Calvary breaks ground

COSTA MESA — As it headed toward something it had not accomplished since the Orange Coast League formed four seasons ago, the Calvary Chapel High boys’ soccer team acted, convincingly, as if it had been there before.

After scoring twice in the first 14 minutes of their eventual 4-0 Orange Coast League defeat of Estancia Wednesday at Orange Coast College, the Calvary players cavorted only briefly around each goal scorer, who for their part, remained unusually stoic as they progressed back toward midfield for the ensuing kickoff.

“Back to business,” was how Calvary Coach Randy Lack described the virtual lack of post-goal revelry.

There was, in fact, some recent history to justify such reserve in the face of mounting momentum.

Calvary had, after all, seen Estancia score late in their last three meetings to either salvage a tie or break a deadlock to claim victory.

“Estancia is a great team,” Lack said. “They have a way of never letting themselves get panicked ... and they always seem to find a way to beat us. Last time [the Orange Coast League opener on Jan. 8, when Estancia scored in the first minute of extra time to break a scoreless deadlock and win, 1-0] we didn’t capitalize on our opportunities and they made us pay.”

This time, it was Calvary which continued to reap offensive dividends, as it led, 3-0, by the 17th minute and added the only goal after halftime to avenge two losses to Estancia this season.

It was the first time Calvary Chapel has beaten Estancia since they aligned in the Orange Coast League before the 2006-07 season.

“We’ve tied them, but we’ve never beaten them,” Lack said of the recent league history between the two schools, both nicknamed the Eagles. “So, this was nice.”

Senior Kevin Kiser scored in the fifth minute from just outside the 18-yard box, then junior Scooter Morris scored consecutive goals in the 14th and 17th minute. Morris allowed himself a celebratory fist pump after his second goal, which allowed the hosts to pack in their defense and frustrate Estancia, which had outscored foes, 30-12, during a 9-1-1 streak coming into Wednesday.

The loss, however, drops Estancia (10-8-3, 3-2 in league) into second place, one point behind Costa Mesa (3-1-1), which beat Laguna Beach Wednesday.

Estancia, playing without standouts J.J. Rodriguez and Baggio Dominguez, who were sitting out after receiving red-card ejections in Friday’s 5-0 win over Costa Mesa, may have been humbled by the setback, Estancia Coach Robert Castellano said.

“The guys were on cloud nine after the last win, but I think this kind of woke them up a little bit,” Castellano said. “We’re not where we’re supposed to be in league [Estancia has won the first three Orange Coast crowns]. We can’t afford to lose anymore.”

Castellano singled out sophomore midfielder Alan Anaya for his strong play.

Nine Estancia players took shots as the visitors posted a 16-10 advantage in that department.