TeWinkle keeps playoff hopes alive

Melanie Neff

After playing to a 4-4 tie on Wednesday, TeWinkle No. 2’s fifth- and

sixth-grade boys soccer team needed a victory to keep its playoff

hopes alive in Pool G of the Daily Pilot Cup.

TeWinkle got more than enough Friday, shutting out Newport

Heights, 6-0, at the Costa Mesa Farm Complex.

TeWinkle dominated the game from the beginning, as Newport Heights

only got the ball across midfield a handful of times.

“I just found out last Thursday that I was coaching this team,”

TeWinkle Coach Sal Burciaga said. “I don’t even know everybody’s name

on the team.”

Even though Burciaga may not have known who he was yelling at, the

message got through and the players looked liked they had been

playing for him for weeks.

Michael McKay had his hands full in the goal for Newport Heights.

He was peppered with 26 shots on the day and was still able to make

spectacular saves. But there was only so much he could do.

“Those guys kick really hard,” said McKay, in the goal for the

first time. “I have a mark on my leg. That team is really good.”

TeWinkle used its speed and effective passing to keep Newport

Heights back on its heels. Newport got off only one shot in the game.

David Vasquez put TeWinkle on the board early when he slammed a

shot into the corner just off McKay’s fingertips in the first five

minutes.

A few minutes later, after McKay made a diving save off a TeWinkle

shot, he was unable to get back into position and Eduardo Aguilar

picked up the rebound and popped it into the net for a 2-0 lead.

Jose Reyes followed with a goal to give TeWinkle a 3-0 lead and

Vasquez scored his second of the day as his team to a 4-0 lead into

halftime.

McKay was able to hold TeWinkle to just two goals in the second

half, one by Vasquez and one by midfielder Edward Rivas.

TeWinkle will play Kaiser’s No. 3 team today at 10 a.m. in the

final pool-play match at Costa Mesa High. If TeWinkle wins Pool G it

will play the winner of Pool B at 2 p.m. at the Costa Mesa Farm

Complex.