Boys soccer: Mesa back for seconds?

Barry Faulkner

The Costa Mesa High boys soccer team needs a win or a tie today

against visiting Corona del Mar to finish off what would be its second

straight Pacific Coast League championship.

It would also be the second league title in the history of the program

and signal the continuation of nothing less than a soccer revolution

along the east side of Fairview Road.

“If we do our job (today) no one can tell us we’re not league

champions,” said Mustangs Coach Eugene Day, who is adamant about sharing

credit, if not dishing it off altogether, with former Mesa head man Mike

Dunn.

Day, a walk-on whose son Louis was a standout on last year’s Mustangs

and whose daughter Sharon is a high-scoring forward on this year’s girls

PCL title contender, said Dunn laid the foundation for the program’s

success. Day, who coached the frosh-soph for five seasons, then took over

the varsity last year when Dunn resigned, merely laid down the law.

“A lot of people would believe (unprecedented success the last two

seasons) is a surprise,” Day said. “But it’s not a surprise to me. I’ve

been there for seven years.

“What Mike did when we came into the program together was make the

decision to have frosh-soph and junior varsity teams, to give kids a

place to develop. It was kind of skimpy that first year, when I had as

few as eight or nine players, there were about 11 on the JV and Mike had

about 14 on varsity. We separated everybody and it hurt that year. But we

had to show the rest of the kids, the seventh- and eighth-graders, that

even if they didn’t make the varsity, they could still play, no matter

what their skill level was. I gave Mike all the credit last year, even

though he didn’t want to take it. I’ll always give him the credit for our

success, because of the decision he made (to have three teams) that first

year.”

A mere six years later, the Mustangs (12-3-2, 6-0-2 in league), ranked

No. 4 in CIF Southern Section Division IV, take an 11-game PCL unbeaten

streak into this week. They need only a tie in two league games (they

visit Laguna Beach Wednesday), or just one loss by either Northwood or

Laguna Beach, to silence those who assumed last year’s PCL championship

was a fluke.

“If we struggled this year, everyone could look at us and say we got

lucky last year,” Day said. “This (title) would really prove these kids

know how to play soccer.”

In addition to developing talent, clearly Day’s day-one demand for

unselfishness, proved pivotal.

“I told them, ‘If they weren’t going to share the ball, they’d be

sitting (on the bench),’ ” Day recalled. “Last year, we had some guys

fighting me a little on that, but we had about three or four guys who

knew what I wanted and they helped get the idea across.”

Newport Harbor High is also hoping to stake its claim to the Sea View

League title this week and can win at least a share of the crown with a

victory Tuesday at Woodbridge.

The Sailors (9-6-2, 5-2) enter the week tied with the Warriors (18-2,

5-1) with 10 points (two points for a win and one for a tie) atop the

league standings. The Sailors were defeated by the Warriors, ranked No. 1

in CIF Southern Section Division III, by a 1-0 count in their first

league meeting Jan. 11.

Since that game, the Tars have won three straight league contests to

clinch only their second postseason berth in the last five seasons.

Since Newport Harbor is idle the final day of the league campaign,

when Woodbridge is scheduled to visit Aliso Niguel, the Sailors could

clinch a share of the crown with a win. A Woodbridge win or a tie Tuesday

would force the Sailors to rely upon help from Aliso Niguel to gain a

share of the Tars’ first league crown since 1997.

Sage Hill High’s first varsity season should include a CIF playoff

berth. The Lightning (8-4-1, 5-2-1) enter the final week of the Academy

League schedule needing only a tie Tuesday at the Oxford Academy, or a

tie of a loss by third-place Calvary Chapel of Downey, to wrap up second

place, behind league-leading St. Margaret’s.

If the Lightning can avoid losing to Oxford, it would then face St.

Margaret’s, which thumped Sage Hill, 7-0, in the first round, as a

postseason tuneup Friday at the Tartans’ field. St. Margaret’s is ranked

No. 3 in CIF Division V.

Corona del Mar (5-10-3, 2-5-1) and Estancia (5-12, 2-6) conclude their

seasons with two PCL games this week.