Santa Ynez tasted defeat for the first time, but the Pirates hold on to the No. 2 spot in this week’s rankings with their glossy 12-1-3 record.
Santa Ynez and fifth-ranked Cabrillo both fell victim to Nipomo in Los Padres League games. The Pirates banged several shots off the posts and had several others stopped by a hot Nipomo goalkeeper. The fifth-ranked Conquistadores, meanwhile, had an off-day defensively and fell 3-2 to the Titans.
Carpinteria’s offense started to click, as the Warriors poured in 28 goals in their last four matches. The Warriors rise to fourth in the county poll.
County Super Seven Rankings (1/23/2012)
1) Cate (8-1-1) — beat Coast Union 6-0; beat Oak Park 4-2. Defending Division 7 champions go 6-1-1 against non-league opponents.
2) Santa Ynez (12-1-3) — beat Templeton 1-0; lost to Nipomo 1-0. Pirates put dents in the woodwork and were frustrated by a hot goalkeeper in their first loss of the season.
3) Santa Barbara (13-4-4) — Tied Ventura 1-1. Dons’ defense has been rock solid and Alfredo Ibarra is scoring goals.
4) Carpinteria (9-6-0) — beat Oak Park 4-2; beat Malibu 4-1. Warriors are finally putting the ball away with regularity.
5) Cabrillo (11-6-3) — lost to Nipomo 3-2; beat Morro Bay 4-1. Conquistadores bounce back after a tough home loss against Titans.
6) Pioneer Valley (10-5-1) — beat Atascadero 3-0; lost to San Luis Obispo 4-2. Panthers punished by a 13-1-2 Tigers team in the first half.
7) San Marcos (6-5-4) — Royals had week off and open second round of Channel League play at Dos Pueblos on Thursday.
On the bubble — Righetti (7-8-1) — lost to San Luis Obispo 4-1; lost to Paso Robles 1-0.
