Daily Pilot Cup: Hallelujah!

Steve Virgen

COSTA MESA - St. John the Baptist’s fifth- and sixth-grade girls

soccer team, motivated by some divine intervention, broke out after a

scoreless first half for a 3-0 victory over Kaiser No. 3, in the Daily

Pilot Cup championship game Sunday at The Farm Complex.

During halftime, Sister Mary Vianney, the principal of St. John’s for

the past 26 years, gathered parents and the players for a prayer. She

also delivered words of inspiration.

“We said a prayer to the Holy Spirit for strength,” said Vianney, an

Irish Catholic. “I told them, win or lose, we love them and appreciated

their hard work. They are marvelous.”

With that, Brina Siddiq and Jalissa Martinez marveled Kaiser.

Siddiq and Martinez, who play on the same club soccer squad, teamed up

for St. John’s first two goals.

Less than two minutes into the second half, Martinez led a nice pass

to Siddiq, who finished it for a goal. Then, five minutes later, Martinez

led a counterattack when she dribbled toward midfield and passed to

Siddiq on a breakaway, giving Coach Jeff Brown’s St. John’s squad a 2-0

lead.

Martinez put the game on ice when she kicked the ball away before

Kaiser’s goalie could cover it, which set up Martinez for an open shot.

And if that wasn’t enough, St. John’s goalie Noelle Esquer turned back

four shots in the second half to finish with eight saves.

“The wind was also a huge factor for us,” Brown said of St. John’s

playing with the wind on their backs in the second half. “Brina and

Jalissa play together in club and that helps a lot that they know how to

work together.”

The Kaiser Knights, coached by Daily Pilot Cup tournament director

Kirk McIntosh, played against great odds. They were without Alesha Young,

Megan Munce and Jamie Heenan, whom were instrumental in helping Kaiser to

Sunday’s semifinal.

The Knights and St. John’s each survived sudden-death, penalty-kick,

semifinal victories to reach the title game.

After a 1-1 tie, Kaiser defeated Harbor Day, 4-3 in penalty kicks. The

score was tied, 3-3, in the post-game shootout, before Alex McIntosh

netted the game-winner in sudden death.

The Knights’ Carly Ruiz scored the goal in regulation and she also had

another score in the penalty kick shootout. Crystal Mena and Mary

Giberson also scored on penalty kicks.

Like Kaiser, St. John’s defeated California, in the exact dramatic

fashion. Ashley Thrower scored the game-winning goal in sudden death.

Siddiq scored the goal during regulation with an assist from Mikyla Lux.

Siddiq also found the net on one of the penalty kicks, as did Martinez

and Leslie Ray.

GIRLS FIFTH- AND SIXTH-GRADE CHAMPIONS

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

Aubrey Brown

Emily Coker

Karina Contreras

Shirley Diaz

Allyson Doerr

Kelly Doerr

Noelle Esquer

Rachael Green

Brittany Kish-Melo

Mikyla Lux

Jalissa Martinez

Maria Luna Montoya

Leslie Ray

Brina Siddiq

Ashley Thrower

Coach: Jeff Brown