TeWinkle topples Heights

Rick Devereux

The TeWinkle fifth- and sixth-grade boys soccer team looked relaxed

and confident in its opening game of the Daily Pilot Cup.

TeWinkle used superior speed and passing to defeat Newport

Heights, 4-0, Tuesday at the Costa Mesa Farm Complex.

“We played great together,” Coach Neal Frino said. “We passed

really well and we stayed in position.”

TeWinkle’s Pedro Morales led a streaking Edger Rodrigues in the

sixth minute of the game following a Newport Heights handball.

Rodrigues collected the ball and deposited the it inside the left

goal post for the score.

Two minutes later, Rodrigues attempted to head a corner kick, but

his shot was wide left.

In the 10th minute, Christian Rodrigues shot the ball on goal. The

Newport Heights’ goalkeeper stopped the initial shot, but the ball

bounced out of his arms and off the legs of a Newport Heights

defender and past the goal line for TeWinkle’s second score of the

half.

Christian Rodrigues led an attack for TeWinkle in the 15th minute

when he passed to Bryan Zambudio, but Zambudio’s shot sailed over the

cross bar for a goalie kick.

Newport Heights was able to end the first half with a corner kick

in the 20th minute, but TeWinkle, which advanced to the

quarterfinal’s in last year’s tournament, was able to successfully

defend the scoring opportunity and take a 2-0 lead into the half.

Brett Eckles, the coach for Newport Heights, was pleased wit his

team’s effort against the relentless TeWinkle attack.

“We’re playing great on defense,” he told the team at halftime.

“We need to get some goals on offense, but we’re playing great

defensively. Keep up the intensity on defense and “

Newport Heights tried to press the ball up the field more in the

second half, but TeWinkle was in control of the ball for most of the

game. In the second minute of the second half, TeWinkle had a shot

hit the right goal post. TeWinkle gathered the ball and had another

scoring chance, but the ball sailed wide left.

Newport Heights was able to ward off several attacks and

breakaways by kicking the ball out of bounds for a corner kick, where

TeWinkle was 0-6 in the game and 0-4 in the second half.

Newport Heights goalkeeper Chris Whitelegge made five saves in the

second half, but TeWinkle was able to continually apply pressure.

In the 32nd minute, Edger Rodrigues collected the ball inside the

18-yard box, stopped near the left side of the goal box and fired a

shot to the upper right hand corner of the net for a 3-0 lead.

Morales finished off the scoring when he stole the ball inside the

penalty box, faked a pass and slid the ball to the back of the net in

the 40th minute.

Frino said opening up the tournament with a win is no more

important than any of the pool-play games, but they way in which the

team won is of upmost importance.

“You only have three games [to advance], so they’re all

important,” he said. “I’m very happy with how we played and the

teamwork we showed. We were very unselfish and moved the ball

effectively.”

Newport Heights will play Lincoln (1-0) at 3:30 Thursday followed

by TeWinkle and Mariners Christian (0-1).