Santa Margarita, Irvine Girls Unable to Get Past a Tie Again

Santa Margarita is the county’s top-ranked girls’ soccer team, but the Eagles have yet to beat fifth-ranked Irvine. The teams tied, 1-1, Tuesday for the second time this season.

The tie was disappointing for the Eagles, who could have secured the Sea View League championship with a victory. Santa Margarita, 20-0-3 and 7-0-2 in league, is one game ahead of Irvine (12-4-7, 5-0-4) in the league standings, with one regular-season game remaining.

“It’s extremely disappointing when this [Eagle] team, as technical as it is, played as poorly as it did,” Santa Margarita Coach Chuck Morales said. “On the eve of CIF [playoffs], this is not the way to play.”

Santa Margarita scored in the seventh minute after Meagan Lingo crossed a free kick and Patra Glavin headed it in. Irvine answered 20 minutes later with a similar play--Heather Swanson crossed it and Missy Painter headed it in.

With 10 minutes remaining, Irvine’s Kristen Wede shot at an empty net, but Santa Margarita’s Claire Wels swooped in and kicked out what would have been a certain goal.

“We came in knowing we had to win and we played like it,” Irvine Coach Kevin Grimes said.

Morales said his players were overly confident because of media hype. Santa Margarita, which has given up only six goals all season, has been called everything from “the class of Orange County” to a possible World Championship contender.

“We were believing our write-ups and it’s not true, you have to work hard every single time,” Morales said.