Pilot Cup girls soccer: Andersen holds off Carden Hall

Steve Virgen

COSTA MESA - It wasn’t easy. Nevertheless, Andersen won the third-

and fourth-grade division championship in the Pilot Cup with a 1-0

victory over Carden Hall Sunday at the Farm Field.

Lindsey Luke scored midway through the first half, an unassisted goal

that came after a mad scramble for the ball. The Carden Hall Eagles,

coached by Barbara Yeager, earned several scoring chances in the second

half, but Andersen maintained a strong defense.

“We never gave up,” said Claudio Venturini, who coached Andersen with

Linda Craig. “We knew (the Eagles) were an excellent team and we knew

they were as deserving to be in the final as we were, but we never gave

up. We worked hard and we were a little lucky. We’re thankful that things

went our way. They had plenty of shots in the second half.”

Natalie Hupp stepped up as an, “awesome goalie,” Venturini said, and

teammate Amanda Johnson also came through with defensive support.

The Dolphins seemed poised to win the Pilot Cup from their first game.

They had 13 players, more than half of the team, who were All-Stars for

their respective AYSO squads. Luke, Anna Venturini, Katie Deverian, Kelli

Feely and Sarah Craig are names many will hear about in the Pilot Cup

next year and, perhaps, years down the line at Corona del Mar High.

They all played solid defense for Andersen, along with Hayley Raguse.

For Carden Hall, which lost in the semifinals after a sudden-death

penalty kick from champion Kaiser last year, Lauren Draganza and Gillian

Hogan were among the leaders. Morgan Williams, Tabitha Goff and Jordan

Murrel were also key contributors in the Eagles’ run to the championship

game.

Andersen virtually coasted through the competition to reach the final.

The Dolphins scored a 7-1 victory over Newport Coast in the semifinals.

Carden Hall also dominated its games en route to the final. The Eagles

defeated Harbor Day, 2-0, in the other semifinal Saturday.