The Chargers went into the final match of the regular season trailing the Mustangs by a single point in the standings and needed a victory to claim the crown. All Pioneer needed was a tie and the title would be theirs.

It appeared that might be the case as the teams played outstanding defense, preventing either from getting the upper hand. But with about nine minutes left in the game, Leland (9-3-2) was able to find a hole in the Pioneer (8-3-3) defense and slip one in to give them a 1-0 win. It was the fourth year in a row that the Chargers have either won or tied for the championship.

"We played solid ball from A to Z," said Leland coach Dave Gold. "I was very pleased with our performance. We dominated most of the second half, but I was getting a bit worried since Pioneer only needed a tie to win the championship."

Leland broke the scoring ice when Alaln Stycznski trapped the ball and then quickly moved into a position to fire a shot, which Pioneer goalie Ryan Gall was able to block. The ball bounced off of Gall, rebounding toward Martin Stacey who was in the right spot at the right time. Stacey took one quick touch and then buried the shot in the bottom corner of the goal for the score.

After Leland's ineffective offensive efforts in the first half, Gold made some adjustments and "pushed Richard Gharapetian forward more which helped our attack more."

"In the first half, we controlled the game more, but lost that control in the second half," said Pioneer coach Jeff Farro. "We did not put much pressure on them offensively in the second half."

"It was good game played well by both sides," added Farro. "The bottom line is they scored and we didn't."

Both Leland and Pioneer are now looking at Central Coast Section playoff action as their "second season" begins.

Leland (15-3-6) earned a No. 6 seed and was to host a first round Division I game against No. 11 seed Aptos (8-5-7) on Feb. 18. The Chargers were hoping to improve on their performance from the past two years in the CCS playoffs when they were sent home with semi-final losses.

The Chargers know a few things about Aptos since they crossed paths earlier this season when they battled to a 1-1 tie in the Homestead Christmas Cup tournament. Aptos plays in the tough Santa Cruz Coast League.

The winner of the Leland-Aptos game will face the winner of the No. 14 Woodside (14-2-2)­No. 3 Gilroy (18-0-5) first-round match on Feb. 21, 10 a.m., at Santa Clara High School. The CCS Division I semi-finals are Feb. 24 at PAL Stadium with the finals Feb. 27, 7 p.m., on the same turf.

Pioneer returns to the CCS playoffs after missing the postseason action last year. The Mustangs were Division II co-champions with Santa Cruz in 2002.

Pioneer (11-6-3) was seeded No. 6 in Division II and was to host No. 11 Harbor (10-6-3) from the Santa Cruz Coast League in first round action on Feb 18. In order for the Mustangs to do a repeat performance of 2002, they would potentially have to get past powerhouse teams such as Valley Christian, Mitty, Burlingame, Santa Cruz, or Palo Alto.

"We expect it to be a tough road," Farro said.

The Pioneer-Harbor winner will move on to play the No. 14 King City (13-5-2)­No. 3 Valley Christian (16-2-5) winner on Feb. 21, noon, at Valley Christian. The CCS Division II semi-finals are Feb. 25 at PAL Stadium with the finals Feb. 27, 4:30 p.m., at PAL.