Pirates upset Santa Ana

COSTA MESA - There are theories about momentum and how far it can

take you, and how long the staying power, but judging from the

rejuvenated figure of Orange Coast College soccer coach Laird Hayes, it’s

a good bet his Pirates won’t glide down for a landing in at least two

weeks.

And that’s long after the first round of the Southern California

Southern Regionals, which begins Tuesday on the Pirates’ field against a

foe still to be determined.

Hayes, who had seen his program fall to an agonizing 3-14-4, 2-7-3 in

the OEC a year ago, takes his Bucs into Tuesday’s first round with a

15-3-4, 10-2-1 record and a current seven-game winning streak, capped by

Monday’s historic 3-2 victory over rival Santa Ana, snapping the latter’s

70-game unbeaten streak in a heated battle.

A day later Hayes was still bubbling, ticking off his fingers

virtually every player on the squad, as well as his two “assistant”

coaches, Kevin Smith and Pat Callaghan, who are in reality co-coaches

working under Hayes’ described role as a general manager.

The power boost into the playoffs which came about on Monday couldn’t

possibly have been any closer.

The Pirates, who’ll enter the playoffs as the OEC’s No. 2 entry,

withstood a furious attack from the Dons in the second half after

bursting into a 3-0 lead before halftime.

In the game’s final minute, Santa Ana had a chance to tie, but Pirate

goalie Hilario Arriaga, a product of Estancia High and in the midst of

one of his finest games of the season, deflected a shot for the last of

his 14 saves. As the ball trickled dangerously close to the goal, Coast

defender Spencer McDearmon gained control and cleared the ball to

midfield, ending the Dons’ threat just seconds before the final whistle

as pandemonium broke loose on the Pirates’ sideline.

Coast started the scoring early, as Geno Vitale-Sansosti scored off a

cross from Josh Miller just five minutes into the game to take the lead.

Coast doubled the lead 16 minutes later when Aaron Siemers set Matt

Mosely up with a one-on-one with Don goalie Juan Martinez. Mosely fired

into the lower-left corner of the net for the goal.

Miller headed a pass from Jesus Cervantes into a wide-open goal in the

41st minute for a 3-0 lead, but Santa Ana’s Alejandro Licea retaliated

with a penalty kick three minutes later to shave the deficit to 3-1 at

halftime.

Santa Ana scored again early in the second half with an unassisted

goal by Roberto Fuentes to set up the scenario as Santa Ana, 17-1-4,

12-1-1, attacked again and again, only to be turned away, again and

again.

The win caps an incredible regular-season turnaround, which Hayes

attributes directly to his decision to bring Smith and Callaghan aboard

in their current roles.