Boys’ Soccer Preview: Ceja leading Eagles
Coach Robert Castellano wasn’t sure what to do with his Estancia High boys’ soccer team on Wednesday. After the Eagles started the season on a tear, winning five matches and tying one, they lost for the first time this season.
Castellano wasn’t sure if he should tear down his team during his postmatch address, or leave it up to his players to correct what happened at home. The 2-0 setback to Corona del Mar stung. It wasn’t that the Eagles lost, it was how they lost.
“We just didn’t come to play,” said Castellano, whose team went into the CdM match having allowed only two goals through the first six contests. “We were a little lethargic, just didn’t have the intensity or the energy. We saw it in the warm-up. I was trying to fix it, and I just couldn’t fix it. We have to learn from it and we have to make sure that it doesn’t happen again. This is where the leaders need to step up and take over.”
One of those leaders Castellano is counting on this season is Andy Ceja. This is Ceja’s fourth season starting for the Eagles, and Castellano said fans should expect to hear a lot about Ceja this season.
Ceja is no longer doing all the dirty work as he did as a defender the past two seasons. Castellano is playing him as a central midfielder, Ceja’s more natural position. The move has benefited Estancia, which entered Saturday with its best start in Castellano’s seven seasons in charge of his alma mater.
“That’s where I feel more comfortable,” Ceja said of playing in the midfield, “and that’s where I can pretty much take control of the team.”
Ceja is doing all the right things so far for Estancia, ranked No. 5 in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 poll. He remembers how last season unfolded, the Eagles placed fourth in the robust Orange Coast League and failed to reach the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs.
The reason why the Eagles were unable to make the playoffs, a season after they advanced to the semifinals, Ceja said it had to do with Estancia losing its hunger after a fast start in nonleague play.
“I think we peaked a little too early last year,” said Castellano, whose team posted a 9-2-1 record in its first 12 matches last season, and went 3-3-4 during league. “If we’re going to go far, Ceja’s going to have to put this team on his back.”
Here’s a look at the five Newport-Mesa boys’ varsity soccer programs:
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Corona del Mar Sea Kings
Coach: George Larsen (seventh year)
2014-15 season: 7-9-4, 4-4-2 in the Pacific Coast League (fourth place)
Players to watch: F Blake Munger (Sr.); D Jack Tomei (Sr.); MF Will O’Connor (Jr.)
You should know: The Sea Kings missed the CIF Southern Section playoffs last season for the first time with Larsen at the helm. With the return of seven starters, including Munger, who scored a team-best 13 goals last season, CdM should bounce back and qualify for the postseason. The Sea King have looked impressive in their first seven matches, posting a 5-1-1 mark, earning road wins against Estancia, ranked No. 5 in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 poll, and Tesoro, which shares the No. 10 spot in Division 2. The Sea Kings, with 17 seniors, could contend for a Pacific Coast League title, a season after placing fourth. The Sea Kings’ first test in league comes at home against defending league champion Woodbridge on Jan. 7.
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Costa Mesa Mustangs
Coach: Chris Sullivan (first year)
2014-15 season: 4-10-2, 2-7-1 in the Orange Coast League (fifth place)
Players to watch: GK Samuel Mitchell (Sr.); D Estevan Bahena (Jr.); F Daniel Vargas (Jr.)
You should know: Sullivan, who served as an assistant with the Mustangs from 2008-11, is back at Costa Mesa. Sullivan is in charge now, and he’s looking to lead Costa Mesa to its first CIF Southern Section playoff appearance since the 2010-11 season. The Mustangs have placed fifth in the Orange Coast League in each of the past four seasons. Sullivan helped turned things around the last time he was at Costa Mesa by ending the Mustangs’ eight-season playoff drought. League will be a challenge for the Mustangs, defending champion Godinez is ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 poll, archrival Estancia is No. 5 and Laguna Beach is No. 10. Only the top three teams in league earn automatic playoff berths.
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Estancia Eagles
Coach: Robert Castellano (seventh year)
2014-15 season: 12-5-5, 3-3-4 in the Orange Coast League (fourth place)
Players to watch: F Kevin Pizarro (Sr.); MF Andy Ceja (Sr.); F Adan Rodriguez (Sr.); MF Chris Moya (Sr.); D Tony Hernandez (Sr.); MF Luis Millan (Soph.); F Ruben Castaneda (Jr.)
You should know: The Eagles began the season 5-0-1, their best start under Castellano. The Eagles, who fell short of reaching the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs last season, have the makings of a section and Orange Coast League title contender. Estancia has already tied Huntington Beach, ranked No. 7 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 poll, and it topped Santiago, the top-ranked team in Division 5. Estancia, No. 5 in Division 4, suffered its first loss in the sixth match of the season, losing at home to CdM. With 15 seniors, Castellano said the Eagles aren’t lacking any leadership. Estancia is once again the lone program in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District that scheduled matches against CdM, Newport Harbor and Costa Mesa.
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Newport Harbor Sailors
Coach: Carlos Alcazar (first year)
2014-15 season: 9-10-4, 3-6-1 in the Sunset League (sixth place)
Players to watch: MF Alex Avila (Jr.); F Bryant Reyes (Jr.); D Hayden Felfe (Jr.)
You should know: After spending two years recovering from a broken neck suffered in a mountain bike accident, Alcazar has returned to coaching. He last coached the girls’ junior varsity team at Newport Harbor. His first season in charge of the boys’ varsity team began without a win in the first five matches. Alcazar, who took over for Juan Mares, Newport Harbor’s coach the previous five seasons, watched the Sailors start 0-2-3. One of the ties came in a scoreless Battle of the Bay affair at archrival CdM. Since 2009-10, the Sailors have gone 4-0-3 against CdM. Alcazar, who played soccer at Estancia High before graduating in 1991, teaches Spanish at Newport Harbor. He is the program’s first on-campus coach in a long time.
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Sage Hill Lightning
Coach: Luis Cruz (second year)
2014-15 season: 16-11, 12-0 in the Academy League (first place); lost at South Pasadena in the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoffs; lost at Coronado in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern California Regional Division IV playoffs
Players to watch: F Chase Munger (Soph.); MF Noah Koumas (Sr.); GK Chase Rebeil (Soph.); GK Robbie Rosoff (Sr.); D Gabriel Gamboa (Sr.)
You should know: Sage Hill is coming off its longest and most successful season. Sage Hill advanced to the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoffs and the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern California Regional Division IV playoffs. The team did lose two standouts to graduation, midfielder Nikolai Sadeghi and center back Zach Burns, but Cruz said Sage Hill plans to defend its league championship. Munger looks to fill the void left by Sadeghi, who scored 69 goals in four seasons to set a Lightning career record, and Gamboa moves from the midfield to anchor the defense. Cruz plans to use two keepers, Rosoff and Rebeil, the first recorded 10 shutouts in league last season, contributing to Sage Hill’s first undefeated league title since the 2006-07 season.
