Boys’ Soccer: Eagles return favor with 2-0 win over Mesa

It was three points, two goals and one significant measure of revenge for the Estancia High boys’ soccer team Friday.

The host Eagles earned a 2-0 Orange Coast League victory over crosstown rival Costa Mesa and greatly enhanced their chances to qualify for the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs by taking advantage of scoring chances and playing smothering defense at Jim Scott Stadium.

Estancia (11-4-4, 4-2-2 in league), ranked No. 7 in CIF Division 4, has 14 points in the league standings (three points for a win and one for a tie) and sits one point behind Costa Mesa (8-7-1, 5-3), with two league games remaining.

Godinez (13-1-4, 7-0-1) beat Calvary Chapel on Friday to clinch the outright league championship.

Saddleback tied Laguna Beach on Friday and has 11 points (2-1-5).

Costa Mesa, which has missed the playoffs the last four seasons, can clinch an automatic playoff berth with one win in its two games next week (at Godinez on Tuesday and home against Saddleback on Thursday).

Estancia, which plays host to Laguna Beach on Tuesday and finishes the regular season at Godinez on Thursday, is in good position to end its one-year postseason drought.

It was the Eagles’ oppressive defense that induced a dry spell for a Costa Mesa offense that had produced six combined goals during the two-game winning streak it carried into Friday’s contest. Costa Mesa matched the most goals scored against the Eagles this season in a 4-1 triumph in the first meeting in the Battle for the Bell series on Jan. 15.

Sophomore Estancia goalkeeper Yonathan Lopez came up big Friday. Lopez made eight saves, including two point-blank stops, as well as a flying deflection near the top right corner of the net.

“We created some chances, but [Lopez] put himself in the right spot a lot of times,” Costa Mesa Coach Chris Sullivan said. “He had a big game today.”

Lopez shifted just inside the far post to stop a header by Mesa junior Estevan Bahena, who was set up nicely by a crossing free kick off the foot of sophomore Luis Anaya in the 60th minute.

In the final two minutes, Lopez thwarted a golden opportunity by the Mustangs, created when a free kick from the wing found the head of charging sophomore forward Alexsis Garcia. Garcia, who had three assists and the game-winning goal in the first Estancia meeting, flicked the ball on frame, only to find Lopez directly in its path.

The Eagles opened the scoring in the 13th minute, when sophomore forward Andy Martinez hooked a left-footed free kick from 25 yards directly in front of the goal around a Costa Mesa wall of defenders and inside the left post.

“That was his fourth free kick this season and his first three went off the goal post,” Estancia Coach Robert Castellano said. “He was on target this time and it was good timing, because we really needed that.”

That would be all the Eagles would need, as defenders Gerry Pedrosa, Tony Hernandez, Edwin Sanchez, Daniel Segura and George Martinez helped Lopez record his seventh shutout of the season.

It was the sixth time the Mustangs have been blanked this season.

Estancia tacked on with a masterful give-and-go sequence between Salvador Escalante and fellow senior Kevin Pizarro in the 64th minute. Escalante broke down the right wing and passed to Pizarro near the right corner. Pizarro, who Castellano said has 14 or 15 assists this season, carried the ball toward the goal to draw retreating defenders, before passing back to Escalante, who boomed in the wide-open shot to double the lead.

“Kevin is not scoring a lot of goals this year, but he is creating a lot of them,” Castellano said. “He has made sacrifices [moving from forward to midfield], because that is where we need him this year. He has really shown great leadership for us this year.”

Adan Rodriguez, Luis Millan, Sergio Gutierrez and Andy Ceja also contributed as starters for the winners, while Noel Tadeo came off the bench to produce one of two Estancia shots that glanced off the crossbar.

Costa Mesa starting goalkeeper Axel Morales-Bravo made four saves in the opening half, before being relieved by Sam Mitchell, who made one.

Both teams had 16 shots.

“We needed these points more than anything,” Castellano said. “[The Mustangs] are a really good team. We tried to not let our emotions get too carried away like we did in the first [Costa Mesa] game. I’m proud of the work our boys put in on offense and defense. We were a lot smarter and more patient this time.”

Sullivan said his team can still wind up ahead of the Eagles.

“We’re still in second place and our focus right now is making the playoffs,” Sullivan said.