It was good enough to edge out Leigh (9-2-1) for the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division championship. The week ended with Pioneer receiving the No. 1 seed in Division II of the upcoming Central Coast Section playoffs.

Winning championships has become habit forming in Mustang country. This was the third year in a row for Pioneer. Last year the Mustangs were Mt. Hamilton Division co-champions with Leland. The year before they claimed the BVAL Santa Teresa Division crown.

"The championship feels really good," Pioneer coach Randy Worthington said. "But all of the credit goes to the girls. They are the ones who played the games."

By virtue of its No. 1 seed, Pioneer received a first-round bye in the playoffs and will host the winner of No. 8 Santa Clara (11-3-5) and No. 9 Aragon (12-8-2) on Feb 19.

"Normally, I would say that sitting out the first round is a negative thing, especially if you are healthy," Worthington said. "But we have some key injuries and the rest will be positive for us and help us get the girls back in action. It will also give us fresh legs which we need for the playoffs."

With Leigh hot on its heels, Pioneer needed the win over Leland to wrap up the championship. The two teams had battled to a 1-1 tie in the first round of division play.

"The key to the win was the girls' tenacity," the coach said. "Our touch was a little off in the early going because I think they were a little nervous. They kept playing hard and were able to eventually play through it."

Freshman Samantha Vega erased those nerves and put Pioneer up 1-0 in the first half. She received a cross from sophomore Stephanie Righetti in the front of the box. Vega won the ball but was knocked down, only to pop right back up and blast a shot to the far post for the score.

It was another freshman, Bianca Springer, who sealed the win and the championship with about six minutes left in the game. Senior Tania Trejo went hard after the ball near midfield, won it, and then pushed it over to Springer. She dribbled the ball, fighting through several defenders, and rocketed a left-footed shot to the back of the net from about 15 yards out.

A crucial element to the win was the outstanding defensive play of senior captain Amy Cusick, who has been filling in as a sweeper due to injuries. Seniors Kendra Worthington and A.J. Roman also put forth an excellent defensive effort to thwart the Leland offensive attack.

The loss left the Chargers at 4-3-4 in division play and in fourth place. Leland not only lost the game but also suffered the loss of a key player when junior Brittany Ivanco went down early in the game with a broken ankle. Freshman Karina Cavanna also got hit by the injury bug when she sprained a ligament. That did not bode well for the Chargers as the CCS playoffs got under way this week.

Leland (6-7-7) received a No. 8 seed in Division I and hosted Gilroy (15-4-3) in a first-round game on Feb. 16.

It won't get any easier for the Chargers if they can get past Gilroy. Waiting in the quarterfinals will be No. 1 seed Carlmont (18-1-3). That quarterfinal game is scheduled at Carlmont on Feb. 19.

Boys soccer

There was nothing on the line for either team, other than a little pride, and sometimes that can make all the difference in the world.

Pioneer's boys soccer team was not headed to the CCS playoffs, which was unusual for the Mustangs, so they had something to prove when Leland came visiting last week.

The Mustangs did just that, pulling off a 2-1 Mt. Hamilton Division win. Pioneer finished at 5-7-2 and near the bottom of the pack. Leland ended the regular season at 7-2-5, which was good enough for second in the division.

The Chargers had already clinched the second-place finish prior to the Pioneer game and with it earned a trip to CCS. Leland (13-5-6) received a No. 8 seed in Division I and was to host an opening round match against No. 9 Gilroy (14-2-3) on Feb. 15. The winner will advance to a quarterfinal match on Feb 19 against the winner of No. 1 Watsonville (17-3-1) vs. No. 16 Alvarez (11-6-3).

Going into the seeding meeting, Leland coach Dave Gold was "anticipating a five, six, or seven seed" and actually had enough power points for a No. 6 seed. However, that would have created a conflict having to play against Oak Grove, a BVAL Mt. Hamilton Division team. Therefore, the Chargers were bumped to No. 8.

Gold is confident that the Chargers "can beat any of the teams [in Division I] if his players are healthy." He anticipated the return of Steven Beitashour and was hopeful that Ryan Villalpando would be closer to full speed.

"Pioneer had a huge game and they were pumped," Gold said. "They played very well, with a lot of heart, and deserved to win."

The two rivals battled to a 1-1 deadlock at the half. Villalpando put one in the net for the Chargers. Serafin Arreguin got Pioneer on the board with an assist from Flavio Huato.

It was the foot of Huato with an assist from Marcus Gomez that gave the Mustangs a 2-1 lead in the second half.

Branham wrapped up a bittersweet season with a 2-2 tie against Del Mar in BVAL West Valley Division action and then a 1-1 tie in a non-league contest against Cupertino.