Boys soccer: Mesa clinches PCL title with tie

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - Much like the New England Patriots’ emphasis on team

on their way to winning the Super Bowl, Costa Mesa High’s boys soccer

team has gone from a three-man show to a complete exhibit.

And, while the result is similar to last year (a Pacific Coast League

championship), Coach Eugene Day’s Mustangs of 2002 seek to spread the

love a little more.

“This year, we had the best team, because 10 or 11 guys can score,”

Day said, following host Costa Mesa’s 1-1 PCL tie Monday against Corona

del Mar (5-8-3, 2-5-2 in league).

“Last year, we just had the three seniors scoring. Trinidad Hernandez

(PCL Co-MVP in ‘01), Bernardo Falci (first-team All-PCL) and Louis Day

(second-team All-PCL) formed our triangle, but this year we’ve got a

bunch of kids who can score. This is the best team Costa Mesa has had, so

far as I know.”

With Laguna Beach (5-2-2 in the PCL) tying Estancia (2-6-1), 1-1, on

Monday, the Mustangs (12-3-3, 6-0-3) clinched the PCL title outright.

“Last year, University had to beat Northwood (which was tied with the

Mustangs) for us to win the league title outright, but this year it was

in our hands,” the Mesa coach said. “We don’t have to rely on anybody

else. We made history again. It’s a two-peat.”

The Mustangs will travel Wednesday to Laguna Beach for a PCL finale

under the lights (6 p.m.), but win, lose or draw, the title is already

theirs.

Costa Mesa, which outplayed CdM in the first half and took a 1-0 lead

in the 20th minute on freshman Alfonso Pineda’s goal, dodged a Sea King

rally in the second half and escaped with a tie. CdM outshot Mesa in the

second 40 minutes, 7-1, and came within inches of scoring the

game-winning goal.

“We played real hard,” said CdM Coach Pat Callaghan, whose team

started the league campaign 2-0-1, then lost to Costa Mesa at home, 2-0,

to trigger a five-game losing skid.

“We lost a lot of momentum in that first loss to Mesa, then we fell

off. It was a downward spiral.”

Corona del Mar, which will wrap up its season Wednesday at home

against Northwood, tied this one in the 43rd minute on sophomore Julien

Cerutti’s header, after junior Tristan Harris headed a cross and senior

Andy Almquist unleashed a free kick.

Among CdM’s scoring chances in the second half included junior Blake

Dillion’s shot on goal from 10 yards out in the 76th minute. With the

ball hugging the ground, Costa Mesa goalie Ivan Figueroa (three saves)

got in front of it, but didn’t come up with it cleanly as the ball

bounced away. Fortunately for the hosts, it trickled past the goal and

the game remained deadlocked.

In the 80th minute, and a fitting conclusion to the game’s final play,

Pineda collided with CdM goalie Geoff Collier (four saves), who stayed on

the ground for several seconds after the last whistle, but walked away

under his own power.

Mesa’s only attempt in the second half came on senior Mike Gardiner’s

shot from the top of the 18-yard box in the 67th minute, which sailed

high.

The Mustangs, who outshot CdM in the first half, 7-3, opened the

scoring when Gardiner assisted on Pineda’s goal with a cross near the

right post. The play was set up in the middle by senior Socrates Cruz.

Collier provided the first half’s defensive highlight with a diving

save to his right on Pineda’s bullet from close range in the 33rd minute.

Senior Irwin Salas had a good look at the goal for Costa Mesa in the

36th minute, but misfired on his team’s seventh shot on goal of the half.

Following their fast start in the PCL this season, the Sea Kings are

expected to miss the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

“After the first three games in league this year, we felt pretty good

about ourselves,” Callaghan said. “I think we started to rest of our

laurels. We thought real highly of ourselves. We’ve got real quality

players, but you’ve got to play 80 minutes in a game.”