Katz is double trouble

Melanie Neff

It was a picture-perfect pass and a picture-perfect goal that helped

secure the victory and advance Harbor View to today quarterfinals of

the fifth- and sixth-grade boys soccer bracket of the Daily Pilot Cup

at the Costa Mesa Farm Complex.

Leading, 1-0, with five minutes remaining, Sean Donovan sailed a

crossing pass to a charging Michael Katz, who slammed the ball into

the goal and secured a 2-0 victory for Harbor View over Newport

Heights.

Katz scored both goals for Harbor View, which outshot Newport

Heights, 11-2.

“I knew Sean would get me the ball,” Katz said. “I just wanted to

be there.”

Harbor View took a 1-0 lead when Paul Zubatov sent the ball to

Katz in front of the goal. Katz spun and shot it past Newport Heights

goalkeeper Andy Hayes with five minutes left in the half.

While Katz, Zubatov, Dillon Norton and Pierce Stemler controlled

the offense for Harbor View, it was the defense that kept them in the

game.

Goalkeeper Ryan Kontra made a goal-saving tackle in the first half

and Tommy Bangert, who played in the goal in the second, pulled down

a penalty kick by Jeremy Anish to keep the shutout intact.

“They were very aggressive,” Kontra said.

James Cunningham, Miles Kellerman, Jamie Heineck, Jamie McKernan,

Dean Murdoch and Peter Inouye rotated in and out and defense and did

a great job of keeping Newport Heights out of the box and keeping the

ball out of Harbor View territory.

Harbor View had several scoring opportunities set up by skillful

passing that came up just short.

Zubatov saved a ball just before it went out of bounds, chipped it

to Katz, who sent it back to Zubatov at the corner of the box.

Zubatov launched a shot that skimmed over the top of the goal.

Later in the game, Katz went through two defenders, crossed the

ball to Norton, but Hayes came out at the last second and tackled the

ball away from Norton’s reach.

Donovan set up Norton again a few minutes later, but Norton

couldn’t connect on a shot in front of a wide-open goal.

“Did you see me blow it?,” Norton asked at the end of the game.

“That was pretty bad.”

In the end, the whole team laughed at the missed opportunities,

happy to be playing today against Kaiser 1 in the semifinals at 11

a.m. at the Farm Complex.

“They were the best team we’ve played,” Katz said. “We just look

forward to our next game.”