Update: CIF SoCal Regional Soccer Championships Begin for Four Local Teams

(Update on Monday, 12:55 p.m. -- The girls game at San Clemente High will begin at 4 p.m., and the boys game will begin immediately after, approximately 6:30 p.m.)

San Clemente’s boys and girls soccer teams will be home on Tuesday for first-round games in the CIF SoCal Regional Soccer Championships, which will also include Santa Margarita and St. Margaret's girls teams in the pairings, which were released Sunday afternoon by the CIF office.

The Tritons boys team (17-6-6), which won the Southern Section Division 1 championship with a 2-1 victory over Santa Barbara on Saturday night, is seeded No. 2  in Division 1 behind Buchanan (20-2-3), the Central Section Division 1 champion.

San Clemente’s girls team (20-3-6), despite losing to Flintridge Sacred Heart, 1-0, in the Division 1 championship match on Friday, is seeded No. 1 in Division I while Sacred Heart (21-1-1) is seeded No. 1 in Division III. Placement in the divisions is based on enrollment.

Both of San Clemente teams are scheduled for 4 p.m. games on Tuesday, so expect a doubleheader at Thalassa Stadium. The boys will take on Southern Section Division 4 champion seventh-seeded El Rancho (23-2-1), the Southern Section Division 4 champion, while the girls will meet eighth-seeded Westview (16-4-5; San Diego Section).

The Tritons girls team, which defeated Westview, 3-0, in the Butch Lee Tournament on Dec. 11, has played in all four years of the SoCal Regional, having won the Division I title in 2009. This is the first appearance in the tournament by the San Clemente boys.

Santa Margarita (24-4-3), which lost in the Division 1 girls semifinals to San Clemtente, 4-2 on penalty kicks, is seeded No. 1 in Division II, but instead of a home match, the Eagles will play host to eighth-seeded Northridge Academy (14-2; L.A. City Section) at Santa Ana Stadium in a first-round match Monday at 3 p.m. Santa Margarita is making its SoCal Regional debut.

St. Margaret’s (26-2-1), which beat San Dimas, 2-0, to win the Division 6 title, is seeded fifth in Division III and opens on the road against fourth-seeded Central Valley Christian (23-1-2; Central Section) on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. St. Margaret's only other appearance in the SoCal Regionals was in 2008.

Should they advance both San Clemente teams and St. Margaret's would play in semifinal matches on Thursday at the home of the higher-seeded team, and the finals are scheduled for Saturday at Warren High in Downey -- Division I boys at 6 p.m.; Division I girls at 3:30 p.m. and Division III girls at 10:30 a.m..

Should Santa Margarita win its first-round game, the Eagles would play in the semifinals on Wednesday, and the finals are scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. at Warren.

For complete SoCal Regional soccer pairings, go to the CIF State website.

2011 CIF SoCal Regional Boys Soccer Championships

Tuesday, First Round

Division I -- El Rancho at San Clemente, 4 p.m.

2011 CIF SoCal Regional Girls Soccer Championships

Monday, First Round

Division II -- Santa Margarita hosts Northridge Academy at Santa Ana Stadium, 3 p.m.

Tuesday, First Round

Division I -- West View at San Clemente, 4 p.m.

Division III -- St. Margaret's at Central Valley Christian (Visalia), 4 p.m.