Girls’ Soccer: Estancia stays on a roll
As the calendar turns, the Estancia High girls’ soccer team turns it on.
Since 2013, the new year has meant a new lease and a new level of success for the two-time defending Orange Coast League champions. This year has been no different.
Coach Josh Juarez’s Eagles, ranked No. 5 in CIF Southern Section Division 4, handled visiting No. 9-ranked Calvary Chapel, 3-1, in an Orange Coast League game Tuesday night.
The victory helped Estancia improve to 8-3, 3-0 in league, heading into a crucial league clash at home against No. 8-ranked Laguna Beach (12-4-2, 3-0).
Estancia was 3-3-2 in December, before its schedule had an 18-day lapse for the holidays. Since returning to the field on Jan. 4, Estancia has won five straight and outscored opponents a combined 17-2.
The last four-plus seasons, Estancia has lost just three of its 42 league matches, all three setbacks coming against Laguna Beach.
“After our Christmas break, we’ve been playing with more confidence,” Juarez said. “We were pumped up to start league and our two [January] matches before league helped us get going.”
Estancia kept it going Tuesday, bombarding the defensive-minded visitors (6-3-2, 0-2) with 17 shots, while facing just nine.
Freshman forward Desiree Mendoza was the leading catalyst for the winners, producing one goal and two assists. Mendoza opened the scoring in the 34th minute when she settled a ball at the top of the box, spun and delivered a high, driving shot that glanced off the goalkeeper Gabi Haw’s hands and into the net.
Haw reached high to attempt to stop the shot that was to her left, but the blast was too well-placed to defend.
Mendoza sent a cross that junior Isabelle Cruz poked into an empty net in the 60th minute.
And Mendoza sent a corner kick that was headed in by senior Delani Guyot to give Estancia a 3-0 cushion in the 76th minute.
An arcing shot from 25 yards out in the 79th minute helped Calvary Chapel avert what would have been only its second shutout of the season.
Calvary had not allowed more than two goals this season and had surrendered more than one just once prior to Tuesday.
“Calvary Chapel is known as a good defensive team,” Juarez said, “and their goalkeeper is especially difficult to score on. I told our girls it would take a confident shot to beat [Haw].”
Juarez was pleased with all facets of his team’s play on Tuesday, but delivered particular praise to the way his players finished the game with consistently effective offense.
It was the fifth straight game in which Guyot has scored a goal, Juarez said.
“I was excited about the way we were moving the ball around,” Juarez told his team after it remained perfect in 2017 and extended its unbeaten streak to six matches, dating back to a 1-1 tie to close out 2016.
Junior forward Alexis Osso and attacking midfielders Cruz, senior Elizabeth Esquivel, senior Karla Rodriguez, and Guyot consistently put pressure on the Calvary defense.
Defensively, junior center backs Annalysa Cowie and Jailene Bello were singled out by Juarez, for limiting Calvary Chapel’s serious scoring opportunities.
Estancia junior keeper Monique Mendoza had three saves.
Freshman Jada Alford and junior Tabytha Smith were additional starters who helped Estancia continue its roll.
