Daily Pilot Cup: Mariners shuts out Whittier

The 19th annual Daily Pilot Cup soccer extravaganza kicked off to a wild and colorful start Tuesday at the Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa as hundreds of young players in distinctively colored team T-shirts began the opening games of pool play.

More than 2,500 elementary school youngsters representing 31 public and private schools in the area were on hand to get the six-day tournament underway.

In the opening game in the boys’ fifth- and sixth-grade Gold Division, the Newport Beach Mariners Elementary A team defeated Costa Mesa Whittier A 2-0. There are three teams in each pool with the top two advancing to the quarterfinals on Saturday. Mariners faces Costa Mesa Wilson A at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday and Whittier plays Wilson at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

Before the game, Mariners coach Shane Brosnan knew his team had to defeat at least one of the two other pool teams to make it to Saturday. After the game, Whittier co-coach Miguel Sanchez said he knew his team has to win its second game to advance.

“I thought our team played well,” Brosnan said. “We have only been practicing two or three weeks and other than a couple of scrimmages, this is the first game we have played, but that is true for just about every team here.”

Sanchez said his team has been together “about a month,” but it had not played or scrimmaged anyone in that time.

The Marlins, who have five fifth-graders on their 12-man roster, got a goal midway in the first half when Tate Oyler broke away on a perfect pass from Beck Brosnan to take a 1-0 lead. Carlos Olivera scored the second goal after a long pass from Beckham Dutcher.

Mariners goalkeepers Chandler Swanson and Riggs Gott combined on the shutout. Swanson made three saves in the first half and Gott had two saves in the second half.

“Riggs played great defense when he was on the field,” Shane Brosnan said. “Parker Sherwood also had a great game on defense for us.”

Sanchez and co-coach Carlos Prado said they thought their team played well.

“I think we had more possessions, more shots and more touches,” Sanchez said, “but we could not put all of that together.”

Sanchez singled out defender Cris Esparza as having a good game, along with keeper Elliott Peña, who was credited with three saves.

The Dolphins’ offense appeared to start quickly as much of the opening game had Mariners playing in front of its own goal. Things began to change after Oyler’s goal, which gave the Marlins more confidence and allowed them to throttle the Whittier offense.

There was much give-and-take by both teams in each 25-minute half. Teams will play 30-minute halves in the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

DAVE DANIEL is a contributor to Times Community News.