No. 2 Santa Margarita Won’t Boast

Ask most girls’ soccer coaches in Orange County as to what school has the best Southland team and they’ll give the nod to Santa Margarita.

Ask Santa Margarita Coach Chuck Morales and you’ll get a different answer.

“It’s too early right now to be blowing my horn about the team,” he said. “Capistrano Valley and Woodbridge are playing very well right now. We’ll see where we’re at this weekend.”

Santa Margarita, ranked second by The Times, is one of 32 teams participating in the Excalibur tournament, which begins today, at Santa Ana Foothill High.

The Eagles (4-1-2) lost to No. 4 Woodbridge (5-3-0) and defeated No. 5 Esperanza (9-1-0) at the Mater Dei tournament earlier this month.

“Right now we’re just moving people around, trying to find the right chemistry,” Morales said.

It didn’t help that their starting striker, UCLA-bound Katie Rivera, tore an anterior cruciate knee ligament and is sidelined for the season.

“You just can’t replace a player like Katie,” Morales said. “But Shannon Foley, Lauren Winters and Shannon Munoz have been playing well for us.”

The Eagles lost to Mission Viejo in the Excalibur tournament final last year and they’re the favorites this year.

“We don’t mind starting out slow. The goal is to finish strong,” Morales said.

They’ve had no problems doing that. Last season, Santa Margarita was undefeated in its last 18 games and won its fourth Southern Section championship in five years.

Northern exposure: Corona del Mar, ranked 10th, missed the deadline for entering the Excalibur tournament and instead will participate in the two-day Carondelet Challenge in Concord.

“We’re looking forward to it,” said Coach Ron Evans. “It’s a big experience to be able to travel and see the northern part of the state and get to play some top teams.”

The Sea Queens open today against Carondelet, which is ranked third in one national poll. The tournament features some of the best teams in Northern California as well as out of state powers such as Nolan Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.

Injuries to starters Elisha Morgan and Jaclyn Thayer have slowed Corona del Mar this season.

But Morales, whose team defeated the Sea Queens earlier this month on a penalty kick, said he thinks Corona del Mar is a strong team that should do well.

Santa Margarita is considering traveling north next year when the Carondelet Challenge changes from a friendly format to a tournament.

Orange County teams typically do well there. Last year Mater Dei lost in the final to Carondelet.

Tourney time: The winter break is the best opportunity to see some good competition. Some of the better tournaments include Hart--featuring Louisville and Chatsworth--which continues with semifinals at 1:30 p.m. today and the final at 1:15 p.m. Friday.

The Claremont Holiday Classic includes Arcadia, Chino, Etiwanda, Upland and St. Lucy’s. No. 7 Mater Dei is the only ranked team competing. Games will be played at Harvey Mudd College and Claremont McKenna College starting at 8 a.m.

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The Times’ Rankings

A look at the top 10 girls’ soccer teams in the Southland

1. Capistrano Valley (7-0-1, SS-South Coast) Spending holiday vacation getting ready for league play.

2. Santa Margarita (4-1-2, SS-Serra) Previous two games have resulted in ties.

3. Aliso Niguel (8-2-0, SS-Sea View) Lauren Kelly and Sereena Warino each scored two goals in an 8-0 victory over Laguna Beach last week.

4. Woodbridge (5-3-0, SS-Sea View) Lost to Capistrano Valley in the final of Excalibur tournament two years ago, face Marina in first round today.

5. Esperanza (9-1-0, SS-Sunset) Midfielders Erin Clewett an dHeather Jablonsky keep Aztecs on four-game winning streak.

6. Harvard-Westlake (10-0-1, 1-0 SS-Mission) Defeated Louisville, 4-1, in a tough league opener thanks to two goals by Jill Oakes.

7. Mater Dei (9-1-2, SS-Serra) Coming off victories over Rio Mesa and Camarillo in Buena tournament, play today in Claremont tournament opener.

8. Edison (7-0-1, SS-Sunset) Better get their rest: play West Torrance in first round of Excalibur today at 8 a.m.

9. Buena (3-4-1, SS-Channel) Lost 3-1 in the semifinal of own tournament to eventual champion Canyon Country Canyon.

10. Corona del Mar (5-2-3, SS-Pacific Coast) Missed the deadline for Excalibur, settle for this weekend’s Carondolet tournament in Concord.