SOCCER BEAT: PLAYOFFS.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

Southern Section playoff pairings will be released Monday. Wild-card games are scheduled for Wednesday with the boys' first round being played Friday, Feb. 18 and the girls' first round Feb. 19. City Section seedings will be determined Tuesday night. The first round of the boys' 32-team tournament is Feb. 18 and the girls' playoffs start Feb. 22.

ALL HAIL CAIL 

When Francesca Cail made the Monroe of North Hills varsity girls' soccer team as a freshman, she didn't have to look far for a role model.

Her senior sister Jordana is a four-year starter and a key part of the Vikings (13-3-3, 8-1) tying for the Valley Mission title.

``Jordana has really been the epitome of a team player,'' Monroe coach Gregg Johnson said. ``She will be sorely missed.''

Before she leaves, though, Cail hopes to win another title for the Vikings, who were City Division champions last season.

The sisters play next to each other in the midfield and their communication and ability to read one another has helped make up for the team's youth and graduation of last year's leading scorer Liz Nemeth.

``It was kind of weird even being in the same same school as (Francesca),'' said Jordana, who is the quieter of the sisters. ``It's turned out to be a good experience. We've had a couple arguments, but nothing major.

``I wish I could stay one more year to see how the team develops.''

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Chaminade of West Hills and St. Francis of La Canada spent the season alternating as leaders of the Mission League boys' race. Then things changed in the final week of the season.

When league play ended Wednesday, Loyola of Los Angeles had clinched its fifth consecutive championship after being in third place less than a week earlier. St. Francis tied for the title and Chaminade, which beat the Knights on Friday to enter the week in first place, ended up third.

``It kind of helped us being out of the picture and everyone talking about Chaminade and St. Francis,'' Loyola coach Carlos Leon said.

The Cubs (18-6-4, 10-2) opened league with a loss to St. Francis. Loyola's only other Mission defeat was a loss to the Knights, but the tight race between Chaminade (16-5-1, 9-2-1) and St. Francis (20-4-3, 10-2) prevented Loyola from moving into first. A win against Chaminade on Monday finally did the trick and Wendesday's 2-0 victory against Harvard-Westlake clinched the title.

``We didn't panic,'' Leon said. ``I've got some kids who are very resilient kids and they believe in each other.''

The Cubs have seven returning starters from last season's Division II semifinalists and four seniors who won a Southern Section championship two years ago.

Senior midfielders Seth Eaton and Mario Picarelli are the leading scorers and Robert Morrison anchors a defense that is equally sound, but Leon said St. Francis is ``still really the best team.''

Such praise should bode well for the Knights, who are not in the same division as the Cubs for the playoffs. St. Francis regularly finishes second in league behind Loyola - it happened in 1996 when the Knights won the Southern Section title - but 20 goals from junior Ryan Shaw and the team's first 20-win season helped break the streak.

A season after winning eight games, Chaminade also established a school record for wins and earned its first playoff berth since 1989, but the Eagles finished Mission play a half-game behind the leaders.

STILL KICKING

As the season progressed, the offense left the Calabasas boys' team. Not enough to stop the Coyotes from winning the Frontier League, but enough to take notice.

In the team's first 11 matches, Calabasas scored 50 goals. In the next eight, they scored 33.

The Coyotes were generating shots, but their ability to finish has slowed. Reasons include bad luck (``The number of balls that have rolled around the goal alone, and no one is there to put a knee or a toe on it is phenomenal,'' coach John Reich said) and opponents stacking 10 men in front of the goal mouth.

The Coyotes (18-1-1) finished the regular season with a 21-0 victory, but it was against a last-place Santa Clara team that was previously blown out by Calabasas' junior varsity.

THE OTHER FOOTBALL

If Robert Lopino could excel in both sports, his friends figured they could, too. Lopino played for Montclair Prep of Van Nuys' football team and is an all-league defender on the soccer team. Having more Mounties follow the senior's lead pleases soccer coach Ken Erenberg, who is always looking for more players.

The Mounties had two football players on the soccer team last season, primarily because of the conditioning the sport provides. This year, they have six, and four of them are starters.

``All the sudden, they all want to play,'' Erenberg said.

A NATURAL

Matt Boeka usually plays sweeper for Montclair Prep, but when the Mounties were left with just 11 players because four decided to go on a snow trip and others were injured, the junior was thrust into the starting goalkeeper position Friday against Whitney. It was his first time in several years playing the position, but Boeka made 15 saves in the 3-2 victory that moved Montclair Prep into third place in the Delphic League.

``I'm actually thinking about keeping him there,'' Erenberg said. ``He looked good.''

LIGHTING A FIRE

Practice Wednesday featured a lot more running than the Lancaster girls have done in recent weeks. When the Eagles made mistakes during drills, they had to do sit-ups.

``It was the first hard practice we've had in a long time,'' Lancaster coach Rick Acuna said.

The sudden change in format was an attempt to get the Eagles back to playing with the intensity that helped them drop Quartz Hill out of first place earlier in the year. With Highland of Lancaster and Quartz Hill in a tight race for the league title, Lancaster began to realize it likely wouldn't finish better than second and the lack of inspiration showed.

``The last couple games, we haven't come out strong,'' Acuna said. ``I told the girls if we came out like we did the last couple games, we aren't going to last long in playoffs.''

ETC.

Lancaster junior Laci Fults tied the school record she set a year ago with her 23rd goal of the season Tuesday. . . . Sunset Six League champion Grant entered the week as the only local boys' team among the City Section's top five in scoring average. The Lancers, who led the section a few weeks ago, ranked third with an average of 3.41 goals a game. Birmingham and El Camino Real are both in the top five in defense. . . . Westlake midfielder Jenna Wirtz is back to playing full-time after being used sparingly for several weeks because of a knee injury.

DAILY NEWS TOP 10

Records through Wednesday

BOYS

1. Birmingham (16-4-2)

Wrapped up one title and ready to work on another.

2. St. Francis (20-4-3)

First 20-win season.

3. Thousand Oaks (15-3-4)

Setbacks not enough to prevent a title.

4. El Camino Real (16-4-4)

Defense could carry Conquistadores through playoffs.

5. Loyola (18-6-4)

In first when it counts.

6. Chaminade (16-5-1)

Best season in team history not enough.

7. Hart (18-4-2)

Won Foothill without controversy this time.

8. Calabasas (18-1-1)

Closing in on school scoring record.

9. Rio Mesa (12-8-3)

Tuesday's tie delayed title another game.

10. La Canada

Inexperience could hurt in postseason

GIRLS

1. Harvard-Westlake (17-2-4)

Went undefeated in Mission play.

2. Chaminade (18-4-4)

League finishes don't mean anything to Eagles in postseason.

3. Westlake (15-2-3)

Showdown with Agoura tonight.

4. Hart (11-5)

Seven consecutive Foothill titles.

5. Crescenta Valley (14-4-3)

Unable to match Arcadia a second time.

6. Quartz Hill (11-7-2)

Cox back, but not Rebels' only weapon.

7. Canyon (17-5-2)

Spoiled Hart's perfect league record.

8. Agoura (13-3-1)

Needs more than just defense this time against Westlake.

9. Chatsworth (12-3-1)

Playoffs will be better indication of how much they've improved.

10. Thousand Oaks (9-5-3)

Made statement by tying Westlake and Agoura.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Jordan Cail and sister Francesca will try to bring Monroe High another City Division champions after already having tied for a share of the Valley Mission title.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

Box: Daily News Top 10 (see text)