Mira Costa’s Thomas Southey celebrates the Mustangs’ 1-0 win over Los Alamitos in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
LOS ALAMITOS — Mira Costa’s high-intensity, heavy-pressure approach was too much for Los Alamitos in its CIF Southern Section boys soccer playoff game Saturday, and the visiting Mustangs earned a quarterfinal showdown with the nation’s No. 1-ranked team.
Elias Kraus finished succinctly from a long free kick into the Griffins’ box just before halftime, lifting the Mustangs to a 1-0 second-round victory at Los Alamitos High.
Mira Costa’s Jack Walter makes the save as the Mustangs take on Los Alamitos in the CIF playoffs in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ Logan Manfro tries to keep the ball from Mira Costa’s Carson Steinmetz as the two teams battle it out in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ CJ Pycior blocks the ball as Mira Costa’s Ben Moglia tries to head it in the goal as the Griffins battle the Mustangs in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Mira Costa’s Joe Staszkow make a save as the Mustangs take on Los Alamitos in the CIF Division 1 playoffs in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ CJ Pycior tries to score one for the Grffins as they take on Mira Costa in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Mira Costa celebrates its 1-0 win over Los Alamitos in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Mira Costa’s Julian Berney slides into Los Alamitos’ Brian Arena as he tries to kick the ball away as the two teams battle it out in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Mira Costa’s Kenneth Yap tries to kick the ball away from Los Alamitos’ Mathew Kraus as the Mustangs take on the Griffins in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Mira Costa’s Julian Berney heads the ball away from Los Alamitos’ Joshua Lee as the Griffins take on the Mustangs in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Mira Costa’s Thomas Southey celebrates the Mustangs’ 1-0 win over Los Alamitos in the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Mira Costa’s Thomas Southey tries to keep the ball from Los Alamitos’ Joshua Lee as the Mustangs battle the Griffins in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ Adrian Vera tries to steal the ball from Mira Costa’s Max Wippich as the Griffins take on the Mustangs in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ CJ Pycior makes the save as the Griffins take on Mira Costa in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ Alberto Gomez tries to keep the ball from Mira Costa’s Ben Moglia as the two teams battle it out in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ Noah Walker looks to get the ball past Mira Costa’s Jack Crawford as the Griffins take on the Mustangs in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Mira Costa’s Dylan Engals tries to get the ball from Los Alamitos’ Adrian Vera as the two teams battle it out in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Los Alamitos’ Ryan Ware looks to steal the ball from Mira Costa’s Jack Crawford as the Griffins take on the Mustangs in Los Alamitos, CA, on Saturday, May 15, 2021. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
The Mustangs (12-1-3) dominated the midfield duels and played easily out of pressure most of the way, and their reward is a quarterfinal clash with top-seeded Cathedral (15-0-0) in downtown L.A. on Wednesday. Cathedral was a 3-0 winner over Millikan on Saturday.
“When we’re playing our game, they know to pass. Even if we lose, I want them to play beautiful,” said assistant coach Al Brown, Mira Costa’s de facto technical director. “We’re trying to move the ball around, and for most of this game, I was just super-proud of the way we composed ourself on the ball. We’ve got to figure out how to score a few more goals.”
Michael Crisera was nearly flawless in leading Mira Costa’s midfield success — with Tanner Mendelsohn and Julian Berney in support — and that prowess led to plenty of chances against a very strong defensive opponent while leaving the Griffins (9-6-1) grasping for opportunities that rarely arrived when they reached their attacking third.
It was an energetic and largely entertaining clash, often played at a breakneck pace, and the Mustangs were a foot better all over the field, although the result wasn’t certain until the finish.
Los Alamitos’ best weapon was goalkeeper C.J. Pycior, who also took the free kicks — even those in Mira Costa territory — and he might have equalized just before second-half stoppage arrived had his free kick from the right, just outside the box, been a foot and a half lower.
Kraus’ 35th-minute strike, after settling Mendelsohn’s 45-yard free kick to the top of the Griffins’ box, was a gut punch for the home team and provided a foundation for Mira Costa’s second-half dominance.
“Give them credit. They came to fight,” Los Alamitos coach Donovan Martinez said. “They’re big, they’re strong, and every single ball in the air they won, and they’d win challenges in midfield and out of them were able to connect passes and keep a little bit of possession. … We started off well and were starting to find a rhythm, but when that goal happened, it really deflated us, and we came out a little bit less aggressive (in the second half).”
The Mustangs had several chances before Kraus tallied, but Pycior parried Thomas Southey’s blast at the left post in the 13th minute, got a piece of Mendelsohn’s header from a Julien Peterman cross in the 20th, and corralled Southey’s header off the Mendelsohn corner kick that followed.
Southey, a handful for the Griffins’ defense, did hit the net two minutes into the second half, but he was flagged offside. And Andrew Navarro hit the top of the crossbar from 30 yards in the 55th minute.
Los Alamitos came closest two minutes after that, when Jakob Singh nodded a Pycior free kick from 25 yards over the crossbar. The backline, led by Caleb Wallis and Jack Crawford, conceded very little.
Cathedral, which captured the CIF Southern California Regional Division I title last year, provides a difficult challenge, especially on their hard, compact field.
“It’s a great feeling to (win two playoff games),” Crisera said, “but the job’s not done.”
