Boys’ Soccer: CdM blanks Estancia

Through the first six matches of the boys’ soccer season, no team had earned a win against Estancia High.

Opponents found it hard to score against the Eagles. Only two programs managed a goal during the stretch.

Up next for Estancia was Corona del Mar, which failed to record a goal in its last three halves. But it was the Eagles, not the Sea Kings, who struggled offensively on Wednesday.

In the first half, CdM produced as many goals as Estancia had given up in its previous six contests. The Sea Kings halted the Eagles’ unbeaten season.

The two goals by CdM were more than enough for it to pick up a 2-0 win in the nonleague match on the road.

The only other time Estancia (5-1-1) allowed a goal at Jim Scott Stadium this season was to Huntington Beach, which is ranked No. 7 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 poll. That match ended in a 1-1 tie on Dec. 4, but CdM center back Will Hunter and goalkeepers Christopher Bartolic and Koen Ebbinga made sure the Eagles suffered their first shutout of the season.

On his own, Hunter stopped Estancia’s top two chances in the first half, and Bartolic and Ebbinga teamed up for the shutout. Bartolic made one save in the first half and Ebbinga had four saves in the second half.

Hunter also provided the first goal, and midfielder Brett Haney recorded the other. The two helped the Sea Kings (4-1-1) get back on track offensively after the team finished in a scoreless draw with Newport Harbor in the Battle of the Bay rivalry at home on Monday. Five days earlier, CdM was held scoreless in the second half of a 2-1 loss at Laguna Hills.

“We always take a lot of pride in playing Newport Harbor, and for whatever reason it didn’t translate [on the field],” said CdM Coach George Larsen, whose program is 4-0-3 against the Sailors under his watch. “We didn’t play that well [against the Sailors]. Estancia is always a good team. We always know we have to play well [against the Eagles], so tonight was just us wanting to play a better brand of soccer as a team.

“From start to finish, especially against a team that hadn’t lost yet this year and is doing well, I thought this might be our best performance.”

The Sea Kings’ result came against the No. 4-ranked team in Division 4. While CdM isn’t ranked in Division 3, both the Sea Kings and Estancia are off to impressive starts.

The two programs also began the cold evening with a bang.

The first half featured a lot of action, especially in the first 20 minutes. The sides created many chances, as the Sea Kings took seven shots on goal to the Eagles’ five.

Estancia’s Kevin Pizarro had the best one 10 minutes in, when the senior was on a breakaway, but instead of taking a shot outside the box, he slowed down. With Bartolic out of position, Pizarro dribbled to his right, hoping to beat him with a shot to the right.

The only problem was that Pizarro’s slight hesitation allowed Hunter to get back. Hunter went down and used his 6-foot-4 frame to get in front of Pizarro’s shot.

“He needs to work on his left and we’ve been telling him that since his freshman year,” Estancia Coach Robert Castellano said of Pizarro. “It’s on his left and he just wants to cut back to his right, and he didn’t get a clear shot off.”

Hunter also thwarted another Estancia attack a couple of minutes later. The senior used his head to knock out Daniel Segura’s shot that was headed toward the back of the net.

The Sea Kings, who easily could have been down two goals in the first 12 minutes, found themselves on the offensive the rest of the way in the first half. After seeing Estancia keeper Yonathan Lopez stop Jad Malley, Hunter and Will O’Connor on set pieces, CdM broke through in the 26th minute.

In a two-minute span, the Sea Kings earned back-to-back corner kicks. The second proved to be successful.

Leo Alves took the corner, and his ball went through the defense, finding a wide-open Hunter near the far post. From there, Hunter kicked the ball in with his left foot to put CdM ahead.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for that,” Hunter said of his first goal, adding that he went without scoring a goal last season.

The set-piece goal also marked the first Estancia had given up this season. The hosts wound up allowing another goal on a set piece in the 31st minute.

Alves assisted on the second one as well. He lined up for the free kick on the right side, outside the box. The senior crossed the ball to Haney deep in the box, where he finished the play with his head.

With Bartolic and Ebbinga splitting time in goal as they have early in the season, the two-goal lead seemed safe. The two have combined to hold four of CdM’s six opponents scoreless.

The latest effort resulted in the Sea Kings’ first win against Estancia in five seasons.