Girls soccer: CdM bounces Estancia, 2-0

Joseph Boo

CORONA DEL MAR - Corona del Mar High’s girls soccer team might have

had a 2-0 lead over visiting Estancia on Wednesday with 15 minutes left, but CdM’s players and fans were still desperate for a real goal.

You see, both of CdM’s goals came in unusual circumstances, so a

“legitimate” goal was needed to validate the score. But the lack of one

was the only negative in an impressive 2-0 Pacific Coast League victory

by the Sea Kings.

“Everything was going perfect with our game plan,” Estancia Coach Anton

Striegl said. “But just like the game against Costa Mesa game (a 2-0

loss), we got some unlucky bounces.”

The first unlucky bounce came near the end of the first half in the

penalty box. The ball bounced up on an Estancia player’s hand for a

violation, giving CdM 9-4-2, 2-0-0) a penalty shot. Paige Janes then

kicked the ball low, and it snuck under the goalie for CdM’s first goal.

Despite keeping the game on Estancia’s side of the field, CdM, ranked No.

2 in CIF Southern Section Division IV, only got six shots on goal in the

first half, two cleared by Estancia’s Arlis Reynolds. The Eagles (5-6-1,

0-2-0), playing a 4-4-2 formation, put all of their midfielders and

defenders behind the ball and in the goalie area.

“When someone plays like that and puts that many people behind the ball,”

CdM Coach Ron Evans said of Estancia, “it’s difficult to score. They only

gave up two goals to Mesa and Laguna Beach, so this wasn’t

unprecedented.”

But Estancia could not get its counterattacks going. In fact, it could

not get any offense at all.

The Eagles only had one shot, on a free kick in the second half, and it

sailed over the goal. CdM’s Britta Vogele didn’t make a save in recording

her shutout.

Down 1-0, Estancia opened up its game in the second half, and CdM

promptly terrorized the Eagles. Fourteen shots and six corner kicks in

the second half tells the story for the Sea Kings. CdM’s Alivia Mazura

ripped a shot, Allison Harvey had a clear look, and Julia Livingston got

one from point-blank range.

But Estancia goalie, Helen Flores, with a remarkable performance, blocked

all of them on her way to 19 saves.

“She’s been strong for the entire season,” Striegl said.

So it was pretty ironic that the one shot she could not save wasn’t even

a shot. From the midfield, CdM’s Molly O’Meara kicked the ball toward

Estancia’s goal. It bounced a few feet in front of Flores, took a high

bounce over her, and went in for CdM’s second goal.

“If we kept attacking the goal,” Evans said, “it was only a matter of

time before we scored.”

Estancia was pressing even more, but the open field played into CdM’s

hand, and the Sea Kings kept blasting away at Estancia’s goal until the

final whistle.

“It was just a matter of going down, 2-0, to CdM in the final 10

minutes,” Striegl said. “They’re too good for us to come back from. but

we tried hard, and we didn’t give up.”