SELMA – It’s been easy to root for the Selma boys during this delightful, late season surge that helped propel them to their recent Central Section D-IV Championship. And as the Bears stood ready to square off against Milpitas in the next part of their postseason journey, they hoped to keep the good vibes flowing.
Unfortunately, the No. 4 seed Bears couldn’t keep the good times rolling as the No. 5 seed Trojans rolled into Selma Stadium and stormed out with a 3-2 victory in the first round of the 2025 NorCal Boys Soccer Championships on March 4.
“We got caught a little off guard and I think it’s a little bit of nerves,” said Selma head coach Ruben Zamora. “This is new territory for us and we didn’t know how to adjust. Milpitas came out and they knew what was at stake.”
While this match didn’t conjure up any David vs. Goliath comparisons, Selma had to beware of a Milpitas team that’s playing with a lot of confidence. While the Bears have been a great feel-good soccer story, the Trojans (12-3-7) finished with the best overall record in school history. And winning their first league title in 21 years gave them an extra morale boost.
Within the first 10 minutes, the Trojans snuck up on the Bears with quick action and coordinated offense that produced two quick goals. Selma got stunned right away, and from there, never fully recovered.
Despite digging themselves an early hole, the Bears clawed their way back into the game on a Lupe Renteria goal in the 10th minute of the first half. And in the second half, Brando Alvarado’s penalty kick in front of the box brought some much-needed life into the crowd.
“Once we adjusted to the game, we evened it out, and we became more dangerous than what people thought we were going to be,” said Zamora.
The Bears season comes to a disappointing end, but despite the upset Selma came out proving a lot to themselves in the long run.
“These guys should be proud of what they did this season,” said Zamora. “I don’t want anybody here walking with their head down.”
Lady Bears fall asleep against Oakland Tech
The Selma varsity girls, fresh off their impressive road victory against Mira Monte in the Central Section D-V Championship game, boarded the bus yet again to begin their journey in the state championships against Oakland Tech.
Unfortunately, the No. 6 seed Bears bit off a little more than they could chew as the No. 3 seed Bulldogs confidently tamed them in a 3-1 home victory in Round I of the 2025 CIF NorCal Girls Soccer Championships on March 5.
The Bears had to like their chances against a fast Oakland Tech team as they entered their match, winners of their last four consecutive games, all of them on the road. Unfortunately, as Selma found out, the Bulldog’s bark was as bad as their bite.
The Bulldogs attacked the Bears on the pitch faster than expected; but despite a valiant effort, Selma failed to gain any momentum.
“They knocked the ball around really well; they were patient, and they did a good job of hitting those long switches on the backside on us,” said Selma head coach Luis Zamora. “I think the movement of the ball initially killed us.”
Oakland Tech’s Esme Falk scored two of her team’s three goals, en route to Player of the Game honors.
Selma’s loss to Oakland Tech means their surprise season full of challenges and obstacles, comes to an abrupt end.
“We had a really rough go at the beginning of the season. I didn’t envision it ending this way, the way we started and making this run,” said Zamora. “We showed up every game, it just seems like we improved.”
