Corona del Mar girls on the verge

Bryce Alderton

The History Channel’s motto of “Where the Past Comes Alive” could

be used to describe the Corona del Mar High girls soccer team’s

dreams for the season.

CdM’s first-year head coach Bryan Middleton won three straight

soccer division championships as a player for Jesuit High in Portland

from 1991-93, and hopes that success translates to victories of a

similar sort for the Sea Kings (1-0).

The 27-year-old Costa Mesa resident will attempt to utilize a team

stocked with seven returning seniors that made it to the CIF Southern

Section Division IV semifinals before bowing out for a third

consecutive season in that round last year.

“I know what it takes to win a championship in high school

soccer,” Middleton said. “Hopefully I can bring organization to the

team and motivation for success in the preseason, in league and into

CIF.”

Middleton also coached for two years at Edison, including the

2000-01 season as an assistant coach on the boys team that won the

CIF Division II championship. Middleton. He teaches seventh-grade

health and physical education at CdM and coached the Sea King boys

junior varsity soccer team last season.

This year marks Middleton’s first varsity head coaching campaign.

The Sea Kings are coming off a 4-0 victory over Dana Hills Monday

behind two goals and two assists from returning All-CIF senior

forward Alivia Muzura and single goals from All-CIF performers and

senior midfielders Jenny Long and Elisha Morgan.

Both Morgan and Long were All-CIF selections for the 15-5-7 Sea

Kings, who were defeated by Harvard-Westlake, 3-1, in the CIF

Southern Section Division IV Semifinals.

Fellow seniors contributing to CdM’s attack once again will be

Pacific Coast League Co-Most Valuable Player, defender Lauren

Shepherdson, sweeper Paige Janes and midfielders Christina Taylor and

Lauren Loe.

Middleton expects Shepherdson to return for games against Mission

Viejo and Aliso Niguel next week. She has been nursing an injury to

her patella.

“(Janes) controls our defense as a sweeper and we are looking to

have (Shepherdson) back to help solidify our defense even more,”

Middleton said.

Anchoring the Corona defense will be sophomore Vanessa Fallon and

junior Kinzie Kramer in front of sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Waters,

who was an All-PCL selection last season.

At the midfield will be freshman Jessica Muzura (Alivia’s younger

sister) and freshman Kelly Morgan (Elisha’s younger sister) will

rotate in at forward. Freshmen Taylor Fallon (Vanessa’s younger

sister), Rachel Yelsey along with sophomore Tanisha Senaratne and

junior Brook Burgner give Middleton more options to give the opposing

team fits.

Middleton has three sets of sisters to work with in the Morgans,

Muzuras and the Fallons.

Team chemistry should be strong point this season, Middleton said.

“It helps out with communication that a lot of girls know each

other from playing together in the program,” Middleton said. “Five of

our seniors have been together since their freshman year on varsity.”

Those five seniors include Janes, Shepherdson, Alivia Muzura,

Elisha Morgan and Long.

Team speed and ball possession are two areas Middleton expects his

team to excel in.

The Sea Kings’ defense has also stepped up early on as Corona shut

out Sunny Hills in a scrimmage, 2-0, and then defeated Dana Hills.

CdM has gone 58-12-4 the last three seasons and moves up to

Division II where Middleton expects the competition to be

well-dispersed.

“The harder competition was in Division II last year and all those

teams have moved up to Division I,” Middleton said.

Teams such as Santa Margarita, San Clemente, Capistrano Valley,

Mission Viejo, Edison, Newport Harbor and Los Alamitos will compete

in Division I this season, but that hasn’t deterred Middleton in his

scheduling.

The Sea Kings face the host Diablos Tuesday and then travel to

face Aliso Niguel in a 5 p.m. game Dec. 13.

“We’re playing the top Division I teams so we’ll have a high

benchmark to get us going throughout the season,” Middleton said.