Eagles on the move

BEVERLY HILLS — Coach Steve Crenshaw isn’t much of a yeller, more reserved. So, when the Estancia High girls’ soccer team boarded the bus Saturday morning, Taylor Carpenter noticed the same coach.

As always, Crenshaw sat in the front, looking cool. Impressive she thought, as everyone else on the bus wore nervous faces. The trip was an unfamiliar one for Estancia, the opening round of the playoffs, a place Crenshaw said only twice in the last 13 years the school has made.

This one was high-end as it was at Beverly Hills, home to money, beauty, upscale shopping, making it a great place for a makeover. Knowing his Eagles were nervous of making that next step, Crenshaw settled them down.

“In the first half of our bus drive our coach told us, ‘Get all your little bitty jitters out, pack, and sing,’ ” Carpenter said. “He had this face on the bus, just like, ‘I know you guys can do it. You’re ready. Now it’s up to you.’ ”

The Eagles didn’t disappoint. A collective team effort created plenty of scoring chances throughout a scoreless CIF Southern Section Division III first-round match. But in the 63rd minute, one corner kick, and a couple of heads proved to be the difference. Carpenter headed in the game-winner deep in the box, leading Estancia to a 1-0 victory over Beverly Hills.

At the end, the Eagles (13-8-3) sure looked like a million bucks to Crenshaw. The quiet man stayed quiet. Sure, he’s experienced success before taking over the girls’ program three years ago, leading the boys’ to a section title and two unbeaten league titles in nine years.

But what happened Saturday afternoon left him speechless.

“I don’t know what to say,” he said, pausing before coming up with the perfect words.

“Great game!”

No reason to complain as Estancia will play host in the second round to top-seeded Mayfair (23-2-3) Wednesday. Crenshaw said the Eagles’ first playoff victory since 1993 had no flaws. OK, maybe one.

“I was a little disappointed. I thought maybe we’d have Beyonce, or [someone] like that singing the National Anthem at least here in 90210,” Crenshaw said with a grin. “They needed to win this big time, just to have the confidence that they come out and do it. It’s a big win because the boys are expected to win. When I stepped down and took [over] the [boys’] way back in 1995-96, they were a team that had some talent, just needed some discipline and organization. They stepped up the level of play in terms of making them play tougher teams. That was my goal when I took the girls’ [job].

“If you’re going to improve, you can’t do it playing bad teams, or soft teams.”

Crenshaw knew the Normans (15-10-2) wouldn’t be a walk-through. They’ve reached the playoffs during Coach Ryan Franks’ four years.

This one was sort of historical for both teams. Estancia going so long without a playoff victory and Beverly Hills trying to win its second first-round contest in school history, the first Franks said was in his first year.It played out the way Franks wanted it to, a defensive battle. The Eagles controlled the pitch, stopping the Normans offensively as goalkeeper Allyson Wallace only had to make three saves to record her 10th shutout of the season. Defenders Stacy McDaniels, Cori Chapin, Natalie Plascencia and Erin O’Neil played vital roles in securing the shutout and allowing Estancia to counterattack.

The Eagles continued blasting shots goalkeeper Rebecca Gold’s way. But she kept turning them away.

“I don’t know how she saves some of the balls she did. I don’t even think she knew where a couple of those were,” Crenshaw said. “She just kept moving and was able to get her hands on them.”

Until Carpenter, a senior halfback, got her head on the ball in traffic. The play was set up seconds before, with sophomore midfielder Nushin Tasbihchi delivering a corner kick, which was headed out by a defender. But it went toward junior midfielder Abby Scheafer, and she quickly headed it to Carpenter so she could finally light up the scoreboard and the face of a program in dire need of celebrating.

“We’ve been working very hard proving everyone wrong,” said Carpenter, referring to the Eagles bouncing back from failing to win the Orange Coast League championship and ending cross-town rival Costa Mesa’s league title run, which now stands at six straight. “We have this thing, ‘L.B.A.T., Let’s Be A Team.’ Something clicked and we all just formed together.

“It gave us more motivation. It really helped us push a little farther, saying, ‘You know, we didn’t get our first goal, but we’ve made it, and we start from scratch, and we’re here to win.’”

Estancia sure pulled it off, allowing Crenshaw to let loose on the bus ride home.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].