Estancia settles for tie

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA — No one from Estancia High’s side had to look hard to see the more ideal soccer field below.

It had a nice, smooth playing surface, lights above just in case it got dark, everything seemed in place.

Estancia never stepped on the field at powerhouse Santa Margarita Friday.

One of Santa Margarita’s lower-level programs used the home stadium.

“I’m a grass person,” Santa Margarita Coach Wade Fraser said was his reason not to play on the turf. “That field is very narrow down there.”

If that were the case, the field Santa Margarita used was more appropriate for 5-year-old boys.

Estancia played the No. 1-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Division I preseason coaches’ poll in the outfield of a baseball field.

This was soccer’s version of a half-court basketball game.

Three-time-defending section champ Santa Margarita needed the home-field advantage to tie Estancia, 2-2, in a nonleague match.

When the final whistle blew, Estancia Coach Gannon Burks yelled out “Great escape!” toward Santa Margarita even though his team had to flee.

Estancia (4-0-2), ranked No. 8 in Division IV, had a good reason to rush the bus. Estancia had another match to play in 90 minutes and in another city.

On the way to the Irvine Challenge to face Northwood in pool play, Estancia had to forget about the missed opportunity.

No one denied that Santa Margarita (1-0-2) dodged its first defeat.

“We were fortunate to get a late goal there,” Fraser said.

Estancia controlled most of the match until a foul in the box allowed Santa Margarita to even the score in the 75th minute.

Striker John Atkinson converted a penalty kick, ticking off Burks because of the questionable call coming on a dark field.

“Two calls changed the match,” Burks said. “They get two calls that give them [a first-half goal on a direct free kick outside the box and the late goal on a penalty kick].

“I’ve never beaten these guys and that’s the thing that kind of stings.”

Burks was on his way to earning his first victory against Santa Margarita in his six years at Estancia.

Instead, Burks recorded his second tie.

The small field favored a taller Santa Margarita team and goalkeeper Billy Thompson. The senior is the lone returning starter off last season’s section championship team and he routinely blasted balls past midfield and toward Estancia’s box.

Thompson had a better chance of assisting on a goal than his teammates.

“On that big large field down right there,” said Burks, pointing toward the stadium, “we would spread them apart and that would even make them even more vulnerable.

“They’re ranked No. 1 [in Division I]. We’re a Division IV team. The math would say they’re supposed to dominate us, but I believe in my team.”

Estancia never feared Santa Margarita.

Striker Jose Reyes gave Estancia a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute. A hand-ball violation in the box on Santa Margarita set Estancia up with a penalty kick.

Reyes converted it, beating Thompson to his left.

Santa Margarita responded four minutes later, when Estancia was called for a foul just outside the box.

That set up Myles Whitaker’s match-tying goal.

In the 25th minute, striker Jesus Garcia took a pass from Jorge Olivas and he turned it on.

The senior dribbled left, past a defender, getting him closer to the left post and almost parallel with the keeper.

On the run, Garcia decided to send a left-footed shot toward the far right post. It worked beautifully as Estancia took a 2-1 lead.

“We really wanted to beat them,” Garcia said. “It’s pretty tough knowing that we had the win and we just let it slip away in the last five minutes.

“To me, there’s no difference [in playing on this field or the one below]. We’ll play wherever and whenever.”

Burks is glad Garcia feels that way because Garcia and his teammates have to be at Estancia by 6:15 a.m. today.

“I told my players after beating Northwood, 3-1, that we would have to play at 8 a.m. the next day,” said Burks, whose team will play Irvine, making it Estancia’s third match in the last 17 hours. “They were surprised.”

Not as much as playing Santa Margarita in a field better suited for AYSO.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].