Boys soccer: Eagles sing’n in the rain

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - It was billed as the Great Intracity Boys Soccer

Equalizer with a possible changing of the guard at stake.

But Estancia High’s Eagles would have no such thing, at least not on

their turf.

“This was the year (Costa Mesa was rumored to be stronger), right?”

Estancia Coach Steve Crenshaw quipped, following his team’s 2-0 Pacific

Coast League-opening victory Wednesday in cold, rainy conditions.

This game was so big, the Eagles agreed to play it at the new Farm

Sports Complex under the lights adjacent to Costa Mesa High, even though

it was their home game. But the threat of inclement weather forced a

change in starting time (3:15 p.m.) and location (Estancia).

It started to rain as soon as the opening whistle was blown. So much

for a sense of timing.

“Some people make the statement that we kind of reload,” said

Crenshaw, whose team (5-2-3) is the reigning PCL and CIF Southern Section

Division IV champion. “We have a very talented team right now.”

Crenshaw, in his sixth season as the Eagles’ coach, has lost just once

to Costa Mesa in 11 meetings.

Costa Mesa (6-4-1), playing under first-year head coach Eugene Day,

had ample scoring opportunities in the first half and controlled most of

the game, but the Mustangs couldn’t convert.

“We basically dominated, but we didn’t find the open players for

passes,” Day said. “We played kick ball. I like to play a swinging,

passing game ... and even the chances we got, we missed them. I’d say in

the first half we should’ve had three goals, but we didn’t capitalize on

them.”

Two minutes into the second half, Estancia sophomore Javier Millan

executed a well-placed touch shot from atop the 18-yard box, giving the

hosts a 1-0 edge.

“It’s hard to teach kids to finesse the ball and put the ball where

the goalkeeper’s not,” Crenshaw said. “They want to rocket the ball to

the back of the net and burn a hole in it. That’s great when that happens

and fans get all excited, but the bottom line is, when you load up that

much and put everything you’ve got into it, you leave a little more room

for mistakes.”

Millan’s fourth goal of season could not have been struck with better

finesse and could not have surprised the Mustangs more. Mesa outshot

Estancia in the first half, 10-4, while Eagle goalie Francisco Berrera

had four of his seven saves.

“If (the Mustangs) had been able to capitalize, they would’ve had us

buried before we got out of the first half,” Crenshaw said. “For a first

half to two-thirds of the game, that’s the best Mesa soccer I’ve ever

seen. It was beautiful. It was a great game and they were taking it to

us, then we finally started to settle in the last third.”

In the 63rd minute, Estancia senior Juan Zarate lost a Mesa defender

on a breakaway down the left side and scored to give the Eagles a 2-0

lead.

“(Zarate) is not extremely fast, but he’s got some nice skills and a

good touch shot,” Crenshaw said. “He beat the defender on the breakaway

and made the ‘keeper commit and he just put the ball where he wanted it.”

In the first half, senior Trinidad Hernandez had one of Costa Mesa’s

best scoring opportunities after a free kick from Chasen Marshall. But

Hernandez’s header missed high.

In the second half, Brian King and Louis Day had open looks after a

scramble in front of the net in the 72nd minute, but both came up empty.

“We didn’t have a good second half,” Eugene Day said. “We played like

the Costa Mesa of old.”