A late Coyote surge

Bryce Alderton

Though slim, the Newport Coast boys fifth- and sixth-grade soccer

team had plenty in reserve to defeat Adams, 4-3, in a gold division

pool play contest of the Daily Pilot Cup Wednesday at the Farm Sports

Complex.

Newport Coast, which trailed, 3-1 with 21 minutes remaining,

scored three goals in four minutes and held on against exhausted

Adams players in both teams’ first game of the tournament that

concludes Sunday.

“We had no subs, we had four guys out, but take nothing away from

[Newport Coast],” Adams’ Coach Bob Knapp said. “At the end of the

game we didn’t have enough fuel in the tank.”

Newport Coast, nicknamed the Coyotes, had two substitutes and

shifted players in the second half to spark the stir. The Coyotes

scored on their first four shots and finished with six in all.

Connor Gaal, who made five saves in goal during the first half,

moved to forward for the second half and provided a boost of speed

along the wing while Shawn Farsai entered as a defender, Newport

Coast Coach Dave Gennrich said.

Gaal, racing near the sideline, scored the winning goal in the

40th minute -- each half spans 25 minutes -- on a centering pass from

Cole Gennrich.

Gennrich tallied three assists, including the second of Brandon

Hoover’s two goals, which evened the game at 3 in the 39th minute.

Gennrich lofted a pass from the corner and Hoover re-directed the

ball into the net.

Carter Waite corralled a loose ball and fired it into the net’s

left side to inch Newport Coast closer, 3-2, in the 29th minute.

Adams, which spent a majority of the first half in the Coyotes’

zone, relied on a quick front line and precision passing to grab a

3-1 lead.

Guillermo Madrigal, with a defender tightly guarding him, took a

pass from Carlos Barrios, swerved around his opponent and gave Adams

a 1-0 lead with the first of his two goals eight minutes into the

game.

The Coyotes evened it at 1 two minutes later when Gennrich,

running the wing, hit Hoover in stride on a centering pass and Hoover

one-timed the cross into the right side.

Adams, which features all fifth graders, several from a team that

reached the boys third-and fourth-grade gold final last year, went up

2-1 in the 18th minute when Ezequiel Vilegas’ kick found the left

side of the net following a deflection.

Teammate Javier Medina sent in the pass that led to Vilegas’

score.

Madrigal struck again four minutes into the second half, taking a

feeding pass from Medina to cap a break.

But that was the only blemish Newport Coast goalkeeper David Moore

allowed during his time in net.

Moore, a catcher on his Newport Beach Little League team, made

five saves, including a smother and two diving stops against Adams,

which fired 18 total shots.

Adams appeared to take a 4-1 lead as Medina booted a shot into the

net on a ball Moore had pinned to the turf with both hands seconds

earlier.

The official waved off the apparent goal to protect the keeper,

who had possession for a time, Knapp said.

Moore made a diving, two-handed stop on a Madrigal shot in the

closing minute and sweeper Tony McCoy booted Adams’ last scoring

chance away from the Coyotes’ net.

Moore is used to blocking balls as a catcher, wearing a mask.

Soccer presents its own tests.

“It’s challenging, especially when you almost get kicked in the

face,” Moore said.

McCoy helped turn away several scoring chances.

For Adams, Dave Cornelius knocked down a free ball near the end of

the first half.

Both teams have two pool play games remaining.

Newport Coast faces Kaiser at 7:30 p.m. today at Farm field No. 1

while Adams will take on Our Lady Queen of Angels at 3:30 p.m. Friday

on the same field.