DAILY PILOT CUP GIRLS 3-4 GOLD DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP:

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COSTA MESA — The girls who were there when the streak began graduated from Andersen Elementary years ago.

The Dolphins first won the girls’ third-and fourth-grade Gold Division crown at the Daily Pilot Cup in 2002. Many of the girls from that team can probably now drive, and those girls will be spending this summer getting ready for their junior year of high school.

But, for this year’s edition of the team, rewards are more immediate. Andersen added to its dynasty, winning its seventh straight girls’ third-and-fourth grade Gold Division title Sunday at the Costa Farm Complex.

The Dolphins defeated a determined Carden Hall team, 2-1, in a penalty-kick shootout, after regulation ended in a 1-1 tie.

“When we had our penalty kicks, I was really nervous,” said Andersen fourth-grader Caroline Bethel. “I didn’t know if we could do it. If we didn’t, we’d break up the tradition of winning the championship six years in a row.”

Bethel helped the Dolphins keep the streak alive, scoring their only goal in regulation. In the penalty kicks, Maddie Musselman then came up big for Andersen.

A midfielder during regulation, she played goalie during the shootout. Musselman also scored on the first penalty kick taken, then proceeded to block four of Carden Hall’s five attempts.

“I was really nervous,” Musselman said. “A lot of people were depending on me to block all the shots.”

She blocked all except Carden Hall’s third shot, which Liz Barbaresi scored into the upper-left corner to tie the shootout at 1-1. But, on the very next shot, Andersen’s Katherine Hess tapped a goal into the lower-right corner to give the Dolphins the lead back.

Neither team would score again in the shootout, and the streak would live on.

Carden Hall shocked Andersen late in the first half, when Maddie Kernan lofted a shot off the goalie’s hand and in to give Carden Hall the lead. It was the first time the Dolphins had trailed in the entire tournament.

But they kept fighting. On a pass from Madison Binder, Bethel scored in front of the net three minutes into the second half to tie the score at 1-1.

Carden Hall, playing with just a single substitute, had its best chance to retake the lead with four minutes left in regulation. Barbaresi’s hard shot went off goalie Katherine Hess’ hands, then off the left goal post. But Hess, who made 12 saves, recovered nicely to cover it up.

“After we’d been scored on, I was really upset, and everybody was really upset,” Hess said. “They went out and did it for me, because they wanted to make me happy because they knew it was frustrating for me to lose that goal. They played their hearts out.”

All tournament long, Andersen also benefited from the solid defense of Payton Carter, Maddie Ruiz, Heidi Ritner and Emily Taxman. Also contributing were Courtney Johnston, Gabrielle Stassart, Erin Hatch, Sierra Muelhauser, Katy Clemens and Alex Osterberg.

For Carden Hall, Barbaresi said the game was still fun. She, Kernan and Carden Hall defender Tara Morris play on a Slammers FC club team with their Andersen opponents Bethel and Musselman.

Katie Kearns and Kaylan Knitowski also played good defense for Carden Hall, which also benefited from Leila Modjatahedi’s nice runs and received contributions from Emily Peschong, Jaynie Hexberg and Julia Ackerman. Goalie Emily Goltz made 15 saves.

“We tried our hardest,” Barbaresi said. “Good job to the Andersen team, because they did a really great job and used a lot of teamwork.”

Andersen Coach Glenn Taxman, meanwhile, left the game slightly relieved but happy for his players.

“They fought for the school,” Taxman said. “All the boys’ teams got knocked out [before the finals] for Andersen this year, so it was up to the girls to bring it back home. They had a lot of pressure on them. They knew they had six in a row. They’d been reminded in the neighborhood the whole last week. It’s a lot for 9-year-olds to handle.

“They’ve been reminded by everybody, and us coaches have been reminded by everybody. We didn’t want to have to list our houses for sale.”

ANDERSEN

Katherine Hess

Caroline Bethel

Courtney Johnston

Gabrielle Stassart

Payton Carter

Madison Binder

Erin Hatch

Sierra Muelhauser

Heidi Ritner

Emily Taxman

Katy Clemens

Maddie Ruiz

Alex Osterberg

Maddie Musselman

Coach Glenn Taxman

Coach Jeff Bethel

CARDEN HALL

Liz Barbaresi

Emily Peschong

Leila Modjatahedi

Jaynie Hexberg

Maddie Kernan

Katie Kearns

Kaylan Knitowski

Julia Ackerman

Tara Morris

Emily Goltz

Coach Peter Barbaresi

Coach Ian Goltz

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or by e-mail at [email protected].