Thundering Herd gallops over Glenn

Bryce Alderton

Friday’s first-round CIF Southern Section Division III girls soccer

playoff game between Costa Mesa High and visiting John Glenn

(Norwalk) was a training ground of sorts.

Mesa (19-1-2) picked up where it left off, going undefeated and

winning the Golden West League, while the Eagles made their first

playoff appearance in school history, and it showed. The Mustangs

were quicker, more polished with passes and ran circles against John

Glenn, scoring an 8-0 victory, their second in school history.

The Mustangs continue in the hunt on Tuesday with a game at Santa

Monica (13-5-2), starting at 3 p.m.

Mesa senior Sharon Day, an All-CIF returner and four-year phenom,

continued her torrid scoring with four goals, three in the first

half, and now has 28 goals on the season. Mesa outshot John Glenn,

16-1, in the first half and, 26-1, for the game.

“They came out with intensity and set up right off the bat,” said

Mesa Coach Dan Johnston, as he sat in a wheelchair with right leg in

a cast and raised, following surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon

suffered Feb. 10. “If you get it across the net often enough, things

will fall in, and it happened enough today.”

Three Mesa goals were set up by Day throw-ins that often landed

within the six-yard box. Day’s throw-in set up Jenny Spark’s assist

to Day’s sister, Jasmin, for Mesa’s first goal five minutes into the

game. Sparks finished with two assists, crossing to Day for Mesa’s

fourth goal moments before halftime.

Mesa’s hustle resulted in a 16-1 advantage in corner kicks,

keeping Eagle goalkeeper Gabby Vilchis busy. She made nine saves.

Sparks, Rachel Hughes (one goal, one assist), Nilani Duarte (one

goal, one assist) and Vera Gale (one goal), along with Stacy

Krikorian, Rachel Ronquillo, Valerie Gomez and Toshia Bryant all ran

under lob passes in the Eagle zone to set up Mesa’s offense, which

Johnston tweaked once he realized his players had a decided edge in

quickness.

“We beat their trap with our halfbacks,” Johnston said. “We

started to kick with halfback overlaps and were confusing them a bit.

(The Eagles) were looking around.”

John Glenn coach Louie Morillo said Mesa was the best team his

players have faced all season, but took the game as a learning

experience.

“(Mesa) is extremely fast and has height,” Morillo said. “They had

three or four headers and that’s what it takes, a little bit of

height and a lot of heart. We have to learn to crawl before we can

walk.”

The Eagles (9-10-2) were an at-large selection from the Suburban

League.

Johnston praised the efforts of Nellie Barrios and Kara Jenkins,

while senior defender Devin Denman booted many balls that came her

way.

Kindra Bailey made one save while manning the goal in the first

half. Kaitlyn Gentling returned from injury to play for the first

time in two weeks.

Johnston substituted often in the second half, giving players time

to catch their breath. Several members have been battling the flu in

recent weeks, he said.

But Mesa showed no signs of slowing down, and have now outscored

opponents, 106-13, this season.

“We were pumped up and ready to go real quick,” Sharon Day said.

“(Johnston) told us to pass it around and take shots and that’s what

we did.”

Day remained humble, citing the team’s ultimate goal of winning

CIF. Mesa won its first-ever playoff game last season, a 3-1 decision

over Pacifica, before falling to Louisville, 2-1, in the second round.