Girls soccer: League title with reach for Tars, CdM, Mesa

Barry Faulkner

The girls soccer teams from Corona del Mar, Newport Harbor and

Costa Mesa high schools all enter the final week of the regular season

with league championship aspirations, though only CdM has complete

control of its fate.

Coach Ron Evans’ two-time defending Pacific Coast League champions,

who have just one league loss since joining the circuit three seasons

ago, visit Costa Mesa today and host Northwood Thursday. With a pair of

wins, CdM, ranked No. 4 in CIF Southern Section Division IV, would, once

again, land atop the standings.

Entering today’s games, the Sea Kings (11-4-6, 4-1-3 in league) are

tied for first with Northwood (7-6-4, 5-2-1) with 11 points (two points

for a league win and one point for a tie). Costa Mesa (11-5-3, 4-2-2)

sits in third and University (8-7-3, 3-2-4) is fourth.

In the Sea View League, Newport Harbor (11-6-3, 4-1-2) enters today

tied with Aliso Niguel (4-0-2 in league), while Woodbridge (4-1-1 in

league) is just one point back.

The Sailors, ranked No. 3 in CIF Division II, visit Woodbridge, No. 6

in CIF Division II, tonight at 5 p.m. likely needing a victory to remain

in the title hunt, since they have a bye Thursday, when Aliso and

Woodbridge square off. Aliso, No. 2 in CIF Division I, visits Laguna

Hills (0-6-1 in league) today.

If victorious tonight, the Sailors would be outright champions only if

Aliso Niguel fails to gain two points this week. With a win, however, the

worst the Tars could do would be second place. Newport has already

wrapped up a postseason berth.

In their first-round PCL clash, CdM and Costa Mesa tied, 1-1. CdM

thumped Northwood, 4-1, in the first round.

“This is a really big week for us,” Evans said. “There is no room for

error and we’ve got to come out and play our best soccer of the season.

We had a really good practice (Monday). We have a few tricks up our

sleeve for both Mesa and Northwood, so we’ll just have to see if we can

score with them.”

The Sea Kings will be without starting fullback Lauren Loe, who broke

her foot in Thursday’s 3-3 tie with University.

If Costa Mesa, No. 8 in CIF Division IV, can win today, then handle

Laguna Beach, which it tied, 1-1, in the first round, only a pair of

Northwood wins this week would keep Coach Dan Johnston’s Mustangs from at

least a share of the first league crown in the program’s history.

Northwood lost to Uni, 3-0, in the first round.

In the last four games, both Mesa and CdM are 2-1-1, while Northwood

is 3-1.

Estancia (3-17, 0-8) hosts Laguna Beach today and University Thursday.

Sage Hill is scheduled to host Oxford Academy today, then visit St.

Margaret’s Thursday as the Academy League schedule concludes.