Daily Pilot Girls’ Soccer Dream Team: Corona del Mar will miss Megan Chelf’s scrappiness
Megan Chelf went into the postseason this year knowing that every match could be her last wearing a Corona del Mar High girls’ soccer uniform.
After four years wearing it, the University of Arizona-bound senior didn’t want to take it off. But she said she went into the Sea Kings’ CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoff match at No. 4-seeded Mater Dei with the flu and bronchitis.
“I was in the hospital the day before, but I wasn’t going to let myself miss that game,” Chelf said. “I thought I was going to go in and play maybe 10 minutes, but I played the whole game. I thought I was going to throw up after, but it was worth it.”
CdM scored a 3-2 upset victory over the Monarchs in overtime. The draw got even tougher the next round, as the Sea Kings were eliminated 4-0 two days later by eventual champion Corona Santiago. But Chelf still could say she finished her career on the field, not the bench.
That kind of toughness signified the run of Chelf, a scrappy 5-foot-4 forward. She is an accomplished fullback for her club team, the SoCal Blues, but she played up top for CdM because that’s where coach Bryan Middleton needed her. When the dust settled, Chelf ended her career with program-record totals of 58 goals and 34 assists.
Chelf is the 2019-20 Daily Pilot Dream Team Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year.
“There were games where she was unstoppable,” Middleton said of Chelf, who had 14 goals and four assists this season. “It didn’t matter who was marking her.”
A prime example came in a 6-0 nonleague win over Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula on Dec. 6. That was part of a red-hot start for the Sea Kings (13-6-2), who won their first 10 matches of the season. In that Peninsula match, Chelf set the single-game program record with five goals.
“It was just one of those days where she was on fire and whatever she put on target was going in,” Middleton said. “She didn’t want to come out of the game, so I put her at center back the last 20 minutes. She picked off a ball at [midfield], took two touches and hit one from like 45 yards out that sailed over the goalkeeper’s head for her fifth goal. That was pretty incredible.”
Chelf earned Surf League Offensive Player of the Year honors after helping the Sea Kings tie for third in the competitive league at 2-4. She was an All-CIF Southern Section Division 1 selection as well.
Though her numbers were down a bit from her CdM single-season record 22-goal outburst as a junior, her presence opened things up for her teammates. Chelf’s former club teammate Nikki Senske came out for soccer her senior year and scored five goals. Junior Avery Doherty also came on strong late in the season and scored five goals.
“Soccer isn’t just about one person,” Chelf said. “It’s really about all 11 people on the field. If someone is marking me, that doesn’t mean we’re going to lose or anything. I have such good teammates. If I’m marked, I can always count on them to do the job or finish it. If I’m not scoring, I can count on them to score.”
Chelf is excited to head to the University of Arizona. She is expected to use her tenacity on defense for the Wildcats, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year.
That Mater Dei match indicates, however, how much playing high school soccer really has meant to her.
“I’m happy that I did play,” Chelf said. “If it was a different result, I would have never forgiven myself for not playing.”
COACH OF THE YEAR
Kerry Crooks
Edison
The Chargers lacked some of the big-time star power of recent years, but they were resilient under Crooks, in her 30th year in charge at her alma mater. Edison went 14-6-4 overall and finished second in the competitive Surf League at 3-2-1, behind rival Los Alamitos but was the only team to beat the rival Griffins in league, winning 1-0 at Los Alamitos in the second round. The Chargers then advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals for the first time since 2014 before losing 2-0 at top-seeded Upland. Crooks got the most out of her team, which recorded 15 shutouts.FIRST TEAM
Desiree Mendoza
FW | Estancia | Sr.
Mendoza, a four-time first-team Dream Team selection, was one of the most dangerous forwards the area has seen in recent years. A two-time Orange Coast League MVP, she helped the Eagles (10-7-3, 7-1-2 in league) finish second in the league and advance to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs, where Estancia lost 2-1 to top-seeded Hemet. Mendoza, bound for UC Irvine, finished her senior year with 10 goals and 15 assists.
Summer Stewart
FW | Huntington Beach | Sr.
Stewart was a big contributor for the Oilers since she was a freshman, when she helped Huntington Beach reach the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals for the first time and the CIF Southern California Regional Division I title match. She also concluded her career quite nicely as a senior, tallying team-best totals of 12 goals and 15 assists for Huntington Beach (10-10-5), which tied for third in the Surf League at 2-4 and advanced to the Division 1 playoffs. Stewart was a first-team All-Surf League selection.
Itzel Ramirez
FW | Costa Mesa| Fr.
Ramirez burst onto the scene as a freshman for the Mustangs, helping provide a scoring punch following the graduation of Rayleen Chavez. Ramirez scored 22 goals in the regular season, and 13 goals in the Orange Coast League alone to help the Mustangs go 7-1-2 and win their second straight outright league title. Costa Mesa (13-7-2) advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs before losing 5-3 to Hacienda Heights Wilson. Ramirez was the Orange Coast League Offensive MVP.
Avery Doherty
MF | Corona del Mar | Jr.
CdM coach Bryan Middleton moved Doherty up from defender in the Sea Kings’ Surf League match at Edison, and it immediately paid dividends with two goals in a 4-2 win. The versatile Doherty finished the season with five goals, tied for second on the Sea Kings, and two assists. Doherty, a first-team All-Surf League selection, also scored twice in the Sea Kings’ 3-2 overtime upset win at No. 4-seeded Mater Dei in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
Kate Davies
MF | Edison | Sr.
Davies had a big responsibility as a defensive midfielder for the Chargers. She thrived in the role, earning Surf League Defensive MVP honors. Davies and her ball-winning ability were a big reason why Edison recorded 15 shutouts in 24 matches this season. That included shutout victories over Trabuco Hills, Santa Margarita and Long Beach Poly in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs before the Chargers finally lost at top-seeded Upland 2-0 in the semifinals. Davies was an All-CIF Division 1 selection.
Makena Castillo
MF / Marina / Jr.
Castillo provided a moment to remember for the Vikings. It was her blast in the ninth minute that held up as the only goal in Marina’s 1-0 win over defending league champion Newport Harbor at home Jan. 28, as Marina clinched its sixth league title in program history and first since the 1994-95 season. Castillo helped the Vikings (10-9-3, 5-1) then advance to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 quarterfinals before losing 3-1 to Capistrano Valley. She shared the Wave League Offensive MVP award with Laguna Beach sophomore midfielder Acacia Edwards.
Lexi Van Den Bosch
MF | Sage Hill | Jr.
Van Den Bosch controlled things in the middle and helped bring stability for a young Lightning side, which had just two seniors on varsity. She helped Sage Hill finish second to rival St. Margaret’s in the San Joaquin League, notching two big wins over Pacifica Christian Orange County. The Lightning (9-9, 6-2) would advance to the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs, losing 5-3 at Rialto in the first round. Van Den Bosch was a first-team All-San Joaquin League selection.
McKenna Pua
DEF | Marina | Jr.
Pua, a repeat first-team Dream Team selection, has been anchoring the back line for the Vikings for three years now. Her toughness as a center back helped Marina win the Wave League title, and Pua earned league MVP and All-CIF Southern Section Division 2 honors. With Pua in charge, eight of the Vikings’ 10 victories came via shutout, including three in league. She is a Washington State commit.
Vanessa Carrillo
DEF | Costa Mesa| Sr.
The Mustangs’ center back, a four-year varsity starter, was tough to get by. Credit her quickness, as she was also an accomplished cross-country runner. Costa Mesa coach Jason Boyce noted that Carrillo didn’t let Estancia senior striker Desiree Mendoza get a goal in the run of play in either of the rivals’ Orange Coast League matchups, helping Costa Mesa repeat as league champion. Carrillo was a first-team all-league selection.
Samara Golan
DEF | Newport Harbor | Jr.
Golan and fellow junior center back Jenna McConnaughey were the leaders on defense for the Sailors (16-6-4), who finished third in the Wave League at 2-2-2 and lost 3-1 at Troy in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. Golan, a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo commit, scored her only goal of the season in a big moment, nailing a free kick from 41 yards out in the Battle of the Bay match against rival Corona del Mar in what would eventually be a 1-1 tie. Golan was a first-team All-Wave League selection.
Cameron Russo
GK | Laguna Beach | Sr.
Lola Fisher was a first-team Dream Team selection at goalkeeper last year for the Breakers. She graduated and Russo, who had not played high school soccer since her freshman year, burst back on the scene. The only senior in the entire program this season, Russo was outstanding, earning Wave League Defensive MVP honors after helping the Breakers pitch shutouts in five of six league matches en route to a second-place finish. Laguna Beach (7-6-6, 2-1-3) advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs before losing 2-0 to Palos Verdes.
SECOND TEAM
Position, Name, School, Year
FW Micaela Villafuerte, Fountain Valley, Sr.
FW Sadie Pitchess, Newport Harbor, Sr.
FW Natalia Guzman, Costa Mesa, Sr.
MF Nikki Marino, Edison, Sr.
MF Brooklyn Motske, Pacifica Christian Orange County, Sr.
MF Acacia Edwards, Laguna Beach, So.
MF Bella Messina, Ocean View, Jr.
DEF Alex Ianni, Corona del Mar, Sr.
DEF Abby McCollam, Edison, Sr.
DEF Wendy Milan, Estancia, Sr.
DEF Daisy Carrillo, Costa Mesa, So.
GK Carly Miles, Marina, Sr.
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