Girls soccer: T-wolves drop Mesa, 3-1

Richard Dunn

IRVINE - At times like these, one loss in the Pacific Coast League

can send your team on a fast decline in the girls soccer standings.

“Our whole league is so close, we probably dropped from first to

fourth by losing,” said Costa Mesa High Coach Dan Johnston, whose team

finished on the short end of a 3-1 decision Tuesday against host

Northwood -- a Mustang nemesis this season by sweeping the two-game PCL

series.

“If we win out our (remaining three PCL games), we’ll still get a

piece of the championship. It’s so close, anything can happen.”

On a chilly afternoon the Timberwolves (6-6-4, 4-2-1 in the PCL)

scored three goals in the first half for the difference-maker as they

moved ahead of Costa Mesa in the wild league standings.

The Mustangs (10-5-3, 3-2-2) had a run of bad luck as Northwood’s Lila

Prato gave the hosts a 1-0 edge in the 18th minute, after booting one

from 40 yards out. The ball took a crazy bounce and caromed over the head

of Costa Mesa goalie Kaitlyn Gentling (three saves).

“It was just a weird bounce,” said Johnston, whose team fell behind,

2-0, when Northwood midfielder Leah Geisinger scored on a shot off

Gentling’s fingertips in the 23rd minute.

Northwood, which outshot Costa Mesa, 12-10, scored again in the 40th

minute as forward Amber Bettenhausen punched one on the ground from 20

yards out and the slow roller found its way into the corner of the net.

Johnston argued that Northwood was offside on the play, but to avail.

“We just threw away the first half,” Johnston said. “I’m not surprised

to lose 3-1 when you give away three cheap goals. We played very well in

the second half (outshooting the T-wolves, 6-3), but our problem is that

we keep wasting chances. We’ve got to stop doing that.”

Costa Mesa, which defeated Northwood on penalty kicks in the Ocean

View Tournament earlier this season, cashed in on only one scoring

opportunity in the second half.

In the 68th minute, Costa Mesa’s hustling forward, Sarah Ronquillo,

collided with Northwood goalie Allison Wing (six saves), who broke up

Ronquillo’s breakaway. But sophomore Stacy Krikorian controlled the loose

ball and scored for Mesa.

“It was a good win for us today,” Northwood Coach Mark Foster said.

Senior goalie Chelsea Soria had five saves for Costa Mesa in the

second half.