Barry FaulknerAfter a heart-thumping comeback Saturday to...

Barry Faulkner

After a heart-thumping comeback Saturday to avert a quarterfinal

loss, the Mariners Christian third- and fourth-grade boys soccer team

pumped in enough goals Sunday to keep the pulse rate of its parents

and other supporters at a leisurely pace.

The Dolphins, who erased a 3-1 deficit in the final six minutes to

defeat Newport Coast, 4-3, in Saturday’s quarterfinals, cruised past

semifinal opponent Rea, then Our Lady Queen of Angels in the final,

both by 5-0 scores, to claim the championship of the Daily Pilot Cup

Sunday at the Costa Mesa Farm Complex.

“We got a fright [Saturday],” said Mariners Coach Phil Miller,

whose team was never really challenged Sunday.

Steven Miller and Daniel Toberty each scored twice, while Connor

Cruse added a goal in the semifinal win, knocking off defending

champion Rea No. 1, as goalies Preston Risser and Clark Cashion

shared duty to record the shutout.

The whitewash in the title game was Mariners’ fourth in five

games, as the Dolphins outscored their Pilot Cup competition, 30-3.

The Dolphins wasted little time in the final, opening the scoring

in the second minute and amassing all its goals in the first 20

minutes of the 25-minute first half.

Sam Barkley converted an assist from Connor Cruse for the first

goal, as Cruse directed a feed from the center of the field to

Barkley on the left wing. Barkley calmly fired the ball into the net

and the rout was on.

“I think we just took up where we left off [Saturday],” Phil

Miller said. “We were very motivated.”

Timmy Root used his speed to poke the ball past a defender, then

follow it into prime scoring territory and convert about 10 yards in

front of the goal to double the lead in the sixth minute.

A Steven Miller corner kick created the third goal for the

winners, as Root headed the corner across the goal mouth from the

right goalpost and Connor Cooper kicked in the loose ball near the

left post for a 3-0 cushion.

Root’s cross from the right flank set up Steven Miller for the

fourth goal, then Miller and Root combined to set up a booming goal

by Barkley, who found the net from 25 yards out to finalize the

scoring.

Andrew Boehm included himself in the offensive barrage with a shot

in the second half, while Risser and Cashion combined to make two

saves and defender Drew Diller also helped turn away Queen of Angels,

which defeated Harbor Day, 4-3, in Sunday’s semifinal to advance to

the title game.

Queen of Angels’ only shots on goal against Mariners came from

Jack Presson and Nick Potter, the latter from about 25 yards out that

was easily fielded by Risser.

Daniel Gills, Derek Dellinger and Brent Lawson also contributed

for the champions, who had players from Costa Mesa, Newport Beach,

Corona del Mar, Irvine and Laguna Beach, according to their coach.

“We have a really strong group of kids,” said Phil Miller, who was

eager to thank assistant coaches Doug Root and Steve Gills, as well

as team organizer Debbie Diller, for their help on the run to the

crown.

Queen of Angels, which outscored its first four opponents, 14-9,

received strong play all tournament long from Potter, Michael Haeri,

goalie Parker Reuter (five saves in the final), Presson, Jonathan

Walsh, Eric Zamucen, Colin McNerney and Chris Haas. Kent Smith,

Anthony Francisco, Mitch Meleski, Brecht Van’t Hof and Kevin McGuire

were also contributors for Queen of Angels co-coaches Jessica Potter

and Karen Potter.