Costa Mesa needed a jolt to start Thursday evening’s girls’ soccer showdown with archrival Estancia, soon wrested command from the Eagles, then dominated play after the break to claim the Bell for a sixth successive season.
Emiley Davis set up Kassandra Ramirez’s equalizer about midway through the second half, then netted the winner nine minutes later from a set piece to lead the Mustangs to a 2-1 victory in the earliest of Battle for the Bell deciders.
Costa Mesa (3-2) fell behind just six minutes in, then surrendered just one more legitimate chance — and not until the end — as the longtime Orange Coast League adversaries faced off for the first time since assigned to different leagues to start this school year. That left it to just one game, so early in the campaign, to determine where the Bell would reside.
Costa Mesa’s Kassandra Ramirez (14) eyes the ball between Estancia’s Tatum Cowie (6) and Aisleen Avalos (21) on Thursday.
(James Carbone)
“You want to treat it as any other game, so you can play normal and not let this rivalry get to you,” Costa Mesa coach Jason Boyce said. “But it’s always sweet at the end. It’s a bummer [that we’re playing this now], it’s a shame [we’re not in the same league], and I hope they can bring it back.”
Estancia (0-3), with eight starters from last year’s CIF Southern Section Division 5 title-winners, were in control at the start and took a quick lead when Evelyn Maya chipped into an open net from outside the box after goalkeeper Estellina Yurada came well off her line to deny forward Jana Akins’ superb individual effort.
Estancia’s Kayla Rocha (18) gets control of the ball against Costa Mesa in the Battle for the Bell girls’ soccer match.
(James Carbone)
Akins went down with an ankle injury a few minutes later, and the Eagles were soon chasing the game.
“I think we got a little shaken up with our forward going down, and it completely changes [without her],” Estancia coach Josh Juarez said. “We were confident to start, and when we saw Jana go down, I think we lost a little confidence, and it was hard to get it back. Once you start giving a team like Mesa some confidence and you start sitting back and they start to push forward, it’s hard to regain that.”
Estancia’s Estephanie Lomas (15) runs to defend against Costa Mesa’s Allison Trask (4) in the Battle for the Bell on Thursday.
(James Carbone)
The Mustangs owned midfield largely behind Riley Ogo’s smart, simple distribution, Tatiana Aguilar’s flank running, and Davis’ direct play, and it led to two good chances — a Davis header from Grace Boyce’s cross that goalkeeper Abby McIntyre parried off the crossbar and Ramirez’s blast past the right post — before halftime.
Costa Mesa built a 12-1 shot advantage for the second half and were unfortunate to strike just twice. Ramirez got the equalizer in the 58th minute, finishing deftly after McIntyre spilled Davis’ long shot from the right. The second goal came from a 25-yard free kick in the 67th minute, Davis arcing the ball over the keeper and into the net.
“I just hit it where the goalie wasn’t,” Davis said.
Costa Mesa’s Gianna Matian (15) dribbles the ball against Estancia in the Battle for the Bell girls’ soccer match on Thursday.
(James Carbone)