Bullets win Area Q championship

COSTA MESA — Prior to the start of the AYSO Area Q girls’ under-12 championship, the Costa Mesa Bullets broke out of their pre-game huddle chanting, “We are the champions, we are the champions,” in the tone of the popular Queen song.

After the final whistle blew it became official, they are the champions.

The Bullets continued their magical run by defeating the North Irvine Poison 1-0 at the Costa Mesa Farm Complex Wednesday.

It was a great day for Costa Mesa girls’ youth soccer, as the girls’ under-10 team, Fast and the Furious, defeated Tustin on penalty kicks, 1-0, to win the Area Q championship. Mackenzie Hyde scored the game-winner, Costa Mesa goalie Kyra Page finished with the shutout and Bailey Prado was stellar at University Elementary in Irvine.

The Bullets’ victory wasn’t as dramatic, yet the 12-and-under players still managed to be quite noticeable when they predicted the win with their confident chant.

“They all did a really great job on offense and defense,” assistant coach Michelle Novoa said. “We missed a couple of shots but we’ll get them next time.”

With the win, the Bullets have earned the right to represent Area Q in the Section 11 playoffs, where they will face off against other girls’ under-12 teams from Southern California. Section 11 consists of teams ranging from Los Angeles to San Diego.

Area Q includes Costa Mesa, Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, Tustin, Irvine and Yorba Linda.

The game’s lone goal came when a Hayley Gonzales’ pass, deep into Poison territory, found Alondra Novoa. After winning a foot race to the ball, Novoa beat North Irvine’s goalie for the score in the first of four quarters.

“She’s a very good player,” Coach Ivan Novoa said of his daughter, Alondra. “Usually she’s a sweeper, but today I needed her at forward and she really came through.”

A crucial save with seconds remaining by Costa Mesa goalie Danni Blackman preserved the shutout and iced the victory for the Bullets (15-0-1).

“Our goalie that saved the goal right there, that was amazing,” Ivan Novoa said.

For a team that had been in search of a coach at the beginning of the season, it proved remarkable that the Bullets have remained unbeaten on their way to an Area Q championship.

“It’s funny because my daughter volunteered me to be the coach,” Ivan Novoa said. “It was amazing to coach these girls.”

Defense has played a big part in the regular season success of Costa Mesa, which produced five shutouts and an overall record of 8-0-1.

“Shantae [Elam] was a force on defense all year,” assistant coach Tim Deutsch said. “She was the key to a lot of our wins.”

After clinching the division championship, the Bullets’ road to an Area Q title began with the Region 120 tournament in which the top two teams advance to Area Q. Costa Mesa, the Region 120 champ, won all three of its games in that round, then three more in the area’s pool play to advance to Wednesday’s championship game.

“This is great for these girls, it’s something that they will remember for the rest of their lives,” Deutsch said. “Winning the league championship, the Area Q championship, and now they can go on to the [Section 11 tournament] is just an awesome experience for these girls.”