Soccer: Kaiser rallies to top Mariners, 3-2

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - Funny things happened on the soccer field Friday in

Kaiser’s 3-2 pool-play victory over Mariners in a girls fifth- and

sixth-grade division game in the Daily Pilot Cup at the Farm Field.

Mariners outshot Kaiser, 23-5, and enjoyed a 2-0 lead in the first

half.

But Kaiser’s Knights, the school’s No. 2 team in the Cup, rallied for

the victory and will most likely play Mariners again this morning to

decide the pool-play winner. The teams are tied with 11 points each.

Elizabeth Eddy broke a scoreless tie early in the first half with a

goal for Mariners, then assisted on Cassidy Gayner’s goal in the 12th

minute. Gayner provided Mariners with a 2-0 lead when she scored

left-footed from 12 yards out.

In the 17th minute, Gayner had a breakaway goal nullified because of

offsides, a call that would prove to be huge later in the game.

Kaiser’s Tina Theriot avoided three defenders and scored on a

breakaway in the 20th minute to cut the Mariners’ lead in half.

In the second half, Kaiser tied the game, 2-2, on Kristin Bassler’s

goal on a huge bounce over the goalkeeper’s head. In the 28th minute,

Bassler booted one high in the air from 35 yards out, and, after taking a

kangaroo hop over the goalie, trickled into an empty net.

“I thought that was going to go over the goal, but it was a perfect

shot,” said Kaiser Coach Ron Castor, whose team was outshot in the second

half, 13-3, but found the net on its first two attempts while Mariners

came up short.

Theriot added the game-winning goal for Kaiser, controlling a ball

from 12 yards out and turning 180 degrees before firing successfully into

the net.

Stephanie Castor, the Kaiser goalie, recorded seven saves, while

teammate Kayla Henrie played a solid game.

“We just couldn’t put the ball in the goal in the second half,”

Mariners Coach Park Eddy said. “We couldn’t put it away. We had a lot of

missed chances. We also had a goal called back because of offsides and

the gal was not involved in the play. It was an interesting call. That’s

soccer. But our girls tried hard.”

Mariners defeated Davis, 5-1, in the pool-play opener as Ally

Schatzlein scored two goals, while Kaiser lost to Davis, 3-2.