Girls soccer: CdM girls coach named

Barry Faulkner

CORONA DEL MAR - Bryan Middleton, who coached the Corona del Mar

High boys junior varsity this past season, was named the school’s girls

soccer coach Tuesday, Sea Kings Athletic Director Jerry Jelnick

announced.

Middleton, 27, who teaches health at the school, inherits a program

that has gone 58-12-14 the last three seasons, winning the Pacific Coast

League championship each year during that stretch and advancing to the

CIF Southern Section Division IV semifinals three straight years. He

replaces Ron Evans, who coached the last three seasons.

“I was fortunate enough to become a part of the Corona del Mar

community last year as a teacher and I’ve been looking for the chance to

coach a varsity program,” said Middleton, who played on three

large-school division champions at Jesuit High in Portland, Ore. then

played two seasons at Portland State University, before the program was

discontinued. “I know the (CdM) program has been built up in recent years

and I know they’ve won some league titles and made the playoffs,”

Middleton said. “My plans are to maintain that success and even achieve a

higher level, which would be winning a (CIF) championship.”

Middleton’s coaching career includes a stint as boys varsity assistant

at Edison in the 2000-01 season, the year the Chargers won the CIF

Division II crown. He was also a junior varsity coach and varsity

assistant at Sunset High in Beaverton, Ore. and also coached club teams

in Oregon for six years.

Middleton, a Costa Mesa resident, said he does not have a set system,

but will adapt to fit the abilities of his players.

“I saw (the CdM girls) play two games last season,” Middleton said.

“I’ll try to take the individuals I have and mold them into a (system)

that’s best for the team.”

That team was eliminated, 3-1, by eventual co-champion

Harvard-Westlake in 2002, marking the third straight year a team went on

to win at least a share of the section title after getting past the Sea

Kings in the semifinals. All three semifinal losses have come against

teams from the Mission League, which will move up to Division I next

season.

CdM, which remains in the Pacific Coast League and will compete in

Division II, may have enough talent to make a run at the program’s first

CIF crown.

Elisha Morgan, a three-time All-CIF performer, two-time All-CIF

honorees Paige Janes and Lauren Shepherdson, as well as returning All-CIF

selections Jenny Long and Alivia Mazura, will form a potent senior

nucleus for CdM next season. Shephardson shared PCL Most Valuable Player

honors and freshman goalie Rachel Waters joined the aforementioned

returning standouts on the All-PCL squad. CdM was 15-5-7 last season.

Middleton said Tuesday he had yet to meet with the team. He also said

he would soon go about assembling his staff. He said he would like to

have two coaches each -- a head coach and assistant -- for both the

varsity and junior varsity teams.

“I have some people in mind for (coaching positions), but I’d prefer

not to comment on that, until I’ve had more of a chance to discuss it.”

He also said he would eventually like to schedule games with Mater

Dei, where he said former Newport Harbor boys coach Matty West would be

taking over the girls program, and Edison.

Middleton said he grew up with a passion for soccer and began playing

at age 4. His Jesuit teams won state titles in 1991, ’92 and ’93.