in the first round. The semifinals will be held at neutral sites, with the championship slated for Kezar Stadium in San Francisco.
A home game in the first round is well within Berkeley’s grasp. The seedings will be determined according to Laxpower.com ratings, and the ’Jackets are currently third in region. But O’Dowd could jump over them with a win over No. 2 University, which beat Berkeley early this season, on Tuesday. Berkeley faces No. 7 Branson on Tuesday and wraps up its SLL season with Piedmont on Friday.
“Homefield would be pretty big for us, but we’ll probably be facing the top team from the lower echelon,” Rubin said. “It’ll probably be a team we’ve beaten, but probably a vastly improved team.”
The ’Jackets beat the fifth- and sixth-ranked teams, Marin Catholic and Acalanes, by big margins during the preseason. Two of their three losses came on the road, with top-ranked St. Ignatius the only team to beat Berkeley on its own field.
