SOCCER
AYSO Region 97
Boys under 12
Newport 1, Tustin 0: The Newport Mavericks completed their run through the boys’ under-12 Area Q playoffs with a championship victory over a solid Tustin team.
The area championship, which is the third in the last four seasons for the boys, was sealed with a score from Carson Poivre and shutout goal tending by Ryan Braun.
Braun, who made several one-on-one saves throughout the match, had plenty of solid defense in front of him led by Caleb O’Neil, who had his most solid effort of the season. Alongside O’Neil on the defensive front were Dominik Folkner, Brett Tafoya and Emmanuel Jogwe.
Meanwhile, the attackers applied pressure all game long until Poivre connected in the third frame. Led by strikers Baron Davis and Jehu Jogwe, the Tustin team was on its heels all game long. The midfield was controlled by the aggressiveness of Kevin Tellez, Riley Gaddis, Byron Gutierrez, Jack Binford, David Schaefer and Sawyer Farmer. In the end the boys proudly displayed their gold medals and disbursed to prepare to face one another in the upcoming Daily Pilot Cup, which begins May 27. The group represents players from Mariners Elementary (Binford, Braun, Davis, Folkner, and Tafoya), Kaiser Elementary (Gutierrez, Poivre, and Tellez), Newport Heights Elementary (Jogwe), Carden Hall (Farmer and Gaddis), and Mariners Christian (Schaefer).
Girls under 12
Newport Beach 3, Costa Mesa 0: Newport finished the Area Q Spring Select playoffs as champions with a hard fought victory over a very good team from Costa Mesa. Kenya Avila got Newport on the scoreboard first when she found the net on her shot off an assist from Lea Phillips. McKenna Johnson, the Chargers free kick specialist, scored a short while later on her corner kick that split the defense and sailed past the goalkeeper. Kate McFetters added the third and final goal in the third quarter with assists from Britney Myers and Avila. It was a great team effort for Newport with strong defensive play by Jenna Nulty, Berkley Van Oostendorp, Emily Cook and Leah Castillo. Katelyn Mead and Kathryn DelaTorre played very well at their midfield positions, shutting down the opponents attack and setting up their teammates on the offensive end. Megan Daly kept the pressure on the Costa Mesa defense with her ball handling and passing at the right forward position. Tyler Stupor played one her best games of the year, making great decisions and stopping several dangerous scoring chances for the opponents.
