From Russia, With a Nickname

Estancia midfielder Armando Ortiz was trying to find a way to welcome Nikolai Doudtchenko to his new team and his new country, so he began searching for a nickname.

Ortiz knew Doudtchenko had a funny accent and a strange, fast-paced style of play, but he wasn’t quite sure just where Doudtchenko had lived.

“I heard he was from Russia,” Ortiz said. “And then I heard he was Scottish.”

Eventually, Ortiz confirmed that Doudtchenko was born in Siberia and lived in the Scottish Highlands for five years.

“That’s when I decided to name him the Russian Rocket,” said Ortiz, who gave Doudtchenko his moniker at a school assembly. “This kid is fast. We’re kind of a slow team. And he’s flying around, making runs all over the place. We’re not used to people that play like that.”

Doudtchenko figured if the name fits, he’ll wear it.

“I thought it was a funny name, but speed is probably one of my strengths,” he said. “I like to make my runs.”

So far, Doudtchenko’s runs have only amounted to two goals and three assists in Estancia’s first eight games. Doudtchenko is not exactly making anyone forget Esaul Mendoza, who scored a school-record 47 goals last year in leading the Eagles to the Southern Section Division IV boys’ soccer title. But he is helping to speed up Estancia Coach Steve Crenshaw’s rebuilding effort. Crenshaw lost 10 of 11 starters off his championship team. Ortiz, a senior, is the only returning starter.

Doudtchenko is one of six sophomore starters for the Eagles, who are 3-2-3 entering Pacific Coast League play.

“We’re a very talented team,” Crenshaw said. “When they’re playing well, they’re reminiscent of last year’s team. But we’re making a lot of sophomore mistakes.”

Doudtchenko, who at 5 feet 8, 140 pounds is one of the bigger players on the team, is making several of them.

“Sometimes, he struggles in his first touch,” said Ortiz, who has two goals and three assists. “We do short, quick movements and that’s hard for him right now. But he’s already starting to get better. It’s just a matter of time before he learns it.”

Doudtchenko said learning Spanish words from his Latino teammates has been a lot easier than picking up a new style of play.

“In Scotland, they play a lot of long balls,” he said. “And the play is quite physical.”

And the climate is quite miserable.

“The weather here is great,” said Doudtchenko, who played forward for his club team in Inverness. “In Scotland, the weather was awful. In Russia, it was even worse.”

Doudtchenko could have chosen to make his soccer transition smoother had he moved to a school such as Fountain Valley or Edison, where the style of play is more European. But Doudtchenko, whose mother took a job at the Waldorf School in Costa Mesa, chose Estancia last spring because of its winning tradition.

“I was looking at Edison, but I knew Estancia had just won the CIF and that’s where I wanted to be,” he said. “I figured if I played well, I could start.”

Crenshaw said Doudtchenko quickly made an impact during spring drills.

“During a scrimmage, he uncorked this left-footed shot that was moving pretty good,” Crenshaw said. “After that, I started paying pretty close attention.”

Crenshaw said it won’t be long before opponents starting paying close attention too.

“Nick is going to be a key player for us,” he said. “He has a great finesse shot. He chips a lot of balls. They’re pretty shots to watch.”

LOOKING AHEAD

Mater Dei (17-1-1) and Santa Margarita (14-3-2), the county’s second- and third-ranked teams, meet Friday in a Serra League game at Santa Margarita. Santa Margarita, which has won four consecutive Division III titles, defeated Mater Dei, 3-1, in both meetings last year and went undefeated in the Serra League.

This year, Mater Dei is the overwhelming favorite, at least according to Santa Margarita Coach Curt Bauer. “They return everybody and I lost everybody,” Bauer said. “It’s going to be tough. They’re very good.”

The Eagles, who open Serra League play Wednesday at home against Bellflower St. John Bosco, are coming off a loss to unranked University last week. Bauer said it wasn’t too surprising, given the fact he was without four starters--two for disciplinary reasons, one was hurt and another was sick. Everyone is expected back except for sweeper Blake Hales (hip, ankle).

If you have an item or idea for the boys’ soccer report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at david.mckibben@latimes.com

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BOYS’ SOCCER TOP 10

Orange County Sportswriters’ Poll

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Pos. School (League) Rec 1. Dana Hills (South Coast) 12-1-2 2. Mater Dei (Serra) 17-1-1 3. Santa Margarita (Serra) 14-3-2 4. El Dorado (Empire) 11-1-2 5. Woodbridge (Sea View) 13-2-2 6. Cap. Valley (South Coast) 13-2-3 7. Fountain Valley (Sunset) 6-1-5 8. Huntington Beach (Sunset) 6-2-1 9. Esperanza (Sunset) 11-1-2 10. Brea (Orange) 15-1-0

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Others: University (5-5-3), Los Alamitos 9-1-3, Marina (9-2-4), Laguna Hills 6-2-4, Sonora (7-3).