CdM is still short of goal

Rick Devereux

A trend is starting to emerge when the Corona del Mar High boys

soccer team faces Pacific Coast League counterpart Tesoro.

CdM starts slow but builds energy and momentum to play a strong

second half.

That’s what happened Wednesday when the Sea Kings lost at Tesoro,

1-0, and again Monday when the teams played to a 0-0 tie at CdM.

If the Sea Kings could have pulled off the win Monday -- a make-up

game for a match rained out earlier in the season -- they would have

been tied with Tesoro for first place in the Pacific Coast League.

Instead, CdM (10-5-3, 5-1-1 in league) remains in second place as the

Titans (10-5-3, 5-0-2) maintain the top spot.

The Pacific Coast League awards three points for a win and one for

a tie, which leaves the Sea Kings one point behind.

“I am very happy with our intensity in the second half,” CdM Coach

Pat Callaghan said. “From about the 50th minute on, we put a lot of

pressure on [Tesoro]. But against good teams like Tesoro, you have to

play the entire game with intensity.”

The Titans, ranked No. 9 in CIF Southern Section Division II, were

on the offensive to start the match. Luckily for Corona del Mar, its

defense was up for the task.

Goalkeeper Andrew Dailynas made two saves in the ninth minute for

CdM. He punched away one shot and had to make a diving grab to stop a

header.

Because Tesoro scored on a free kick against the Sea Kings,

Callaghan said he emphasized the importance of stopping the Titans

set plays.

“We have a strong defense,” he said before the match. “We need to

find a sense of urgency inside the [18-yard] box.”

Senior fullback and co-captain Shane Collins helped lead the

defensive stand for CdM by clearing dangerous balls and stopping

opposing runs. He cleared a ball in the box from a corner kick in the

29th minute and he helped lead a counterattack in the 32nd minute.

“I give Shane a lot of credit,” Callaghan said. “He is a leader on

defense and I think he was one of the better players on the field.”

Even though it was Tesoro that dictated much of the action in the

first half, the Sea Kings still had scoring opportunities.

Senior midfielder and co-captain Grant Almquist crossed a free

kick that sailed just out of reach of a teammate’s would-be header.

Senior midfielder Casey Flynn received a free kick and lobbed a

shot to the right corner of the goal, but Tesoro’s Curtis Zakhar made

a diving save.

Senior midfielder Austin Brawner scored a goal in the 30th minute

that was waved off because he was ruled offside.

The opportunities grew for the Sea Kings as their intensity level

rose in the second half.

CdM was unable to convert on a two-on-one, even after the

goalkeeper was caught out of position in the 55th minute.

Almquist fed a ball inside the box and sophomore Allan Hardison

flicked a header that Zakhar saved.

Hardison had another head attempt sail wide left, this time on a

corner kick from Kyle Jung.

“We had opportunities to score,” Callaghan said. “We need to be

able to find the back of the net.”

All of CdM’s losses have been by shutout.

“We don’t lose when we score a goal,” Callaghan said. “We feed

energy off of the fans, and it’s great to have them support us, but

we really get our energy after we score a goal.”

The intensity level grew, both in the stands and on the field,

after Collins stopped a golden Titan scoring opportunity. “Shane

played great,” Almquist said.