Smurfs stopped in the semifinals

The Slammin’ Smurfs capped the AYSO soccer season with a 3-1

record in the Boys under-14 Region 97 Playoffs last weekend.

Wins over North Irvine, South Irvine and Corona del Mar allowed

the Smurfs to reach the semifinals, where they lost to Tustin, 1-0.

Coach Chad Brown’s crew defeated North Irvine, 5-1, with Will

Reichenstein, David Garrett, Andrew Kaban, Robert DiFrancesco and Ben

Swift each scoring goals.

Sean Marshall, Jordan Harris and Phil Garrett played strong

defense.

Rex Nelson led the Smurfs’ charge in a 3-1 win over South Irvine,

scoring twice.

With minutes left in the game, Chris Gutierrez scored an insurance

goal.

Keeper Tommy Olson made some strong saves with Edgar Torres and

Branden Rowley stopping Irvine attackers on defense.

Kyle Fults displayed solid passing and speed to move the ball into

scoring position.

The Smurfs shut out Corona del Mar, 3-0, to advance to the

semifinals.

David Garrett kicked a low ball from the corner that hit off a CdM

player for the first goal.

Corona’s keeper knocked out a Caldwell shot only to have

DiFrancesco knock it in. Reichenstein scored on a penalty kick after

he was fouled within the 18-yard box.

In other Boys under-14 playoff action:

* The Newport Beach Who lost two games: a 2-0 decision to Costa

Mesa’s Quicksilver and an 8-0 loss to South Irvine.

The Who had only 10 players in its loss to Costa Mesa, but

received solid efforts from keeper Juan Trujillo and defenders Nick

Normandin, Timothy Regan, Christian Harrison and Brandon Parole.

The midfield was solidified by Jacob Silverman and Vinnie Finn

while Will Atwood (three shots on goal) and Travis Kuhns (two shots

on goal) anchored the offense.

Against South Irvine, The Who played with only seven players but

had scoring chances from Jonathan Gordon and Kuhns.

Atwood and Trujillo contributed solid efforts.

Regan, Gordon and Harrison split time in goal and Silverman added

steady play.

In Boys under-12 play:

* Corona del Mar’s Blue Hydras won all four games last weekend to

earn a berth in the Area Q League Championship.

Corona defeated South Irvine, 1-0; Newport, 2-0; North Irvine,

3-1, and Costa Mesa in a shootout following a 1-1 tie at the end of

regulation.

John Doering and Aaron Varasteh each led the way in the four wins

with three goals apiece.

Doering scored the Hydras’ lone goal in the win against South

Irvine and scored one goal each in wins over North Irvine and Costa

Mesa.

Strong midfield play from Spencer Morris, Yousseff Farfan, Hunter

Adler, Wes Baker and Lane Wilhelm keyed the Hydras (14-1) against

Newport. Varasteh scored both goals.

The 3-1 win over North Irvine allowed the team to advance to the

semifinals with an offensive charge led by Eric Hansen and goals

scored by Baker, Doering and Varasteh.

Solid defense was provided by Stephen Sheldon, Andrew Iverson and

Jack Murphy.

Hydras’ keeper Brad Jones blocked Mesa’s first shot on goal in the

shootout that helped propel CdM into the final game. Farfan, Doering

and Patrick Vorwerck all made consecutive shots.

The Hydras have allowed only five goals all season.

* Costa Mesa’s Blue Crew defeated the Patriots, 4-1.

Daron Arnold scored for the Patriots. A strong Blue Crew defense

held the Patriots’ Christopher Cowie, Jay Ordaz, Chris O’Campo and

Peter Nguyen scoreless.

Spencer Baratto, Jackson Carmack, Preston Wheeler, Tommy Freeman

and Jay Wilson all played well.

Defense was provided by Irving Torres, Wil Curiel and Randall

Hause along with keeper Joshua Bowman.

The Patriots tied the CdM Silver Bullets, 3-3, in the second

round.

Ordaz scored two goals with assists from Nguyen and Cowie with

Carmack adding a solo goal for the Patriots.

Torres, O’Campo and Wheeler contributed steady offense and

midfielders Freeman, Baratto, Wilson and Nguyen passed the ball well.

Arnold, Hause and Curiel provided defensive support for keeper

Bowman.

The Patriots defeated Tustin in the first round of play.

Ordaz scored the lone goal with an assist from Arnold with Nguyen

and Cowie passing strongly.

Steady midfield play came from Wilson, Wheeler, Hause and Torres

while Curiel, Arnold and Carmack helped keeper Bowman hold the Titans

scoreless.

In Girls under-11 APP Play:

* Newport 6, Yorba Linda 0

Caroline Hardenbergh scored three goals and teammates Elizabeth

Eddy, Claire Ramser and Bianca Posey each scored one goal for the

victors.

Keeper Courtney Francis along with defenders Terra Friedman,

Marianne Jones, Kimmy Ramser, Kristie Jacobs and Veronica McLean all

helped in the shutout.

Midfielders McKeena Cottam, Kasey DeYoung and Paige More

controlled play.

Newport enters the playoffs having outscored the opposition, 14-2,

in its three-game winning streak.

In Girls under-10 playoff action:

* Newport Beach’s Teeny Wahinis went 3-1 in the playoffs, losing

in the semifinals to Yorba Linda to finish, 14-2-2.

The Wahinis outscored their opponents this season, 60-15.

Newport had to come back from a 2-0 deficit to Costa Mesa in its

opening game to advance.

The Wahinis trailed, 2-0, going into the fourth period before Tori

Sarris scored two goals and Chelsea Barth added another to notch

Newport a 3-2 victory.

In Newport’s 2-1 win over North Irvine in the next round, Barth

scored her second tournament goal after sweeper Hannah MacLeod scored

on a 40-yard shot for the Wahinis’ first goal.

Midfielders Amy Kanotz and Sarah Wilkey coupled with Nicole

Bakers’ goaltending allowed Newport to remain on offense.

Kate Donahue and Bridgett Lyons had several shots that just missed

the goal.

Sarris and Barth again found the net for the Wahinis in a 2-0 win

against South Irvine.

Kanotz and Wilkey made the assists.

MacLeod led a strong defense and Donahue, Jordan Eakin and Lyons

showed tenacity to spark a shutout.

Brittney Bastedo alternated between offense and goalkeeping duties

to hold South Irvine scoreless.

MacLeod, Lyons and Donahue, along with Baker at keeper, kept the

Wahinis close to Yorba Linda until the fourth quarter.

Kanotz led a steady group at midfield.

In Boys under-10 playoff action:

* The Blue Blasters finished second in their division to Tustin.

After going 1-1-1 in the playoffs, they tied Tustin, 3-3..

The Blasters beat Irvine, 2-0, in their third of four games.

Trey Franklin scored a goal in the second quarter and Misha

Pakvasa added another in the third period to pace the Blasters.

The Blaster defense held strong with keeper Ryan Shannon making

several key saves.

Franklin added two more goals and Craig McKennon added one goal in

a 5-3 Costa Mesa win.

The Blasters and Mesa were tied, 3-3, at halftime.

Against Tustin, McKennon and Franklin tallied second-half goals

after trailing, 3-1 at the half.

In the second quarter, Shannon and Jake Likich switched positions

and held Tustin to one goal that was deflected into the net by the

Blaster defense.

McKennon scored once in the first quarter but Tustin answered with

one of its own and another off a deflection by the Blaster defense.

Cory Fults and Paul Weisinger handled midfield duties and

fullbacks C.J. Tona and Shannon, along with sweeper Caleb Candelaria,

slowed the Tustin offense. Keeper Likich protected the Blaster net.