Mariners’ ride ends with championship
COSTA MESA — Reese Bodas’ father told her if she and her teammate, Lily Moore, scored two goals apiece, he was taking the girls to Knott’s Berry Farm.
While Moore scored twice, Bodas came up short on Sunday afternoon, producing one goal for Mariners Elementary School. The trip to the amusement park might be off, but Bodas and Moore will take their team’s thrilling ride during the 14th annual Daily Pilot Cup over any ride at Knott’s Berry Farm.
Bodas and Moore capped the six-day tournament by helping Mariners win the girls’ third- and fourth-grade gold division title. Mariners defeated Eastbluff, 4-0, in the final at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex.
“We got to have fun,” Moore said after Mariners finished 5-0 during the tournament, outscoring its opponents, 22-2.
The championship is also Moore’s second straight at the Pilot Cup. Her father, Todd, guided her last year during the third- and fourth-grade silver division title run.
Todd was back on the sideline coaching Mariners. He sat for much of the second half after his team took control in the 31st minute. His daughter gave Mariners a 2-0 lead with some fancy footwork, cutting past defenders before sending a beautiful shot toward the far post.
Moore stood out, and not just because of the green shorts she wore. On the back of her orange jersey, it read, “Super Girl.” She performed superbly.
Eastbluff knew all about Moore. Eastbluff and Mariners faced each other during a pool-play game on Friday, when Mariners prevailed, 3-0.
Eastbluff never backed down in the second meeting. Coach Paul King’s team, which played four of its five matches during the tournament with just nine players, no substitutes, slowed down Mariners’ attack in the first half.
King’s daughter, Teddy, played a key role for Eastbluff, along with midfielders Grace Meyers and Sidney Sharp. Teddy, playing goalkeeper, jumped to grab or poke the ball away on corner kicks. King also had a tall defender in Jilian Lorenz to hold Mariners to one goal in the first half.
The goal came in the 21st minute, when Bodas found the back of the net. Bodas was halfway to her two-goal objective.
Moore joined her six minutes into the second half. She added her second goal with two minutes left in the 50-minute match.
With Mariners in charge, keepers Lindsay Blanchfield and Lily Kwong combined for their third shutout. Defenders Zoe Bixby and Kate Hess, and sisters Emma and Sam Wallis contributed to holding Eastbluff scoreless for the second time in three days.
“Eastbluff gave us our toughest competition,” said Todd, whose Mariners team shut out Davis, 3-0, in a semifinal match on Sunday morning to advance to the final. “This is a great tournament that we look forward to playing in. Next year, we’ll move up to the fifth- and sixth-grade gold division.”