Daily Pilot Cup: Andersen shuts out Eastbluff

Often in the world of sports, the focus falls primarily on determining a winner and a loser.

As teachers of young children trying to learn a game, the coaches at the Daily Pilot Cup frequently draw attention to other things happening on the pitch.

In a matchup that featured the close-knit communities of Newport Beach Andersen Elementary and Newport Beach Eastbluff, both coaches spoke not of the result, but of signs of growth from their youngsters.

“They’re friends first, which is the most important aspect,” Andersen coach Tom Bottiaux said. “You have good athletes out there. We have people who are just playing and having fun.

“As long as they’re having fun, as in all 16 of them because we have a big team, that’s all we really care about. The winning is second.”

The Andersen B team checked multiple things off its list, enjoying itself while posting a 3-0 win over Eastbluff B in a pool-play game of the girls’ third- and fourth-grade Silver Division on Wednesday night at the Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex.

Ella Olson had a pair of goals, helping the Dolphins advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday. The 9-year-old forward found herself in the middle of the action, firing away on a handful of corner kicks in addition to showing her scoring touch.

“I’ve been playing soccer since I could kick a ball [when I was] about three,” Olson said. “My first game was for AYSO. My season recently ended at AYSO Select. Our team name is the Storm.”

Caroline Morehouse, a teammate of Olson’s on the Storm, scored the Dolphins’ second goal with two minutes remaining in the first half. Olson cheered from the sidelines as her friend lined up a free kick from the top-left corner of the box.

Morehouse curved a right-footed strike just inside the near post to extend her team’s lead to 2-0.

Once they were on the field together again, Olson rolled a seeing-eye shot into the left side of the net for Andersen’s final goal. The goal came in the 35th minute, and it preceded a celebratory chest bump between the two at midfield.

“It felt good [to have a two-goal game], and I enjoyed playing as a team,” Olson said. “I think we all did pretty well.”

In fact, the Dolphins did play as a team, with the coaching staff making wholesale substitutions at one point in the first half. It resembled a line change in hockey.

“Our first [substitution] was a whole line shift,” Bottiaux said. “We did seven in and seven out. It was pretty impressive.”

Equally impressive were the responses of the players to plays that went wrong. Reese Peykoff committed a hand ball on her own scoring chance, but she was able to laugh it off.

Eastbluff coach Steve Shumlas saw similar growth from his players.

“The girls on my team were willing to take chances, and by taking chances, they bear the risks of making a mistake,” Shumlas said. “I think learning to take those chances and succeeding is very valuable.”

Shumlas has coached in the tournament for three years. He said the chance to teach kids something outside of their schoolwork keeps bringing him back.

“It’s an athletic event that they get to practice for and prepare for and work hard together,” Shumlas added. “It’s a great team-building moment for these girls.”

Andersen faces Newport Beach Mariners on Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the conclusion of its pool play. Both teams beat Eastbluff and they qualified for the quarterfinals. The top two teams in each pool move on.

andrew.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner