Varsity Highlights
Week #1 of League Play featured showdowns vs defending champs Morse and perenial front runners San Diego. The week got off to a slow start with undefeated Morse showcasing their championship ways on their home field (oh cursed one).
Their talented forwards were too much for us on their difficult home track, as they quickly jumped off to a 3-0 lead in the first half. After one of Coach Corr’s classic halftime talks, we climbed back into the match briefly thanks to a great cross from Jamerko Washington, to a styling header from Zach Koch. It appeared that we had shaken off our holiday rust as we proceded to challenge Morse at their own game early in the 2’nd half. A couple of unfortunate misplays though, put us back in a rut that was too deep to climb out. Overall, we showed improvement down the stretch that Morse will need to deal with when they come to our home turf for a rematch.
HillTop Tournament Highlights
Week #4 feature our first ever appearance in the prestigious Hilltop Tournament. Were were seeded into the Premier Division along with South Bay powers Castle Park, Chula Vista, and Bonita.
After day one we were in 2’nd place thanks to an impressive 2-0 shutout over Chula Vista. Jamerko Washington opened up the scoring with a “Well Done” header over the goalie. Enrique Anguiano set up the score with a great cross that caught our opponents off guard. The second goal came on a corner kick rebound shot off the talented foot of Jason Leach. That’s all the was needed, as our defense lead by goalie Austin Turner, shutout this high power scoring machine.
Day two feature a showdown of the top two teams in our pool. Mira Mesa vs South Bay power Bonita Vista High. A victory or tie would assure us of advancing to the medal round. The game turned out to be as exciting as the pre-game hype. Action was intense from the get go, with our Mira Mesa boys giving Bonita everything is could handle. Unfortunately, Bonita was able to crack the net a couple of times in the first half, thanks in part to a slippery field, and eventually closed out the match with stellar play. Coach Corr though was very encouraged by how well we matched up against this perennial power. Except for a couple of letdowns, our boys played Bonita to a stalemate throughout the majority of the game. All in all, this tournament was great preparation for our upcoming league play.
Next up was our first home league match vs always talented San Diego. It was time for our troops to show what they were made of in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. This time, our Mauraders came out sharp as they shut out their high scoring opponent throughout the first half. Great defensive play by our back line (Jason L, Enrique A. Thomas F., Eric P., and goalie Austin Turner)
kept us in the game, as our offense struggled some through the first half.
The second half though featured a far more aggresive attack that seemed to catch our opponents off guard. Consistent attacks led by forwards Dung L. Nicholas W., and Andrew V., along with midfielders Danil K., Michael W., Steven K, Jamerko W., gave the crowd plenty to cheer for, as our home team picked up the temp of the game. Unfortunately, a quick counter attack by San Diego resulted in a cheap goal that woud haunt us the rest of the game. We quickly countered with a flurry of attacks that featured a great shot by Steven Kalchik that grazed the crossbar (denying a sure goal), and a rebound strike by Andrew Vu that was headed into an open right side, only to stray just right of the goal. With time running out, our boys gave it their last shot, unfortunately to know avail. As the final whistle blew, we were forced to accept another great effort that somehow resulted in a frustrating loss. Overall though, this was one our best efforts of the year. Though the score reflected a loss, our fans left exhillerated thanks to a an exciting game that reflected the winning character of our team.
Highlights of the Week (#1 - #3 )!!!!
It appears that our bench is amazed at what they saw. Plenty of action in our first three weeks of play, highlighted by our great victory over West Hills (2-1). Players of the game included ; scorers Enrique Anguiano and Dung Lam along with defensive standouts Jason Leach and goalie Austin Turner.
Week #2 featured an exciting game vs LJCD on their home field. Though our team got off to a slow start (2-0 in first half), we battled back in the 2’nd half to score two goals and almost pull off a come from behind victory. A late goal by LJCD though sealed our fate. Dung Lam opened the scoring with a great breakaway goal, followed by Matt Favor’s precise penalty kick. Excellent midfielder play by Jason Leach and Jamerko Washington helped change the flow of the game in the second half.
We kicked off league play (Week #3) in style with a tough 0-1 loss against arch rival Scripps. The only goal came on a penalty kick goal by Scripps. A great team effort, considering that two of our starters had to leave in the first half due to injuries. Players of the game were defensive standout Nicholas Woo-Hoogenstyn along with goalie Austin Turner.
Week #2 started and finished in a promising note. Unfortunately the middle did us it. We started great against Pt. Loma (on their always difficult track) as we shutout this high scoring team throughout the first half. With a minute to go in the half though, Pt. Loma broke through with a wacky rebound goal. As the 2’nd half started our boys rebounded strong, by picking up the intensity on the offensive side of the game. We generated one attack after another with some very stylish play. It appeared that our boys were about to take the game back from our talented hosts. Unfortunately a counter attack caught us a little flat footed, as the home team managed to sneak another goal past us. This change in momentum seemed to stumble us some, as we faltered down the stretch uncharacteristically. Another tough loss left us a little discouraged.
Next up though was a home match against our crosstown rival Serra, that may have been one of the most exciting matches of the year. We started off great with our local boys applying constant pressure on the visitors, resulting in a goal scored off a corner kick. Things were looking up as we were off an running on a great game. Unfortunately (as has been the case throughout the season) a strange call from the whistle guys, gave Serra a very close direct kick that resulted in a undeserved goal for the visitors. The momentum seemed to immediately change as Serra proceeded to take over the flow of the first half. By halftime Serra had taken a 2-1 lead.
After some halftime adjustments, we proceeded to take over the game in the 2’nd half. Our marauders came out in the 2’nd half, as sharp as we have played all season. Wing midfielders Steven Kalchik, Andrew Vu, and Matt Favor combined with forwards Zach Koch and Enrique Anguiano. to create one dangerous attack after another. The defense (anchored by Dung Lam, Thomas Friday, Nicholas Woo-Hoogenstyn, and Jeremy Arceo) shut down the backside, giving our attack all the support the needed. Midway through the half, Matt Favor tied the game with a majesty crossing shot from 30 yards out. The crowd was on its feet as our boys were positioned to go for the jugular.
Unfortunately, a silly counter attack did us in again. We rebounded well, by taking the game back the rest of the way, though we were unable to crack the back of the net. A very difficult 3-2 loss to take. We had definitely controlled the game down the stretch,. only to come up a little short. On the positive side though, our home boys had displayed an attacking style that had been missing most of the season. Hopefully we will be able to build on this great effort.
Week #1 of League Play (Morse/San Diego)
Week #3 of League Play (@ Henry)
Week #3 featured away matches against Patrick Henry and highly ranked Scripps Ranch. The week got off to a slow start thanks to inordinate amount of injuries plaguing our starters, going into our match vs Henry. No problem, it was time for our reserves to step up and show off their skills. And step up was exactly what they did, slowing down the high powered Henry to one goal in the first half. Seniors Tony Manneh, Jeff Meilander, and Lester Espino, led the way with stellar play that inspired the rest of the team to step it up an extra notch. Juniors Drake Marquez and Charles Mersereau also filled in to help our young lineup match up well against our seasoned opponents. With 40 minutes to go things were looking up. Maybe our patchwork team would pull off the upset of the year.
Unfortunately our oppenents were able to wear us down as the 2’nd half unfolded. With only 2 subs available down the stretch, we were unable to sustain our first half performance as Henry went on to victory. Though disappointing, we were inspired by our young performers that showed us a glimpse of our future.
Week #3 of League Play (@ Scripps)
Next up was a rematch against highly ranked Scripps on their home field. Earlier in the year we pushed the Falcons to the limit, holding them to 0-0 tie deep into the 2’nd half, only to lose 1-0 in a heartbreaker. This time we were poised to come in and take care of unfinished business. With most of our starting lineup back (thanks to the great job our subs did in giving them the necessary time off), we came out smoking. We took over the game early with a majestic cross by (????) to the head of senior captain Nicholas Woo-Hoogenstyn that resulted in an inspirational goal. The visitors were caught off guard as our team showed off their talents and improved team play. This time around we were taking it to them. Unfortunately all of our new found attacking skills, resulted in some counter attacks that found their way into our goal.
Down 2-1 at half, we were still confident that we could come back at revenge our early season loss.
Though we continued to pressure our oppoents, their counter attack skills proved to be much for us to handle. Overall our boys played one of their best games of the year (at least with regard to attach), though the result did not show it. Seniors Thomas Friday, Jason Leach, Dung Lam, and of course Nicholas Woo-Hoogenstyn lead the way as we forced Scripps out of their game plan. Their experience and depth though wore us down in the end. Two tough losses, though two exciting inspirational games.
Week #2 of League Play (Pt. Loma/Serra)
Week #5 of League Play (The Rematch vs Pt. Loma)
Week #5 featured one of the most exciting matches of the year. In the first match with Pt. Loma, our boys shutout of the Pointers (what the heck is a Pointer ??), for the most of the first half. Unfortunately we faltered in the 2’nd half, allowing our opponents to pull away with minimal resistance. This time around our boys were determined to make ammends for this sloppy perfomance.
In front of a strong supported home crowd, our boys came out smoken!! (is that really a word ???), pressing our opponents throughout the first half. Numerous scoring opportunities had the home crowd on their feet throughout most of the first half. Our stellar play has the visitors scrambling to restore order. As our luck would have it though, Pt. Loma was able to get back into the game by countering our strong attack. Two unfortunate misplays of aggressiveness resulted into two impressive shots by our opponents that resulted into two goals. Though we had clearly outplayed the high powered Pointers, we went into halftime down 2-0.
The Comback (vs Pt. Loma) !!!
After regrouping at halftime, thanks to another inspiring pep talk by our coaching staff, our boys came out shaper than ever. Strong attack after strong attack finally resulted in a goal for the home team, sending the record home crowd into a tizzy. The exciting goal was a result of great teamwork . Goalie Austin Turner set the play into action with a precisely placed goal kick to Nicky on the front line, who in turn promptly broke free past the defense forcing the goalie to come out of the box. Nicky’s subsequent shot rebounded to Enrigue who finished off this exciting combination with a precise shot to the back of net, leaving Pt. Loma stunned. Unfortunately time ran out before we could finish the comeback. Though a tough loss, the play of the home team left everyone inspired. A great game that restored order in our season.
Weel #6 (Mira Mesa Thrashes League Rival Serra !!!!)
Week #6 featured the game of the year. Mira Mesa vs Serra for school lookalikes bragging rights. Comming off a well played match vs Pt. Loma, Mira Mesa look ripe for a late season victory that would showcase their true talents. With most of the squad healthy again (including Patrick Heidenreich who had been sidelined most of the year), it was apparent early on, that Serra would be in for a battle of the ages.
It didn’t take long for our Marauders to set the tone, with a great counter attack goal by Dung Lam early in the first half, set up by some excellent midfield play. As we continued to apply presssure on Serra’s defense, it was only a matter of time before our Marauders would add to their 1-0 lead. As Serra frantically tried to neutralize our contast attack, Matt Favor strategically one touched a loose to the back of the net (adding on to his team leading goal count). As the first half ended, our boys went to the sideline with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The second half proved to be more of the same, as our improved attacking scheme continued to overwhelm Serra on the home field. Enrique Anguiano and Jayson Leach netted two more goals midway through the 2’nd half, making this competition an apparent mismatch. As our bench rested seveal of our starters, Serra tried to get batch into the match. Impressively our reserves not only kept our opponents in check, they came close to expanding the lead several times over thanks to a flurry of scoring attempts (and some careless misses. I will not name names). As the whistle blew, our impressive Marauders had dispatched our opponents 4-1 in one of our best played matches of the year.
