Girls youth soccer: Newport Beach gets first win

Steve Virgen

CORONA DEL MAR - With a downpour of rain and strong winds, it

appeared the Newport Beach All-Stars under-14 girls team would have to

wait an extra week to earn its first victory of the season, 1-0.

Five minutes before the game started, Newport, of Region 97, Area Q,

did not have a full team because some thought the game would be canceled

because of the weather. But, one by one, they began to appear. And,

goalie Nicole Schilling sprinted from her car to the net as her teammates

took the field.

Later, with seven minutes remaining, Newport’s Elle Erpenbeck finished

a pass from Katie McKay to upset third-place of Flight 1, Pool A Costa

Mesa Saturday at Buffalo Hills field.

“It’s such a blast to play in the rain,” Erpenbeck said. “It doesn’t

happen very often in Southern California and when it does, it’s the

best.”

Newport, coached by Naresh Jhunjhunwala, entered the matchup trailing

Region 120’s Mesa by 18 points in the standings, but the All-Star team

would not be denied. The All-Stars competition features round-robin

tournament play which will end in three weeks.

Mesa and Newport played a tight game through the first three quarters.

Mesa’s Katie Doran fired off a shot, midway through the first quarter,

but Schilling made the stop. Doran moved to goalie in the second half and

made several saves.

Raeanne Pheifer played goalie in the first half. She made a

spectacular save with 11 minutes remaining before halftime.

Newport’s Bryndis Klein charged toward Mesa’s net on a breakaway and

booted the ball, but Pheifer stretched to slap the ball to the ground and

picked it up on the bounce.

“The girls played very well,” Mesa Coach Joe Boustani said of his

team. “They played hard and that’s what counts.”

After Erpenbeck’s goal, Costa Mesa intensified its play, but Newport’s

defense stepped up.