The Menlo boys’ soccer team fell to St. Francis 3-1 in the CCS Div. III semifinals, closing a season in which the Knights took second in league and claimed an automatic bid to the playoffs.

The Knights and Lancers were tied at 0 until a few minutes left before halftime. Right after the break, St. Francis struck again, and Menlo countered, but the Lancers added another to widen the gap.

The Knights finish with a 15-3-4 record.

CCS quarterfinals: Menlo 4, Pajaro Valley 0

In the CCS Div. III quarterfinal match at home, the Menlo boys’ soccer team shook off a physical Pajaro Valley team and cruised to a 4-0 victory Saturday.
The Knights (15-2-4) next face No. 4 seed St. Francis (13-7-1) at 3:00 pm Wednesday,Feb. 26 at Menlo.
Menlo has outscored opponents 85-19 and have posted 11 shutout victories. Pajaro Valley came out strong, but Menlo was stalwart and broke through when junior Ilan Listgarten scored from 20 yards out in the 11th minute.
Christian Corcoran, also a junior, finished on a long pass from senior Aaron Morgan to put Menlo up 2-0 with 25 minutes remaining. Then, senior goalie Adam Kasser punched out another shot midway through the second half.
Senior Jackson Aldrich scored on a rebound off a save in the 63rd and Aaron Morgan added another in the 72nd minute from Aldrich.