Eagles soaring in league

SANTA ANA — The Estancia High girls’ soccer team ended a 16-year gap without a league championship last season, when the Eagles shared it.

The Eagles aren’t waiting that long to win another one. They don’t plan to split their next title, either.

Estancia has opened Orange Coast League play with two shutouts. The latest was a 2-0 victory against host Godinez at Centennial Regional Park Thursday.

“Last year, no one saw us coming,” said second-year coach Jessica Gatica, whose team finished as co-league champion with rival Costa Mesa. “I hope that put us on the map. This year, we know we’ve got a lot to prove. We have some big girls with some targets on their back.

“They’re going to have to work extra hard to get everything they [want].”

The hard work has resulted in the Eagles sitting atop the league standings all alone.

Goalkeeper Allyson Wallace has been a key to the success at Estancia (8-6-2, 2-0 in league). She made a handful of saves against Godinez.

In two league matches, no team has been able to get one past Wallace.

“She’s the reason we get shutouts,” said Gatica, whose team has recorded most of its wins when holding the opposition scoreless.

When the other team doesn’t score, teams tend to prevail.

For a program with eight returning starters, the Eagles are relatively young on defense. The inexperience hasn’t affected Wallace.

All she usually needs is one or two goals.

Estancia scored once in last week’s opener against Calvary Chapel and won.

Jillian Beck and Jackie Freiberger provided the offense Thursday. They each scored as the Eagles handed Godinez (7-6-2, 1-1) its first league loss.

Estancia’s start in league has been a lot better this season compared to Gatica’s first season.

The Eagles will try to extend their winning streak in league on Tuesday, when they return home to play Laguna Beach.

The Breakers aren’t a pushover. They opened league with tie against Costa Mesa last week.

“The way the league has been playing out, there’s been upsets left and right,” Gatica said. “Costa Mesa losing to Calvary [Chapel] was an upset. Laguna [Beach] losing to Calvary [Chapel] was an upset.

“We are not worried about anybody else. As long as we win our games, we will be fine.”

Everything went well against Godinez after the Eagles struck first.

In the eighth minute, Jessica Lyons assisted on the first goal. The junior flicked a pass with her head to an open area in the box. The ball found a free Beck, who finished the play in the corner.

Nine minutes into the second half, Beck helped Estancia find the back of the net again.

Beck assisted on Freiberger’s goal, which found the inside of the left post. The goal was the junior’s third of the season, and she almost added to her total.

In the final 57th minute, Freiberger barely missed heading in a goal off a corner kick. Ten minutes later, on a breakaway opportunity, Godinez keeper Teresa Pintor came out and stopped Freiberger.

Freiberger shook her head and smiled. The goal she and the Eagles want is at the end of the regular season, an outright league crown.

“That’s our goal,” Freiberger said, “but we’re not going to get ahead of ourselves.”