Boys soccer: Mesa on historic run

Barry Faulkner

SHERMAN OAKS - Costa Mesa High, which has at various times pinned

its athletic prominence on boys water polo, girls basketball, boys and

girls cross country, as well as a fairly consistent run of football

success, has now, arguably, become a soccer school.

Who knew?

The Mustangs’ boys soccer team will try to fortify this new impression

today at 3 p.m., when it visits Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in the second

round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs.

With a second consecutive Pacific Coast League title and a second

straight first-round playoff victory already under its belt, No. 4-seeded

Mesa, under second-year head coach Eugene Day, will try to go where no

Mustang unit has ever been: Thursday’s quarterfinals.

Last year’s squad was eliminated in the second round, when Bishop

Montgomery prevailed in penalty kicks after regulation and overtime

failed to produce a winner.

The Mustangs (14-3-3), who handled first-round visitor Pacifica, 3-0,

Friday, are on a serious roll. They have outscored opponents, 54-8,

during their current 16-game unbeaten streak, which they have punctuated

with 10 shutouts.

Notre Dame (14-3-5), the third-place team from the powerful Mission

League, has outscored playoff foes, 7-1, thus far. The Knights handled

Santa Ynez, 4-1, in a wild-card game Feb. 13, then dispatched Santa Fe

League champion Cathedral, 3-0, in Friday’s first round.

Coach Colm McFeeley’s squad advanced to the Division IV semifinals a

year ago, after finishing third in the Mission League. They were

eliminated, 3-2, by eventual champion St. Francis and finished 16-9-1.

Senior forward Nick Folk was a first-team All-CIF selection last year

in Division IV, the only returner among the Knights’ three All-CIF

honorees.

Costa Mesa, which had never been to the playoffs before last season,

is paced by senior defender Steven Thomas, the Mustangs’ lone All-CIF

honoree a year ago, when he earned second-team laurels.

The Mustangs are also led by seniors Eli Solis and Socrates Cruz, both

returning All-PCL performers, as well as explosive freshman forward

Alfonso Pineda.

Solis and Pineda, as well as senior Mike Gardiner, scored goals in the

first-round romp, in which they outshot the Mariners, 19-4.

Today’s winner will meet either Mojave River League champion Hesperia

(20-2-3) or Montview League champion Bassett (13-2-2) in Thursday’s

quarterfinals. Should Mesa win, it would either host Hesperia or rely on

a coin flip with Bassett to determine Thursday’s home team.