Harbor Day girls’ soccer opens Daily Pilot Cup by blanking Newport Heights

Corona del Mar Harbor Day School came into the first day of the 20th annual Daily Pilot Cup with one idea — just have fun.

The idea worked for this loose bunch, especially for Keaton Kessler.

She scored both goals in Harbor Day’s 2-0 victory over Newport Heights in the fifth- and sixth-grade girls’ Gold Division Group B pool-play match on Tuesday afternoon at Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa.

“This is all for fun,” Kessler said. “Something we talk about at the start is to have fun, no pressure, and that this is something we do as a team, we bond. We have to be calm and not focus on winning. In the beginning, I was tense and nervous, but I loosened up and being calm helped me. This is fun as long as we don’t focus on winning.”

Harbor Day School’s Keaton Kessler battles for a ball against Newport Heights’ Payton Williams in a girls’ fifth- and sixth-grade Gold Division pool-play match at the Daily Pilot Cup in Costa Mesa on Tuesday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

Kessler scored the first goal in the fourth minute thanks to an assist from Nicole Thorp. She scored her second goal off a penalty kick in the 59th minute.

“The girls played extraordinary well,” said Harbor Day coach Steve Thorp, whose team closes pool-play action against Newport Coast on Friday at 4:30 p.m. “We only had one substitute today, so they were tired and had to dig deep in order to win. They’ve been a lot of fun to coach.”

In the second half, Newport Heights attacked Harbor Day goalkeeper Charlotte Warmington. But despite being nervous, Warmington didn’t let Newport Heights ruin her shutout.

Warmington finished with 11 saves.

“It gets scary sometimes,” Warmington said with a smile. “When they get really close, you get nervous that you’re going to get hit in the face or you’re going to get trampled. It’s fun to be a goalie.”

Warmington’s battle with opponents doesn’t compare to her playing with Type 1 diabetes. Warmington was prepared for the match while having her patch on to stay in top shape.

“She’s a Type 1 diabetic,” Thorp said. “She’s been our goalie for four years now. She’s always solid at goalie and she always comes out confident. She plays smart and is a great asset to this team, as well as the other girls.”

Newport Heights’ defense allowed Harbor Day eight shots on goal.

Keeper Frankie Paalman made six saves for Newport Heights, which will face Newport Coast on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.

“We really came alive in the second half,” Newport Heights coach Jeff Williams said. “We had a lot of shots and we were on the right side of the field. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t capitalize and finish. We had a lot of attacks, but we came close and came a little bit short on the outside.”

Newport Heights Elementary’s Frankie Paalman grabs the ball on a shot by Corona del Mar Harbor Day’s Keaton Kessler, right, during a Daily Pilot Cup girls’ fifth- and sixth-grade Gold Division pool-play match on Tuesday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

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MANNY ALVAREZ is a contributor to Times Community News.