Santa Margarita’s Cora Fry, left, attempts to keep the ball from JSerra’s Bailey Badraun during a girls soccer game at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
By Lou Ponsi | Correspondent / Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:
[Editor’s note: The story has been updated to correct the name of the goalkeeper for Santa Margarita.]
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA — Santa Margarita girls soccer coach Craig Bull coach found a way for the Eagles to win every game in the nonleague portion of its schedule.
Now, two games into play in the Trinity League, arguably the best league in the county, the Eagles’ first-year coach seems to be doing the same thing.
Angelina Moschetti’s goal in the first half was all the scoring the Eagles needed in a 1-0 victory over previously unbeaten JSerra in a Trinity League contest Saturday at Santa Margarita High School.
Santa Margarita’s Angelina Moschetti, center, is congratulated by her teammates after she scored the game’s only goal against JSerra during a girls soccer game at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Margarita’s Molly MacMillan, left, and JSerra’s Kaylee Shozi go after the ball during a girls soccer game at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Margarita’s Molly MacMillan, left, and JSerra’s Bella Stewart, right, go after the ball during a girls soccer game at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
JSerra’s goalkeeper Maysen Veronda, left, goes up to block a corner kick as Santa Margarita’s Kendall Memoly, center, attempts to control the ball during a girls soccer game at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
JSerra’s Bailey Badraun and Santa Margarita’s Cora Fry, left, chase after the ball during a girls soccer game at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Margarita’s Kendall Memoly, #7, left, takes an unsuccessful shot on goal during a girls soccer game against JSerra at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Margarita’s Kendall Memoly, left, and JSerra’s Sarah Griffin, right, battle for the ball during a girls soccer game at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Margarita’s Molly MacMillan, left, and JSerra’s Maya Woolforde, right, chase the ball during a girls soccer game at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
JSerra’s Kaylee Shozi, left, and Santa Margarita’s Cora Fry, right, fall to the field as they battle for the ball during a girls soccer game at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Margarita’s Angelina Moschetti, left, is congratulated by her teammates after she scored the game’s only goal against JSerra during a girls soccer game at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Margarita’s Head Coach Craig Bull talks with his team during half time of a girls soccer game against JSerra at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
JSerra’s Head Coach Anjel Brown talks with her team prior to a girls soccer game at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday, January 7, 2023. Santa Margarita won the game 1-0. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
With Santa Margarita (11-0-1, 2-0) ranked No. 5 in Division 1/2 of the CIF Southern Section, the victory comes against the Eagles’ highest ranked opponent of the season in the Lions (9-1-1), who are ranked No. 11.
“We had a game plan today that we stuck to,” Bull said. “Even though some of the calls didn’t go our way, the girls really stuck to it and didn’t get frustrated. I’m very happy with the way the girls played.”
Moschetti’s goal came in the 15th minute on a kick from the left side of the goal that sent the ball on an angle into the right corner of the goal.
The goal came on a pass from Faith George.
“It was 100 percent a team goal,” Moschetti said. “Craig (Ball) was saying, ‘Shoot it. Shoot it.’ So I took my time, made sure I found the goal, top corner, right foot, which is actually my non dominant foot.”
On defense, the Eagles neutralized the Lions’ two freshman forwards, Peyton Marinos, who leads the team with eight goals, and Maya Woolforde, who is tied with Marinos for the team lead in assists with three.
Ball coaches Woolforde on his club team.
“It’s much easier having Maya on your team than having to coach against her,” Ball said.
After having no legitimate scoring chances in the first half, the Lions had some opportunities in the second.
JSerra’s best scoring chances came in the final 20 minutes. The first was on a shot from Kenzie Herzing that went wide right of the goal by a few feet, and the second came on a hard shot from Marinos that went straight to Eagles junior goalkeeper Ruby Berg.
“They’ve got fantastic forwards,” Ball said. “And so when you are playing against forwards on that level, you can’t stop them for an entire game. We defended as a team. We double-teamed where we could.”
The Eagles also did a good job playing keep away with sharp passing in the final minutes.
“I told them that every (league) game is going to be tough,” JSerra second-year coach Anjel Brown said. “Every team is looking good. It is always hard to play at Santa Margarita.”
