Girls soccer: Mustangs edge past Northwood

Steve Virgen

HUNTINGTON BEACH - The Costa Mesa High girls soccer team was all

about redemption when it took on Northwood in a quarterfinal of the Ocean

View Tournament, Saturday morning at Golden West College.

After losing a 3-1 halftime lead, the Mustangs overcame the letdown by

winning, 4-2, in the shootout. Costa Mesa sophomore goalkeeper Kaitlyn

Gentling came through in the clutch recording her fifth save on

Northwood’s second shot from Danielle Grady, who was also the

Timberwolves’ goalkeeper.

“It’s a big win,” Mustangs Coach Dan Johnston said of the victory over

the Pacific Coast League foe. “We wanted to do well in this tournament so

it can set us up for league. This game let (the Timberwolves) know we can

play with them and that changes the dynamics of the (PCL).”

In the shootout, Mesa freshman Nilani Duarte evened the score, 1-1,

with a shot to the right that Grady got a hand on, but it had enough

power to follow through into the net.

Gentling then came up with a big stop, sliding to her left to put the

pressure on the Timberwolves (3-4-1). Devin Denman, Sharon Day and Jenny

Sparks scored to close out the game, while Northwood missed one shot and

made another.

“(The Mustangs) were really scrappy,” Timberwolves Coach Mark Foster

said. “They just got the job done. They don’t have many club soccer

girls, but they just scrap. We look forward to playing them again in

league.”

Costa Mesa certainly got the job done in the first half, answering a

1-0 deficit with a 3-0 run. Following tournament format, each half took

30 minutes, instead of the traditional 40.

Sparks, a freshman, evened the score, 1-1, off an assist from senior

Sarah Ronquillo in the 10th minute, three minutes after Northwood had

scored.

Ten minutes later, Sparks struck again, taking advantage of an open

net after Ronquillo collided with Northwood goalkeeper Mellisa Ota, who

was injured and sat out the rest of the way.

The Mustangs went up, 3-1, after Day hurled a long throw-in in front

of Northwood’s net and Ronquillo finished it.

The Timberwolves came back in the second half with two quick goals and

Mesa held on to send the game into the shootout.

“We played a better first half than the second,” Johnston said.

“Kaitlyn came up with that great save (in the shootout). We just have to

cut out the mistakes and we’re hard to beat.”

The victory put the Mustangs in a semifinal against El Toro later in

the day.

El Toro (8-0) prevailed in the semifinal, 4-2, after Day struck for

two goals off assists from Sarah Ronquillo and Lisa Dunn. Mesa is 7-3.