Girls soccer: CdM clinches PCL title

Joseph Boo

IRVINE - The league championship T-shirts were printed, waiting in

a box for Corona del Mar High’s girls soccer team. It was only a matter

of the Sea Kings beating host University on Tuesday to open the box. And

they did, with two Kristin Hanson goals providing a 2-0 win and a Pacific

Coast League title for CdM.

It’s been eight years since CdM, ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section

Division IV, won a league championship, when it was co-champions of the

Sea View League. That was also the last time CdM made the CIF playoffs.

Not only are the Sea Kings going this year, but they clinched a high seed

and a home game in the first round.

“Hopefully, this is the first of many league titles,” CdM Coach Ron Evans

said.

CdM (14-4-3, 7-0-0 in league) made it look surprisingly easy against a

desperate Uni squad (3-9-1, 2-3-2) battling Costa Mesa for third place

and the final playoff spot in the PCL. Uni came in riding an emotional

high after tying second-place Laguna Beach.

“They’ve been playing very well,” Evans said. “We knew it was going to be

a tough match.”

The game was tough for both sides. CdM allowed one Uni shot on goal in

the whole first half, with goalie Britta Vogele making one of six saves

in that half. Conversely, the Sea Kings started out somewhat sluggish.

But they converted their first good scoring chance in the 30th minute.

CdM’s Allison Harvey headed a throw-in to the middle of the field, where

Margit Vogele centered the ball for Hanson, who pounded it into the net.

The Sea Kings got their second goal at the start of the second half. With

Uni’s goalie out, Kate Simon’s cross pass found a wide open Hanson for

the score.

“We played our best game of the year (a 2-0 win over La Serna Monday),”

Evans said, “so we came out a little sluggish. We talked about it at

halftime, and our girls got the job done in the second half.”

Though CdM threw a small monkey wrench into Uni’s playoff hope, the Sea

Kings could make up for it by knocking off Costa Mesa on Thursday. A Uni

win or tie against last-place Estancia, coupled with a CdM win or tie

with the Mustangs, gives Uni the final playoff spot.

“Thursday will be tough,” Evans said. “Mesa needs to beat us. It was

tough in the first game (a last-second 1-0 CdM win), and we should expect

the same.”

So the Sea Kings still have some decisions to make in the PCL. For now,

the toughest decision for CdM was who got the small and medium T-shirts.

Even though some girls got shirts a little too large, it looked OK at the

end, with “Pacific Coast League Champions, 2000” printed on the back.