Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: Esaul Mendoza

Tony Altobelli

COSTA MESA - Estancia High boys soccer coach Steve Crenshaw says

his team usually needs a few games before his team’s offense is able to

find the back of the net.

That’s a pretty scary thought considering the numbers the Eagles have

put up this season, thanks in large part to senior Esaul (pronounced

es-sa-ool) Mendoza.

In the five games played thus far, Estancia has put up a whopping 21

goals, while holding their opponents to only four.

All Mendoza has done is score 11 of those goals, helping to lead the

troops to a 3-1-1 record for the young season.

“He’s a very incredibly skilled player,” Coach Steve Crenshaw said

about his senior forward/midfield player. “Pound for pound, he’s probably

one of the best all-around players in the area.”

Crenshaw should know, since he’s coached Mendoza since he was a

youngster playing on club soccer teams.

“Our family has always played soccer,” Mendoza said. “My dad and my

uncles played, so I just started playing and I really liked it.”

Despite his rather small frame (5-foot-5, 130 pounds), Mendoza is a

giant when it comes to understanding the game and always being one step

ahead of his opponents.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in practice working on my ball-handling

skills and on my 1-on-1 play,” Mendoza said. “I enjoy learning new moves

and always want to keep on learning.

Those new moves are paying off for the Eagles. In their first three

games, wins over Aliso Niguel, Orange Lutheran and Saddleback, they

outscored their opponents, 20-0, with Mendoza scoring half of the goals.

“He can really shake things up out there,” Crenshaw said. “He creates

his own opportunities. When Esaul and the rest of team start feeling it

early, they’re like sharks on a feeding frenzy.”

Mendoza believes that this is the year for the team, especially the

seniors to take their game to another level and play all out for the

Pacific Coast League title and beyond.

“A lot of the team is graduating at the end of this year, so we’re

really working harder and our focus is really there,” Mendoza said. “I

think that’s been the biggest difference in our start of this season.”

But looking at the other side of the scores, the Eagles also did not

allow a single goal in those first three games.

“I shuffle Esaul between forward and midfield so he stays pretty busy

out there,” Crenshaw said.

Despite the high number of goals, Mendoza does not want to be a

one-dimensional player.

“I also want to be one known as a good defensive player as well,”

Mendoza said. “Playing midfield allows me to try to control the game and

keep the other team off our side of the field.”

Being one of the team captains, Mendoza likes to lead by example and

prefers to find the positives instead of harping on the negatives with

his teammates.

“I don’t like fooling around in practice,” Mendoza said. “I try to

just go out there and show the younger guys how to do it. If they need my

help, I’ll point out what they’re doing right and work from there.”

His coach agrees.

“If he sees something wrong on the field, he’ll take the bull by the

horns and fix whatever the problem is,” Crenshaw said. “He’ll do his

share of chatting out there, but he likes to lead by his work ethic.”

Mendoza was a second-team, All-PCL selection as a sophomore and junior

and looks for bigger and better things for himself and the team.

“Obviously, I hope to score WAY more goals,” Mendoza said. “And for

the team, I would love to see us win league and win CIF. Hopefully this

is the team to do it.”

Mendoza gives Crenshaw a bulk of the credit for his work ethic and his

relentless drive.

“Discipline is the biggest thing I’ve learned from coach,” Mendoza

said. “Make sure you never give up and that if you get down, to do more

and more to try to get back.”