CdM starts strong in Pacific Coast League play

IRVINE — The drive for five got off to a great start Thursday evening for the Corona del Mar High girls’ soccer team.

The Sea Kings, four-time defending outright Pacific Coast League champions, have their terminology ready to go and everything.

“We’re expecting to get a ‘five-peat,’ senior co-captain and midfielder Birkley Sigband said after CdM posted a dominant 4-0 win over host Irvine to begin league. “We need the ‘five-peat.’ I want the ‘five-peat.’ We just have to continue the trend [of league titles].”

Corona del Mar (7-5) just might get it if it can string together more efforts like Thursday night’s performance. The four goals matched a season-high. Senior co-captain Shelby Brown scored twice for the Sea Kings, while sophomore midfielder Leah Givant and junior midfielder Chloe Rice added goals.

Brown, last year’s Newport-Mesa Dream Team Player of the Year, put her team ahead in the 10th minute. The co-captain took the pass from junior defender Ally Doherty and launched a perfect shot from 25 yards out, rocketing it cross-cage into the upper left corner.

The Sea Kings continued dominating play throughout the rest of the first half, controlling the midfield even after losing sophomore midfielder Shelby Guerena to a left ankle injury in the second minute. CdM showed just how much the turf at Irvine favors the Sea Kings’ ball-control style. Freshman forward Elizabeth Lamie and senior forward Zoe Condon earned chances that ultimately went just wide and high later in the half, and CdM settled for the 1-0 halftime lead.

Irvine (1-8) seemed overmatched playing without one of its top players, junior forward Kennedy Smith, who is at an Olympic Development Program camp. The Vaqueros had a decent chance late in the first half, when senior Evelyn Hall earned a corner kick. Senior defender Kristy Johnson played it into the box, but it was headed out by CdM sophomore defender Hailey Neumann.

CdM Coach Bryan Middleton saw his team, ranked No. 6 in CIF Southern Section Division 2, pull away after halftime. In the 51st minute, sophomore defender Christina Venturini brought the ball up the field, passing the ball to Lamie on her left. Lamie crossed it in front to Givant, who scored from the right side of the box.

“It was pretty awesome,” said a laughing Givant, in her first game returning from a back injury, of the goal.

The Sea Kings went up 3-0 in the 68th minute on a similar play. Brown played the ball to sophomore Taylor Rosen, who had just checked into the game moments earlier. Rosen sped up the left sideline before crossing the ball in front to Rice, who stuck it in at the right post.

Rice was playing in her first game of the season for CdM. Middleton said she recently became eligible after playing at a club tournament for SC Blues over the holiday break. She is a just another weapon for the Sea Kings, who are deeper than they’ve been in a couple of years.

“I noticed early on that there was a lot of parity on our team,” Middleton said. “I try to give everyone a lot of playing time. With the 4-3-3 system, I want to emphasize to our forwards to go for it, and then the next group will come in 15 to 20 minutes later and just keep the pressure up on teams.”

Brown notched her second goal of the game in the 75th minute. Her free kick deflected back to her, off a wall of Irvine defenders. Brown shot again, a rocket that easily found the back of the net, again from about 25 yards out.

“That’s the hardest I’ve seen her hit the ball,” Middleton said. “That was ridiculous. That’s the only way to explain it.”

CdM also benefited from a defense that included Venturini, senior co-captain Brynn Motal, Neumann, Sigband and Doherty. Neither first-half goalie Ally Lozano, nor second-half keeper Skyler Gullick, had to record a save.

Neumann, who plays club for Slammers FC, joined the team in late December. She impressed with her physical ball-winning ability.

“They really didn’t know what to do with her,” Middleton said. “I mean, she just shut down anyone who came through the middle.”

CdM resumes league play by hosting Woodbridge on Tuesday, and University on Jan. 15. The following week will likely be crucial, as the Sea Kings play Beckman at Tustin High on Jan. 20 and at Northwood on Jan. 22.

Last year, CdM had dramatic wins against those two schools in the final two league games to clinch the fourth straight title.

Now, the drive for the “five-peat” is on.

“It was great,” Doherty said of Thursday’s result. “We needed a good start to get in the zone for all of our other league games.”