By Dylan Butler
If Rich Parascos was looking for any extra motivation heading into the PSAL playoffs, the Cardozo girls’ soccer coach received a heaping tablespoon’s worth, courtesy of the PSAL seeding committee.
The Judges, undefeated in Queens A, weren’t one of the top four seeds in the league’s new four-bracket setup, patterned after the NCAA basketball tournament seedings. Instead, Cardozo is second in the ‘L’ bracket, behind top-seeded Midwood.
The other three top-seeded teams in the 16-team field are from Staten Island, as undefeated Staten Island Tech, Susan Wagner and Tottenville head the ‘P’, ‘S’ and ‘A’ brackets, respectively.
“This is a travesty,” Parascos said. “It’s disrespectful after the season we’ve had, but we’re just going to have go out and show everyone what the story is.”
Cardozo, which made the PSAL semifinals three straight years, was 16-1 overall, with its lone loss coming to powerhouse Tottenville, 2-0, at the PSAL Classic April 27.
The Judges host Sheepshead Bay (9-5 Brooklyn A) in a first-round game Friday at 4 p.m. The winner plays either Midwood (14-1-2) or fourth-seeded Francis Lewis (11-5-1) in the quarterfinals May 28.
“They’re trying to tell me we’re the fifth-best team in the city?” Parascos said of the seeding committee. “I don’t know what game they’re watching.”
Townsend Harris (13-4-1), which finished second in Queens A, is the third seed in the ‘S’ bracket and will play at No. 2 Stuyvesant (12-3-3) Friday at East River Park in Manhattan Friday at 4 p.m.
Bryant (11-6-1), the third seed in the ‘A’ bracket, plays at Bronx Science (12-2-2) Friday at 4 p.m.
The ‘A’ semifinals will take place June 1 at Campus Magnet at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. while the finals are scheduled for June 7 at 7 p.m. at brand-new Belson Stadium on the campus of St. John’s University.
While Staten Island is clearly the top boro in the ‘A’ division, Queens is the favorite in the first-ever ‘B’ playoffs, garnering four of the top eight seeds.
After struggling in the ‘A’ division last year, Newcomers and Forest Hills each earned a top seed, joining Tilden and Lab Museum in the 16-team field.
Forest Hills (12-1-2), the top-seed in the ‘L’ bracket, hosts No. 4 Columbus (6-5-3) in a first-round game. The winner faces either Julia Richman Educational Center (12-2) or Van Buren (8-4-2) in a quarterfinal game Tuesday.
Newcomers (13-2-1), the top-seed in the ‘S’ bracket, is home for Grand Street Campus (6-6-2) Thursday at 4 p.m.
First-year Thomas Edison (11-2-5), seeded second in the ‘P’ bracket, will host Benjamin Banneker in a first-round game Thursday at Flushing Meadows Corona Park while either Far Rockaway or Hillcrest — which was scheduled to play in an outbracket game Tuesday — will face top-seeded Tilden (16-0).
In the ‘S’ bracket, Arts and Business (7-5-3) was seeded third and will play Environmental Studies (9-3-2) in a first-round game Thursday.
The semifinals are slated for June 1 at 10 a.m. and noon at Campus Magnet, while the finals are scheduled for June 7 at 5 p.m. at Belson Stadium.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by email at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
