Sea Kings, Eagles all knotted up

COSTA MESA — Following their pool-play game in the Newport-Mesa Cup both Estancia High Coach Steven Crenshaw and Corona del Mar Coach Bryan Middleton were confident if their teams were to face one another in the championship.

A scoreless tie can have that effect.

Neither the Sea Kings nor the Eagles were able to score Friday at Orange Coast College, but since both won their first pool-play game, Corona del Mar, 3-0, over Newport Harbor and Estancia, 3-0, over Costa Mesa, a victory would advance them to the championship today at 2:30 p.m. at Corona del Mar.

Estancia (1-0-1), which faces Newport Harbor today at 9 a.m. at Orange Coast, would also advance if it ties the Sailors. Corona del Mar plays Costa Mesa at 10:30 a.m. The Sailors defeated the Mustangs, 1-0, in the second game Friday.

Crenshaw said his team just needed to finish its scoring opportunities to be effective.

“We need to support our attack,” Crenshaw said. “We let down our intensity. We let them into it. It was totally our fault.”

Corona del Mar (1-1-1) had its two best scoring opportunities in the second half, one off a centering pass in front of a wide-open goal, but the shot went wide, and the other, the shot bounced off the post.

Both had Middleton confident about how his team would fair against Estancia should the two meet again today.

“I’m upset because we absolutely dominated Estancia,” Middleton said. “The game really should have been 2-0. I think we’re a little fatigued. We spent a lot mentally and physically on the Battle of the Bay. I’d love to face them again.”

Senior Alex Tobiessen set up both scoring opportunities with her combination of size and speed. The 5-foot-11 forward said if the teams meet a second time it will be at a higher intensity level.

“I think our intensity could have been brought up,” Tobiessen said. “I think we did well. They were talking a lot of trash on the sideline. It was fun. I think our skill is better and the desire will be better next time. We didn’t really want to beat them as badly as we wanted to beat Newport Harbor.”

Eagles junior Stacy McDaniels said it was fun to match up with the Sea Kings’ tall, physical forwards like Tobiessen.

“It’s definitely a challenge,” McDaniels said. “It keeps you on your toes. You just have to control the ball more. They’re pretty fast.”

Estancia is anticipating its best girls’ soccer season in well over a decade and McDaniels said teams haven’t started to take the Eagles seriously yet.

“Once we go through each team in league they’ll look at us differently,” McDaniels said. “[Corona del Mar] thought they would beat us by a lot. They beat us in every sport, football, volleyball. We just have to play more offensive.”

Crenshaw said it will be a numbers game if the two meet again.

“We’re not getting the numbers,” Crenshaw said. “We’re going to have to get more shot opportunities. Bottom line is when we got down there it was two on five, instead of four on five or four on six. We weren’t doing that today. [Today] they know what to do.”

Middleton, who used six substitutes, said CdM will be fresh.

“They could be fatigued [today],” Middleton said. “If we play like we played against Newport Harbor we’ll beat them.”