Another PSAL girls soccer season is in the books after the final two games were completed Tuesday afternoon. Tomorrow the league brass and coaches will meet to hash out this year’s playoff field for the action beginning Saturday.
So I broke out my legal pad and a four-color pen to make my own selections. Division ties and the presence of a new Manhattan A-VIII division will have some good teams on the outside looking in at a top 16 seed and first round home game.
Here is what I came up with:
PSAL Class A Mock Playoff Seeds
1. Beacon (13-0-0, Manhattan A-II)
2. Bronx Science (12-0-0, Bronx A)
3. Tottenville (10-2-0, Staten Island A)
4. Francis Lewis (10-1-1, Queens A-V)
5. Petrides (9-2-1, Staten Island A)
6. Goldstein (10-2-0, Brooklyn A-II)
7. McKee/Staten Island Tech (9-3-0, Staten Island A)
8. Cardozo (8-2-2, Queens A-V)
9. Bard (10-3-0, Manhattan A-III)
10. Hunter (10-3-0, Manhattan A-III)
11. Long Island City (11-1-1, Queens A-VI)
12. Brooklyn Tech (9-2-1, Brooklyn A-II)
13. Forest Hills (10-1-1, Queens A-VI)
14. Canarsie (10-2-0, Brooklyn A-VII)
15. Tilden (10-2-0, Brooklyn A-VII)
16. Martin Luther King Jr. (5-6-1, Manhattan A-VIII)
17. Bayside (8-3-3, Queens A-V)
18. Susan Wagner (7-4-1, Staten Island A)
19. Riverdale/Kingsbridge (10-2-0 Bronx A)
20. Flushing (7-4-1, Queens A-V)
21. Fort Hamilton (8-4-1, Brooklyn A-III)
22. Grand Street (9-3-0, Brooklyn-VII)
23. Arts & Business (7-3-2, Queens A-VI)
24. Truman (8-4-0, Bronx A)
25. FDR (7-4-1, Brooklyn A-II)
26. Richmond Hill (6-5-1, Queens A-VI)
27. School of the Future (Manhattan A-VIII)
28. Columbus (5-6-1, Bronx A)
29. A.P. Randolph (4-7-2, Manhattan A-VIII)
Analysis: Beacon, the runner-up the last two seasons, flips spots from a year ago with defending champion Bronx Science. Last year the Wolverines beat Beacon in a non-league game and earned the top spot. Monday the Blue Demons returned the favor with a 5-2 win. So that gives them the nod as the only two undefeated teams.
Don’t be surprised if Francis Lewis is No. 3 and Tottenville four when the real seedings are announced, but I gave the Pirates the nod for a few reasons. Their division is the best in the city and their only losses were by a combined two goals to second-place Petrides and perennial power MSIT. The Patriots’ division is nearly as deep with the emergence of Flushing, but they finished the season with a loss to Bayside and 1-1 tie with Cardozo. The top three seeds get first round byes.
Some people may disagree with Petrides at No. 5, but let’s examine this team. It beat Tottenville, MSIT and Wagner and is coming off a quarterfinals run last year. Striker Amanda Feldstein leads the PSAL in goals with 32 and sweeper Victoria Roda is one of the city’s best .
Goldstein comes in at six, because it navigated its way to a first place 10-1-1 record and a win over division favorite Brooklyn Tech to close out the season. It also features one of the city’s most dangerous scorers in Pamela Wishart. Right behind the Dolphins is McKee/Staten Island Tech, a semifinalist a year ago. The Seagulls ended the season strong with wins over Tottenville and Petrides. Any team with Jackie Bruno is always dangerous.
Bard and Hunter’s second place tie in Manhattan A-III push them to ninth and 10, respectivaly, because if they were No. 8 and No. 9 it would set up a potential second round matchup. Long Island City, which won its second straight division title, is at No. 11 and No. 12 Brooklyn Tech let a division title slip through its fingers, but has one of the league’s best players in midfielder Niri Halperin.
At lucky No. 13 is Forest Hills, who like Brooklyn Tech, was a win away from a division crown, but fell to LIC. Julia Svitsky leads a team that could surprise some people. Canarsie and Tilden shared the Brooklyn A-VII crown and get the final first-round home games, with Manhattan A-VIII winner Martin Luther King Jr.
The last two spots I want to talk about are Riverdale/Kingsbridge at 19 and Flushing over Fort Hamilton for 20. RKA placed second for the second straight year in a weak Bronx division. Last year as a No. 15 seed the Tigers lost to Goldstein in the first round. Division ties keep them out of the top of the draw. Flushing and Fort Hamilton could easily flip flop, but the Red Devils get the benefit of the doubt because of division strength in wins over Bayside and Cardzozo.
How close am I to the real seeding? We will find out soon enough.