Daily Pilot Cup: No goals, no problem

Steve Virgen

COSTA MESA - Even in a 6-0 loss, coaches Emily Abbott and Devin

Denman found a way to find joy. Abbott and Denman, who play for the Costa

Mesa High girls soccer team, influenced their Davis boys third- and

fourth-grade team to discover fun and concentrate on improvement.

Meanwhile, Our Lady Queen of Angels focused on perfection and

seemingly achieved that status with the 6-0 win Friday at The Farm

Complex in the Daily Pilot Cup.

“They played their positions very well,” Our Lady Coach Jerry Guibord

said. “They played as a team and they passed real well too.”

Guibord’s team earned a 4-0 lead before halftime as David Guibord,

Jake Pellegrini, Ryan Gladych and Matt Ruiz scored one goal each.

Davis’s goalie, Ramon Valdivia, made some key saves in the second

half. Toward the end of the game, he stretched out to record a save as

Denman and Abbott cheered for his efforts.

Said Denman, “It’s all about the kids. That’s the fun part.”

The Davis team was also made up of Sonora students, which featured

Corbin Randall, Erick Puente, Steve Brito and Santiago Navarrete. Denman

said Edgar Vega scored a goal Thursday to prevent a shutout. He fired a

shot into the net with less than a minute left in the game.

Our Lady, however, would not allow a goal Friday. Bunk Hooper added a

goal in the second half to give his team a 5-0 lead and Nick Klein closed

out the scoring when he found an opening in the defense.

Nick Pellegrini, Neil O’Hara, Collin Krahe, Zach Lucas and Chris Burke

also contributed in producing the shutout.

In other boys third- and fourth-grade games, Newport Heights defeated

Eastbluff 3-2, and Lincoln won by forfeit over California.