Mariners girls’ soccer repeats as Daily Pilot Cup 3rd- and 4th-grade champion by beating Kaiser in PKs

The trophies for the 20th annual Daily Pilot Cup youth soccer tournament stood at the snack bar Sunday. They were shining motivators for the finalists at Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex.

In the girls’ third- and fourth-grade Gold Division title match, undefeated Newport Beach Mariners Elementary hoped to ride its stifling defense and quick-strike offense past Costa Mesa Kaiser.

Kaiser showcased a dominant offense in its previous two matches, defeating Corona del Mar Harbor Day and Newport Coast by a combined score of 13-1.

It’s fitting that the battle between Kaiser’s unstoppable offense and Mariners’ impenetrable defense had to be decided on penalty kicks, where Mariners won 4-2 to repeat as Daily Pilot Cup champion.

Mia Knox scored the Marlins’ only regulation goal and the first in the shootout, while Zoe Hutchinson stopped seven of eight regulation shots. Valery Verdugo stepped in for Hutchinson in the shootout and stopped two of four Kaiser attempts.

“It feels fantastic,” Mariners coach Mike Coady said of defending the title. “These girls played their heart out today, and we couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Kaiser had a standout performance from Blayke Granger. She stopped all five shots she faced in the first half and scored its only regulation goal in the second half.

Kaiser coach Scott Uhl praised Hutchinson and Verdugo.

“Their goalies have got ESP,” he said. “They knew where the ball was going. Their goalies did a good job.”

Kaiser’s offense started with a strong push but couldn’t get past the defensive play of Sophia Pecca. She blocked four shots and stopped multiple attacks.

“This is the first Pilot Cup I’ve ever done, and I really wanted to make a good impression,” Pecca said. “I was just like, ‘I need to win. I need to do good for my team. I can’t let my team down.’”

Mariners coach Nick Verdugo said Pecca played a crucial role in the victory.

“Sophia was a wall back there,” he said. “She was a beast. She stepped up, and she was a constant on our defense.”

The Knights struck first in the 30th minute. Granger picked up a failed clearing attempt just outside the box and picked the top-right corner of the net to make it 1-0.

Mariners responded a minute later. Knox collected the ball just past midfield and used her blinding speed to beat the Kaiser defense, scoring from a few yards inside the box to tie the game 1-1.

Both teams failed to score in the game’s final 19 minutes, but Mariners showed its offensive tools and goalkeeping prowess during penalty kicks.

Knox and Pecca converted Mariners’ first two attempts. Then Verdugo helped them build a 2-0 advantage stopping Caroline Morehouse and Emma Uhl.

Verdugo said her experience helped calm her nerves.

“I was feeling more confident because I blocked a lot of shots last game,” she said. “Kaiser is a very good team, and I’m very proud that we won.”

After Granger stopped Arianna Presley’s bid, keeping the Knights within two, Ava Christiano scored to cut the lead to 2-1.

Maddy Michelle gave the Marlins a 3-1 lead, but Sienna Moawad scored on Kaiser’s fourth shot to keep the Knights alive.

On Mariners’ next attempt, with a title in reach, Bennett Perez scored on a bar-down shot to clinch it. Perez was relieved she scored the winner.

“I was kind of nervous when I shot it, and it hit the post,” she said. “I thought I wasn’t going to make it and I did.”

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ANTHONY CIARDELLI is a contributor to Times Community News.