Duffy worthy of reel

COSTA MESA — As of Tuesday, Dan Johnston will always open the first practice for his Costa Mesa High girls’ soccer team the same way.

He will play highlights of senior Caitlin Duffy.

After last season, Duffy’s father gave the 15-year Mustangs coach a highlight reel of the season that earned his daughter Golden West League Defensive Most Valuable Player. He showed the compilation of plays to last season’s team, much to the embarrassment of Duffy.

This year, he said he will spare her the grief. Instead, it will serve as motivation for future Mustangs. Duffy’s play in a 5-2 Orange Coast League victory over Estancia Tuesday, ensured that this year’s version will once again overflow with determination.

Duffy helped hold Costa Mesa, which improved to 9-7-7, 3-1-2 in league and took over sole possession of first place, intact throughout a match, the majority of which the Mustangs spent down a player and for the final 10 minutes down two players.

“She is the epitome of the word relentless,” Johnston said. “Caitlin Duffy was flying all over the place. She picked it up on both sides of the ball. She was down on the attack and then she was right back on defense. She hits the ground hard and bounces right back up.”

While Duffy provided the grit, sophomores Ayla Medina and Kyra Graham brought the glitz. The duo combined for four goals and four assists, having a foot in on each of the five goals the Mustangs scored.

“She hears me and she listens to me,” said Medina of Graham who assisted on both of her goals. “I yell ‘I’m open.’ She looks up and she gets it to me. We just have to keep playing like this game, playing with intelligence. We have to challenge for every ball and play really physical.”

The Eagles closed to within 5-3, with 10 minutes remaining on a penalty kick from an intentional hand ball, which drew a red card and put the Mustangs at only nine players on the field. The intensity and physical play grew from that point.

“[The referees] really didn’t call a lot of stuff,” Medina said. “[The Eagles] just wanted to get back into it. They probably got frustrated. They had an advantage but didn’t take it.”

Duffy, a four-year starter, said the physical play was just representative of the cross-town rivalry.

“Estancia is our rival so it’s expected,” said Duffy, who also had her attention directed toward the postseason. “I have confidence in our team to make the playoffs. We just have to keep working hard.”

For Estancia, the loss dealt a crushing blow to its playoff hopes a year after making the postseason for the first time in 12 seasons. The Eagles dropped to 1-4-1 in league after going 8-5 in the preseason, defeating the Mustangs twice in the process.

After the game the Estancia sideline was silent.

“We didn’t talk about anything, the score says it all,” senior defender Bridget Gleason said. “I wish I knew what was wrong. If I knew, we would’ve fixed it by now. We’ve been saying we want to turn it around for weeks.”

With three games left to play, Estancia is in fourth place and in need of a second-place finish to make the playoffs.

“We’ve got to come out and open a game ready to play,” Eagles Coach Steve Crenshaw said. “There is not a team in this league we shouldn’t beat. They score on us early and we play defense and don’t show how we can really play. We have to take control from the opening whistle.”

Costa Mesa junior Sam Strodel scored the first goal four minutes in. In the 20th minute, the Mustangs already had a 3-0 lead.

The Mustangs will be without junior midfielder Marina Lazos and senior sweeper Mikyla Lux for their game against second-place Laguna Beach, at 3 p.m. Thursday at home, due to red cards.

Johnston said his outside midfield rotation of sophomore Brooke Urmson, senior Rachel Dinsdale and senior Courtney Lindberg helped maintain the lead while the Mustangs were shorthanded. Junior Katie Finn made 12 saves and senior Cyndi Mendoza replaced Finn due to injury with 10 minutes remaining and kept Estancia out of the goal.

Estancia plays host to third-place Calvary Chapel Thursday at 3 p.m.