“All season long, we’ve been a top-10 team,” said Harrison, whose team will begin the postseason at 5 p.m. with a first-round match against visiting Marshall Fundamental. “We wanted the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and didn’t get it.
“We’ve got a good first-round matchup and it’s going to be tough. Every team is a contender in the division. We need to be able to get back to playing with more consistency.”
La Cañada went 18-3-3 in the regular season. Marshall is 16-4 after taking second in the Alpha League behind Crossroads.
“I coached a lot of their players, either at AYSO or club,” Harrison said. “So, at least I will have an idea about how they play. It’s going to be tough, but at least I know what they are capable of.”
The winner of the La Cañada-Marshall match will take on Pomona or Yucca Valley in a second-round match Feb. 20.
Flintridge Prep will travel to Firebaugh for a Division VI first-round match at 5 p.m. Friday. The Rebels are 8-8-4 after taking second in the Prep League. Firebaugh finished second in the Harbor League and is 9-6-1.
Under first-year coach AJ Yates, the Rebels enter the playoffs on an eight-match unbeaten streak (5-0-3). In that stretch, the Rebels have yielded only eight goals.
“We are not scoring a lot, but we are certainly playing great defense,” Yates said. “Things have been coming together nicely for us with this run that we’ve been on of late.
“If we can continue to play smart defensively, then we have a chance to do some good things in the playoffs.”
The winner of the Flintridge Prep-Firebaugh match will advance to take on Rubidoux or Riverside Prep in a second-round match Feb. 20.
