Mesa fights through pain

Barry Faulkner

It’s a time-honored sports truth that teams take on the personality

of their coach. The Costa Mesa High girls soccer team, however,

appears more intent, this postseason, on mimicking Coach Dan

Johnston’s requirement for medical attention.

Johnston, recovering from recent surgery to repair a torn Achilles

tendon, has guided the Mustangs to an unprecedented four CIF Southern

Section Division III playoff victories from a wheelchair, his injured

right leg elevated to help reduce swelling. Johnston, who gets around

on crutches before and after games, nearly fell Tuesday when one

crutch appeared to give way on the grass as he approached the end of

the handshake line following his team’s 2-1 semifinal victory over

visiting Bonita.

But, like his mentally tough players, who refused to give in to

various ailments against the Bearcats, Johnston quickly regained his

balance in time to share well wishes with the downtrodden visitors.

The play of several ailing Mustangs was one of many factors that

helped the hosts overcome a shaky semifinal start and advance to

Saturday’s Division III title game against Walnut, at a site and time

to be determined today.

Junior fullback Kara Jenkins shrugged off a sprained knee to start

the second half after a scoreless 40 minutes.

Freshman forward Jasmin Day, just two games removed from sitting

out a second-round victory at Santa Monica, scored the game’s first

goal, her fourth of the playoffs, in the 56th minute. She was an

offensive catalyst throughout.

Sophomore forward Jenny Sparks appeared to sprain her ankle in

collision with a Bonita defender in the 57th minute. Sparks quickly

sprang to her feet and, though visibly in pain, resolved to stay in

the game. She was replaced, briefly, before reentering and displaying

her trademark energy up front the rest of the way.

Junior Kaitlyn Gentling, who shared goalkeeping duties with Kindra

Bailey until hurting her hip in a fall and missing the second half of

the Golden West League schedule, also contributed quality minutes off

the bench.

The less-than-healthy quartet seemed to typify the determination

of an entire program, that has risen from perennial doormat to

increasing levels of success, including four straight trips to the

CIF Playoffs.

Their willingness to play through pain helped the No. 2-seeded

Mustangs (22-1-2) extend their unbeaten streak to 22 games and up

their winning streak to 15. It also impressed Johnson.

“I wasn’t expecting Kara to play at all today,” Johnston said.

“But she was chomping at the bit the whole first half to get in

there, so I started her in the second half. Her experience helped

us.”

Johnston grinned when recalling Sparks’ reaction to being taken

out after her leg injury.

“She was mad at me for taking her out and mad at the trainer for

pointing out that she was limping,” Johnston said.

Sparks, whose 27 goals are second most on the team this season,

was also leveled by a Bearcat near midfield in the second half.

Afterward, however, she all but refused to acknowledge any ankle

injury, stating simply that she was involved in a collision.

Sparks was more forthcoming when addressing Costa Mesa’s

turnaround after halftime.

“We just needed to want it more,” she said. “(The Bearcats) wanted

it more than we did in the first half, but we got into our game in

the second half.”

Day, who, like Jenkins, received a postgame icepack to apply to

her ailing joint, said the ankle is no longer an issue. And her play

backed that up.

“You play 25 soccer games and there are going to be injuries,”

Johnston said. “But our girls are playing through them. That’s just

the nature of a competitive athlete.”