Costa Mesa boys’ soccer draws with Saddleback, maintains grip on first place
It’s been a dream season for the Costa Mesa boys’ soccer team, but not every dream plays out as desired, and so the Mustangs must wait a few more days to claim their first Orange Coast League championship since 2002 — and must do so away from home.
They rallied again from an early deficit Friday evening for a 1-1 draw with visiting Saddleback, the only side capable of catching them, and if the result disappointed, their performance in an intense, often electric, frequently chaotic encounter was mostly a delight.
Costa Mesa (8-4-3 , 7-0-3 in the Orange Coast League, 24 points) was, after an unfortunate start, superb defensively, and Noe Martinez took advantage of a defensive miscue to net an equalizer midway through the second half that kept its advantage on Saddleback (10-5-5, 6-2-2, 20 points) at four points with two games to go.
That the Mustangs face the league’s two weakest teams — Monday against Santa Ana Calvary Chapel (2-10-3, 1-6-3) at Great Park in Irvine, Wednesday at last-place Orange (2-16-3, 0-8-2) — bodes well, although nothing is guaranteed in this game.
“The job is not done,” Costa Mesa coach Santiago Guzman said. “The boys know it, we know it as coaches, so we’re going into [Monday’s] game playing as hard as we played this game and [the previous] game against Santa Ana. It’s going to be sad not being able to celebrate at home, but we are going for the win.”
Costa Mesa, ranked ninth in Division 6, is headed to the CIF Southern Section playoffs for the first time since 2018. A victory Friday would have clinched the league title — and given the Mustangs their first league triumph, in 28 meetings, over a powerhouse program that includes Guzman among its alumni.
“I am so proud of Santiago and what he has going with his team,” said Saddleback coach Mel Silva, who coached Guzman in the early 1990s. “This was a very intense game. They were looking to clinch at home, and we were looking to prevent them from doing so.”
The Roadrunners, whose title hopes diminished in a 1-0 defeat against St. Margaret’s, finish with games Monday against Santa Ana and Wednesday against Calvary Chapel.
They were the better side to start and went ahead not quite three minutes in, after Costa Mesa left back Miguel Reyes took down Christian Silva, streaking down the right flank, just shy of the Mustangs’ box. Andy Carbajal’s free kick into the goalmouth eluded onrushing forward Rafael Ramirez and a collapsing scrum and bounced into the net.
No problem. Costa Mesa rallied from behind to beat Estancia, 2-1, last week and overcame a two-goal deficit for a 2-2 draw Wednesday with Santa Ana.
“We’ve been here before,” said sophomore central midfielder Carlos Alcala, who ran an attack that came close several times and in the 72nd minute netted a second goal, from Gabe Garcia, long after the offside flag was raised. “[Going behind] didn’t bring us down too much, because we knew we could get back. We’d done it before, so we could do that again.”
It took some time. Saddleback goalkeeper Angel Gutierrez staved off an open Martinez shot and tipped a Garcia free kick over his crossbar moments after Carbajal’s goal. Alcala knocked a shot just wide of the right post from a Garcia chip into the goalmouth from a free kick in the 24th minute , and Gutierrez tipped, bobbled and grabbed an Alcala free kick nine minutes into the second half.
Martinez’s goal arrived after Costa Mesa disarmed a Roadrunners foray, a common occurrence. Jay Parra sent a hopeful long ball toward the attacking third, and Saddleback sweeper Isaiah Ortiz’s attempt to head it from danger went awry, with the ball ricocheting toward the goal and leaving Martinez 1-on-1 with Gutierrez. The keeper came off his line and Martinez fired over him and into the net from about 35 yards.
The Mustangs had a couple of chances in stoppage — Garcia fired just over the bar on a 20-yard free kick and Sergio Perdomo challenged Gutierrez seconds before the final whistle — but claimed the draw, and the vital point that comes with it, at the other end.
Saddleback repeatedly penetrated into Costa Mesa’s defensive third in the final 10 minutes, but superb defensive work — especially that of left back Cristian Rodriguez and holding midfielder Roman Serpas, the latter key to the Mustangs’ foundation throughout the match — quashed every chance.
Alcala was magnificent, winning balls, finding teammates with incisive passes and giving his side an advantage against a strong Roadrunners quartet in the middle.
“He doesn’t get a lot of credit, because you don’t see him do a lot of fancy stuff,” Guzman said. “But when he gets the ball, he knows how to create. I call him my [Sergio] Busquets, from Barcelona.”
Alcala knows next week won’t be as simple as it appears.
“Last time we played Calvary, we beat them, 1-0,” he said. “We thought we were going to win by a lot, but they came out and played a good game, and it was a tough win. We’ve just got to win. That’s the only thing. We’ve got to win that game and secure league.”
The battle for the Orange Coast League‘s third and fourth automatic postseason berths is tighter. Estancia (6-9-4, 4-5-2, 14 points) dropped to fifth with a 2-1 loss at St. Margaret’s (5-9-2, 5-4-2, 17 points), which is even with Santa Ana (8-6-6, 5-3-2, 17 points). St. Margaret’s would clinch with a win Monday at Orange.
Estancia, which would win the tiebreaker with either, could make the postseason with a win Wednesday over Santa Ana — the Eagles won the first meeting — if Saddleback beats Santa Ana on Monday.
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