Whittier stays goal-oriented

COSTA MESA ? The Whittier Elementary boys’ third-and fourth-grade Silver Division team likes to control possession, and it likes to score goals.

Whittier had little problem with either task on Friday at the Daily Pilot Cup, rolling to a 5-0 victory over Pegasus that clinched its pool.

Whittier had possession of the ball for nearly the whole game, and struck early. In the second minute of the game, forward Roberto Perdomo passed the ball across the goalmouth to Marlon Naya, who booted it in for the opening score.

Five minutes later, Perdomo scored his own goal from the right side. In the 13th minute, Eusebio Rodriguez got into the action on a long shot that bounced off Pegasus goalie Jason Knapp and into the goal.

Knapp was kept busy all game, tallying 14 saves.

“We played well,” Perdomo said, although he and his teammates were humble after the game as well. “I think the other team (Pegasus) played well.”

Rodriguez scored again just before halftime for a 4-0 advantage. He beat one defender about 25 yards out, outran a second Pegasus defender and slid a shot into the net.

Whittier goalie Anthony Martinez ? who only had to make one save in the first half ? moved to forward in the second half and immediately made his presence felt. He scored the final goal six minutes into the half.

That was all the scoring Whittier wanted due to Daily Pilot Cup rules, which penalize a team for a margin of victory over five goals.

“I wanted to score more goals, because I like scoring goals a lot,” Naya said. “I want to score as many goals as I can.”

Still, it wasn’t really a problem, said Whittier Coach Gilbert Martinez, who watched his team breeze through pool play with nine goals scored and only one allowed.

“It was tough because some of the kids want to score a goal,” Martinez said. “But they did well; they know the rules.”

Martinez also coaches many of the players on a separate team on the weekends, he said. All of Whittier’s players on the team are third-graders, with a couple of second-graders.

Pegasus standouts included forwards Jake Hastings and Erik Henriksen, and defenders Massimo Navarretta and Alec Farrage. Rounding out the Thunder lineup were Luke Aguilar, John Connelly and Frank Hoshijima.

For Whittier, second-half goalie Marcos Solis, Luis Mendez, David Pena, Alex Melendez, Luis Perdomo, Edgar Jimenes, Ismael Ocanpos, Keben Estrada and Luis Castillo all contributed.

Whittier will play College Park today at noon in the 3-4 boys’ Silver Division quarterfinals. The game is scheduled for Farm Sports Complex field No. 6.