OLQA defense is difference

COSTA MESA — Defense wins championships.

That is one of the most accepted philosophies in all of sports.

For the reigning champion Our Lady Queen of Angels, it was no different as OLQA picked up the 1-0 win in a nail-biter over Pegasus in a girls’ fifth- and sixth-grade Gold Division pool-play game of the Daily Pilot Cup Wednesday.

On offense, OLQA got what it needed when August Touchard scored late in the second half for the game-winner at the Costa Mesa Farm Complex. Touchard was opportunistic, considering the action that took place just moments before she scored. Her teammate, Rachel Howes, had a goal rescinded because she was ruled offsides.

“I didn’t see it but I didn’t think it was offsides,” OLQA Coach Jack Wetherall said. “In our game [Tuesday] we had like 50 shots, you never know how it’s going to go so when they take one away from you, its like ‘uh oh.’ ”

Moments after a Pegasus player was injured, OLQA was given its only goal of the game by Touchard thanks to the assist by Paige Burke.

“It felt really good,” Touchard said. “I was guessing that was going to be the winning goal for our team so it felt good.”

With the sun overlooking the Costa Mesa Farm Complex, the majority of the game took place in the midfield.

OLQA tried to attack early with one shot by Brenna Van Hoogen Styn going just high over the right side of the goal post. Campbell Moore and Maggie Danner played stellar defense for the Pegasus Thunder in the first half and Danner even played some offense.

Though the Thunder hung with OLQA throughout, the atmosphere on the Pegasus sideline was lighthearted.

Before Pegasus Coach Christine Bridges substituted some of her players, she jokingly asked one of them, “Want to play or not? No more text messaging!”

For OLQA, keeper Adrianna Wetherall was dominant all evening. The Pegasus defense had to work harder in the second half as OLQA was more active offensively.

“We got the wind behind our back and held them for the first half and concentrated on playing defense,” Wetherall said. “[In the] second half we just opened the gates and went after them.

We controlled the midfield and that’s where we pretty much won the game.”

JASON KORNFELD may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or at [email protected].