Costa Mesa hoping for similar success

When Jasmin Day and Kyla Flores graduated from Costa Mesa High last spring they took a 48-0-0 record in league games for the soccer team with them.

The two forwards were both All-CIF Division III selections, with Day on the first team and Flores on the second team.

“Jasmin Day and Kyla Flores, that was a lot of our firepower,” said Costa Mesa Coach Dan Johnston, who is in 14th year. “Jasmin was the state high jump champ. Kyla, she was a hustler. She never played a game where she didn’t hit the floor less than 10 times. That kind of rubs off on players. But you can replace them with three or four players.”

The departures do not mean that the Mustangs will be relinquishing their stranglehold on league titles, especially now that they are in the four-team Orange Coast League.

Senior Caitln Duffy, the Golden West League Defensive Most Valuable Player and a third-team All-CIF selection, returns to anchor the defense.

“She’s a bulldog,” Johnston said of Duffy, a four-year starter. “She’s small, but she’ll win headers from girls a foot taller than her. She gets good position and she’s fearless.”

Senior Sharon Frazier, who led the team with 19 goals, will be key for the offense.

“She’s a good scorer,” Johnston said. “She’s just got a knack for finding the net. She doesn’t have the greatest shot but she finds a way to get it in. I wish I knew how to bottle what she has.”

Three-year starter and captain Mikyla Lux will be the team’s sweeper, while senior Alaina Abalos will move from defender to forward.

Sophomore Ayla Medina, sophomore Kyra Graham and junior Marina Lazos will occupy the midfield, with Lazos positioned in the center.

“Marina is very good at distributing the ball,” Johnston said. “We’ll do some runs off of her. She’s very good at seeing the field.”

The Mustangs have two solid goalkeepers in senior Kalea Seanoa and junior Katie Finn, who was the keeper last season.

“Our junior varsity goalie is excellent, too,” Johnston said. “I always substitute a lot and intend to this year. It keeps kids in the game and they learn to play differently, having to come off the bench. I hate boring soccer. I want these players to think like hockey players, come in for their shift, play hard and come out.”

Johnston said the key to the team’s success this season will once again be passing.

“Our forté is our passing game,” he said. “We’re not where we were at last year yet, but we’ll be there. It helps every aspect of the game. It helps our defense when we can pass well.”

With 10 seniors on the team, Johnston decided to have 20 players total.

“I’m carrying more players than before because I want a good core of experienced players returning for next year,” Johnston.

The Mustangs begin play in the four-team Orange Coast League Jan. 11 at home against Laguna Beach. Playing in the Southern Section’s only four-team league, facing every team three times instead of two, is not something Johnston is happy about.

“I call it the afterthought league,” Johnston said. “It’s hard to what we did before when you have to play a team three times. After they play you a couple times they figure out what you do. The trick is to keep changing our look. We’re going to do the same thing we’ve always done, just look different.”