Unbeaten Sonoma Academy have conceded seven goals in 12 games, and no one else in the division is giving up fewer than one a game. Here are the ten meanest defenses in Division 2, and the keepers and back lines behind them.
1. Sonoma Academy
Sonoma Academy have conceded seven goals in 12 games and kept seven clean sheets on the way to a perfect 12-0-0 record. No one has scored more than twice against them, and only one team, Calistoga, has finished within a goal of them, in a 2-1 win at Calistoga on September 11.
They have been just as hard to break down at home as on the road, with three goals conceded in six home games and four in six away. Both of their games against other teams on this list were wins: 2-1 at Calistoga, who have the third-best defense in the division, and 3-1 over Oakland Military Institute on September 28. They have finished strong too. In their last five games they have conceded three goals and kept three clean sheets, including a 6-0 win over Mendocino on September 30 and a 4-0 win at Technology on October 2.
Two keepers have shared the job. Junior Carlos Sandoval Yauli, in his third varsity season, has won nine games in goal and is credited with five shutouts, and he has an assist at the other end. Sophomore Atticus Resch, in his second varsity season, also has five shutouts to his name and has been beaten once all season. Whoever starts, the result has been the same.
2. Jewish Community
Jewish Community has conceded 12 goals in 11 games, with five clean sheets and a 9-2-0 record. No one has scored more than three against them, and since a 3-2 home loss to Redwood Christian in the opening game on August 20 they have not conceded more than two in a match.
Their best results have come in tight games. They have won three times by 1-0, twice over San Francisco Waldorf and once over Gateway, and they won 2-1 at Bentley Upper School, the fourth-best defense on this list, on September 29. They also beat The International School of San Francisco 3-2 and won 4-2 at Saint Joseph Notre Dame.
Their only other defeat came against the best defense in Division 1, a 2-0 loss at Bay School of San Francisco on September 10. They have answered it well, with five goals conceded in their last five games and two clean sheets, including the 1-0 win over San Francisco Waldorf on October 1.
3. Calistoga
Calistoga has conceded 15 goals in 13 games and lost only once, a 2-1 home defeat to Sonoma Academy on September 11. No one has scored more than three against them, and they are 10-1-2.
The road is where they are hardest to beat. Calistoga have conceded three goals in five away games, with three clean sheets: 4-0 at Point Arena, 1-0 at Laytonville and 6-0 at Mendocino. Their latest stretch is their best. From September 23 they went three straight games without conceding, beating Laytonville 1-0, Anderson Valley 11-0 and Mendocino 6-0, before a 3-2 win at Tomales on September 30.
Their two draws, 2-2 with Oakland Military Institute and 3-3 with Credo, both came at home, and so did the defeat to Sonoma Academy. Calistoga has also beaten Eureka 3-2.
4. Bentley Upper School
Bentley Upper School has conceded 14 goals in nine games, and their 3-4-2 record does not tell the story of their defense. Bentley have played one of the hardest schedules in the division, and eight of the goals against them came in two away games against top-ten defenses from Division 1, a 5-0 loss at Bay School of San Francisco and a 3-1 loss at College Preparatory School.
At home they have been on a different side. Bentley has conceded six goals in seven home games and kept four clean sheets: a 0-0 draw with Western Sierra Collegiate Academy, a 3-0 win over Redwood Christian, a 6-0 win over Averroes and an 8-0 win over Saint Joseph Notre Dame on October 1. Two of their four defeats were by a single goal, 2-1 to The International School of San Francisco and 2-1 to Jewish Community, the second-best defense on this list.
5. Cristo Rey De La Salle
Cristo Rey De La Salle has conceded 11 goals in seven games and are 6-1-0. Four of those goals came in one game, a 4-2 loss at Saint Maximilian on September 23. Leave that out and they have given up seven in six, and never more than two in any other match.
Their best results have come against other defenses on this list. They beat Quarry Lane 6-2 on September 1 and Oakland Military Institute 4-2 on September 25, and they are the only team to beat both. They opened with a 15-0 shutout of California Crosspoint, and they answered the Saint Maximilian defeat with back-to-back wins, including a 5-1 win at Saint Joseph Notre Dame on September 30.
6. Clear Lake
Clear Lake has conceded 27 goals in 16 games and kept six clean sheets on the way to a 9-4-3 record. Several of their best results were won at the back. They beat Willits 1-0 and drew 0-0 at Willits, beat Middletown 1-0 and twice shut out Upper Lake. In late August they went three straight games without conceding.
Their numbers have been hurt by a tough league. Eight of the goals against them came in two losses to Kelseyville, who were 10th on our Division 1 list, and three more came in a 3-1 loss at Fort Bragg on October 1. Against South Fork, the other team on this list they have played, they conceded two goals in three games.
Senior Eric Estrada is the fixture at the heart of the back line and barely comes off the field, with sophomore Eric Chavez alongside him. Junior Brayden Ruzicka and junior Joel Rascon have been the regulars at full back, and sophomore full back Mano Garcia has two goals and three assists. Junior keeper Nolan Buffalo has three shutouts and 23 saves. Senior Levi Ewing, listed in defense, has also scored 20 of the team's 45 goals, and Ruzicka and Chavez have found the net too, so this back line does plenty at both ends.
7. Redwood Christian
Redwood Christian has conceded 25 goals in 11 games, but eight of those came in one game, an 8-0 home loss to College Preparatory School on September 15. Leave that out and they have given up 17 in 10. Their 5-6-0 record also reflects a schedule that included Bay School of San Francisco, College Prep and Athenian twice.
They have been at their best since then. Redwood Christian have conceded three goals in their last five games and kept two straight clean sheets, a 9-0 win over Fremont Christian and a 4-0 win at Quarry Lane on October 1. They lost only 1-0 to Athenian at home on September 17, and they are one of only two teams to beat Jewish Community, winning 3-2 in the opening game of the season.
8. Quarry Lane
Quarry Lane has conceded 18 goals in seven games, the same as Oakland Military Institute, and take eighth place on clean sheets, with two to Oakland Military's one. They are 5-2-0.
Both clean sheets were 7-0 wins, at Contra Costa Christian on September 11 and over Fremont Christian on September 22, and they also beat Contra Costa Christian 5-1 at home. Their two defeats came against other teams on this list, a 6-2 loss at Cristo Rey De La Salle in the opening game and a 4-0 home loss to Redwood Christian on October 1. In between, they won five straight games.
9. Oakland Military Institute
Oakland Military Institute has conceded 18 goals in seven games, and six of those seven have been on the road. Their only home game was a 3-0 win over Averroes on September 9, their only clean sheet so far.
They have also faced three other teams on this list, all away from home. They drew 2-2 at Calistoga, who have lost once all season, and lost 4-2 at Cristo Rey De La Salle and 3-1 at Sonoma Academy. They went down only 2-1 at Athenian, one of the best defenses in Division 1, and drew 2-2 at Summit K2. Five of the goals against them came in one game, a 6-5 win at Drew School. Leave that out and they have given up 13 in six.
10. South Fork
South Fork round out the top ten with 46 goals conceded in 16 games. Their 4-9-3 record comes from one of the toughest schedules in the division, with games against Arcata, Fort Bragg, Fortuna, McKinleyville and Del Norte twice. Those six games account for 27 of the goals against them. Against everyone else they have conceded 19 in 10.
Their best defending has come against good sides. They drew 1-1 with Del Norte at home in August, drew 1-1 at Clear Lake and 1-1 with Willits, and they lost only 1-0 at Del Norte on October 3.