Harbor rallies to win

Chris Yemma

Fresh off blowouts in the opening round, Harbor Day and Newport Coast

had yet to be tested in the Daily Pilot Cup.

But it didn’t take long for the exam to begin, as they headed into

Wednesday’s second round of pool play matched up against each other.

The Newport Coast third- and fourth-grade co-ed soccer team jumped

out to a quick 1-0 lead in the second minute, but Harbor Day’s boys

team rallied with three straight goals and a stifling defense to seal

a 3-1 Gold Division victory at Costa Mesa Farm Complex.

“They were harder, faster people,” said Nick Sargeant, who scored

the second goal for Harbor Day. “They could kick better and they had

better goalies.”

Both teams were coming off of 5-0 wins Tuesday, with Harbor (2-0)

defeating Andersen and Newport Coast (1-1) beating Newport Heights.

So, it was just a matter of when each team would truly be tested.

And after rapid successive goals -- Dylon Thies evened the score

at 1 in the fifth minute for Harbor -- it turned out to be a

defensive chess match, eventually won by Harbor defensive specialists

Jay Damon, Michael Karmardian, Nick McGuinness and goalies Wilson

Meyer and Jack Thompson.

After the score had been tied in the opening minutes, Sargeant

drove the lane and punched a shot through for a 2-1 Harbor lead in the 26th minute. And with only a few minutes remaining, Landon Gyulay

provided an insurance goal on an assist from Thompson.

“I want to take this championship home to Harbor Day,” Gyulay

said.

Said Thies about his game-tying goal: “It was a lot of pressure

because I had to tie it when [Gyulay] passed it to me. When I scored

it made me feel really good.”

Newport Coast was led by Alex Moore, who scored the game’s first

goal after breaking away down the middle in the second minute and

tapping it into the left side. Alexa Mamatas also contributed solid

offensive plays, and gained a key opportunity in the second half.

Mamatas and Newport had a chance for a tie in the 31st minute, as

she lofted a penalty kick over Harbor Day’s defensive wall hoping for

it to sail in. But Harbor’s Meyer was right there to catch the ball

and help preserve the victory.

Newport’s girls players of Mamatas, Courtney Lang and Avery Taylor

aided in the effort, as did goalie Rusty Padia, who blocked numerous

Harbor shots and made a key save in the 10th minute.

But Sargeant’s eventual game-winning goal gave Harbor Day the

confidence it needed to hold on for the victory.

“[Newport Coast] is good,” Harbor Day Coach Jim Damon said. “Their

girls were very effective and played a great game. And [Moore] had

tremendous speed.”

Other Harbor Day players who helped in the victory were Troy

Bolus, Davis Case, Reed Tucker, Tyler McPhillips, Jeffrey Harrison,

Braden Brahs and John O’Connor.