Girls soccer: A photo finish

Joseph Boo

COSTA MESA - It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.

Costa Mesa high’s girls soccer team learned Yogi Berra’s mantra in the

most gutwrenching fashion possible against Corona del Mar.

CdM’s Molly O’Meara scored in the added time at the end to give the

Sea Kings a wild and dramatic 1-0 Pacific Coast League win over the host

Mustangs on Thursday. CdM, ranked No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section

Division IV, is now a perfect 4-0-0 in the PCL.

“Both teams played great, and then the game ended on a silly goal,” an

exasperated Costa Mesa Coach Dan Johnston said. “This is so frustrating.”

The ending was cruel for Costa Mesa because only the referee knew when

the game would end, and Mesa seemed to have pulled out an important tie.

The Mustangs (7-3-6, 1-2-1 in league) had the game ending almost two

minutes before O’Meara’s goal.

But the referees saw it differently. They tacked on the added time on

because of a seemingly innocuous play earlier in the second half.

“(Mesa’s) sweeper tried to clear the ball and it almost went into the

streets,” CdM Coach Ron Evans said. “That’s why the refs added the extra

time.”

The ball didn’t go into the street, but into a bush lining a fence. The

time it took a bystander to retrieve the ball ended up being the added

time.

CdM (11-4-2) had O’Meara’s goal 44 seconds into the added time. O’Meara

found the ball in the midst of a melee and squirmed the ball into Mesa’s

goal.

After a close first half, CdM’s offense found more opportunities in the

second. Elisha Morgan and Jennifer Long both had clear shots on goal, but

it was saved by Mustang goalie Margaret Landeros, who ended up with nine.

And CdM’s Kristin Hanson and O’Meara had shots that just went high.

“We gave them too many scoring opportunities in the second half,”

Johnston said. “And CdM is too good not to take advantage.

Costa Mesa also had its opportunities to score. It’s best chance came on

the 60th minute, when Nichelle Janti made a lead pass for Sharon Day. But

CdM goalie Britta Vogele ran out and made a daring save.

The Mustangs had the last chance to score in regulation time on a

throw-in near CdM’s goal. But the Sea Kings’ Allison Harvey cleared the

ball away.

“We were brilliant on defense,” Evans said. “We didn’t give up a lot of

opportunities.”

Neither team gave up a lot of opportunities in a defensive struggle.

Before the game, Johnston stressed how imperative it was for the Mustangs

to get off to a fast start. They did, controlling the first 15 minutes,

before CdM fought back.

“They are humongously improved from last year,” Evans said of Mesa. “We

knew it was going to be tough scoring on them.”

“Both teams played great,” Johnston said. “CdM did a good job of

attacking. We did everything right to win the game, except for putting

the ball in the net.”