Mustangs miss chances

COSTA MESA — A majority of the seniors on the Costa Mesa High girls’ soccer team sat down in a circle on the field and chatted about their careers together. The reminiscing followed a heart-breaking 1-0 loss to Pacifica of Garden Grove in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs Friday.

Mustangs Coach Dan Johnston pointed out the group had quickly gone from sadness to laughter.

“It was the last game so there were some tears, but they are already laughing and carrying on,” Johnston said. “It was an up-and-down season. But when it mattered the team came together and played well. It takes a whole team to right the ship. They stayed with it. They worked and did what they needed to do to turn it around. It’s a testament to the team’s guttiness. There were a lot of memorable moments. Every game a different kid stepped up. That’s very heartening to see.”

When the circle of seniors, which included Sharon Frazier, Caitlin Duffy, Kaily Carich, Courtney Lindberg, Mikyla Lux and Cyndi Mendoza, broke for the final time, Lux recalled one of the moments that was shared among the players.

“Dan had us play in the rain once,” Lux said. “It was our sophomore year. It was a downpour. We were all laughing and slipping in the mud. We just kept laughing. We needed to prepare for the next game. We didn’t want to change our momentum of practicing everyday.”

The seniors leave having never played a season without winning a league title. The Mustangs (11-8-8) have won five consecutive league titles.

For Carich, a pillar of the Mustangs’ defense, she said she will always remember her teammate Lindberg.

“Courtney’s spaz moments,” Carich said with a smile. “After the game we were all telling funny stories and cracking up.”

Of all the seniors Frazier carried a different type of pain. Frazier led the team with 19 goals last season. Friday she watched as her team had a shutout loss for only the second time since the Newport-Mesa Cup, which opened the season. Frazier was on crutches, due to ankle surgery. Her ankle and knee remained shredded and she hasn’t played since Jan. 23.

Frazier said the injury is what she will remember most of her high school career.

“I’ve never been hurt like this before,” Frazier said. “It was really frustrating. They played good. I just kept thinking that I wanted to play.”

Adding to the irritation was the Mustangs’ control of the majority of the game without coming away with a goal.

The Mustangs outshot the Mariners 11-5, regularly won 50-50 balls and controlled the center of the field with crisp passing despite not having played a game in over a week.

“We were doing what we needed to except putting it in the net,” Johnston said.

Costa Mesa was also able to control the Mariners offense, Pacifica (15-6-3) scored on a header off a corner kick in the eighth minute. The defense was buoyed by five Mustangs, who play on Pacifica Coach Matt Etchison’s Newport Mesa Club under-19 team in the summer.

“It was weird hearing him yelling out there,” Carich said. “The style was familiar. They play up the sides.”