Playing with loaded dice

Bryce Alderton

The Costa Mesa High girls soccer team has picked up right where it

left off last season.

The Mustangs have raced to a 5-1-2 record this season on the heels

of Costa Mesa’s first playoff win in girls soccer history last year

-- a 3-1 win over Pacifica in the CIF Southern Section Division IV

Playoffs.

Dan Johnston is in his 11th year coaching the Mustang girls and

sees no reason why Mesa can’t return to, and win in the CIF playoffs.

“I don’t see it as a burden, I see it as an incentive,” said

Johnston when asked whether he feels any pressure to repeat last

year’s success. “We’ve gotten competitive the last couple of years.

We can make teams sweat when we turn things on. When we get the

running game going teams have a hard time keeping up with us.”

Johnston has 11 returners scattered at all positions to attack the

opposition.

Senior center halfback and Pacific Coast League Co-Most Valuable

Player Sharon Day has tallied four goals and 10 assists to date and

made second team All-CIF Division IV last season. Day has played four

years on varsity and owns the school record for goals and assists.

The senior volleyball and track and field standout scored a

team-high 17 goals and notched nine assists to lift the Mustangs to

second place in the Pacific Coast League last season. Costa Mesa lost

to Louisville, 2-1, in the second round of the CIF Division IV

Playoffs to finish 13-6-4 a year ago.

Mesa, along with city rival Estancia, move into the Golden West

League this season. Johnston said last week he has only seen

Saddleback and Ocean View play, but he said they are both “very

good.”

“Ocean View has an excellent defense and Saddleback has an

excellent attack,” he said.

He added Santa Ana should be a factor in the league race and that

Estancia is “much improved.”

“We always expect a good game with (Estancia),” Johnston said.

Senior sweeper Devin Denman has also started all four years on

varsity for Johnston and was a first team All-PCL selection last

year. Denman is the leader of the defensive unit, Johnston said.

Second-team All-PCL selections a year ago include sophomore Jenny

Sparks, who has tallied nine goals to lead the team this season along

with sophomore stopper Nilani Duarte, who has scored two goals passed

for two assists in the early going. Junior goalkeeper Kaitlyn

Gentling was also a second team All-PCL pick a year ago and has made

39 saves as of last week.

Junior utility Stacy Krikorian plays forward, halfback, wingback,

stopper and sweeper and Johnston said he might use her in goal to

make a clean sweep of all positions this season.

Senior right halfback Kristen Bagwell is in her second season on

varsity along with Rachel Hughes (junior halfback), Kara Jenkins

(junior fullback), Julie Nomura (junior fullback) and sophomore

forward Rachel Ronquillo.

Freshman forward Jasmin Day (Sharon’s sister) has scored six goals

and made three assists as of last week and will work on the front

line alongside sophomore forward/halfback Vera Gale the junior

varsity MVP a year ago.

Seniors Nelly Barrios (fullback) and halfback Toshia Bryant with

sophomores Sara Bryant (utility), Laura Dinsdale (wingback), who won

the JV coaches’ award last season, and fullback/goalie Kindra Bailey

give Mesa depth at several positions.

Johnston maintains the Mustangs have to sustain their “running

game” to play their best.

“If a team is not ready to run back on defense it will find itself

in trouble,” he said.