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Bulldogs qualify for soccer postseason
Bulldog head color

Ceres High's varsity girls soccer program has reached unprecedented heights under head coach Miguel Saldate's guidance.

The Bulldogs won a pair of Western Athletic Conference games and secured their fourth consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berth this past week.

"Our goal is to do better than the previous year," said Saldate, who led Ceres High to its first league title in 2014-15.

Ceres High topped Patterson and Los Banos by a combined score of 13-0.

"Everybody is working hard," Saldate said.

Second-place Ceres High improved to 10-2-3 overall and 6-1-1 in the WAC standings after pulling away for a 5-0 win over Patterson on Thursday at Bulldog Stadium.

"We struggled a little bit but managed to win the game," Saldate said.

Mariah Trevino scored a game-high three goals while starring at forward.

Trevino's main position is sweeper.

"We wanted to be more aggressive up top," Saldate said. "She's a great player. She can play anywhere."

Miranda Wilds and Aaliyah Ruiz both netted one goal.

Ceres High routed visiting Los Banos 8-0 on Jan. 30.

Wilds tallied three goals.

"She works hard when she's on the field," Saldate said.

Miranda Larranaga chipped in with two goals.

Trevino, Jacqueline Ruiz and Kristen Rodriguez all contributed one goal.

"We gave everybody a chance to play," Saldate said.

First-place Central Valley (7-1-0) had a two-point lead over Ceres High in the WAC standings as of Monday.

"It would be better if we were in first place," Saldate said. "But the loss against Central Valley and tie with Livingston didn't help us at all."

The Bulldogs' final two opponents are Livingston and Pacheco.

Barring a major collapse, Central Valley will win its third straight WAC crown.

"For us to finish in second, Livingston would have to lose or tie a game," Saldate said. "We're not comfortable with what we have already. We'll be happy if we finish league with wins. The better we do, the better our playoff seeding will be."