Arianna Presley lifts Mariners girls’ soccer to comeback win over Andersen in Daily Pilot Cup opener

It was great soccer weather at Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex on Wednesday, not too hot and not too cold with sunshine and a slight breeze for the second day of the 20th annual Daily Pilot Cup.

It was also a great day at the tournament for Newport Beach Mariners Elementary, the defending third- and fourth-grade girls’ champion.

Arianna Presley scored three goals, and Mia Knox added a goal for Mariners as it opened the tournament with a 4-2 win over Newport Beach Andersen.

All three of Presley’s goals came in the second half to help her team come back from a 1-0 deficit. She was quick to praise her teammates and opponents.

“We played really well, good pressure and good sportsmanship,” she said. “[Andersen] played with a lot of effort and heart.”

Andersen Elementary’s McCall Whitmer, left, celebrates with Ella Olson, second to left, after Olson scored a goal in a girls’ third- and fourth-grade Gold Division pool-play match against Mariners at the Daily Pilot Cup on Wednesday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

Striker Ella Olson scored both goals for Andersen, while goalkeeper Emily Solarczyk had a remarkable six-save performance in the loss.

The game opened with a sustained attack by the Dolphins, who weren’t intimidated by the defending champions. Olson had the game’s first chance, a sharp angle shot to the right of Mariner keeper Zoe Hutchinson that just missed the far side of the net.

The momentum turned midway through the first half as Mariners sustained an offensive attack that forced Solarczyk to make three saves off chances by Knox.

Solarczyk fed off the praise from her teammates.

“It just felt good that everyone was cheering me on,” she said.

The Dolphins started the scoring in the 18th minute when Olson settled a loose ball at midfield and streaked toward goal, striking a shot off her left foot.

Mariners Elementary’s Mia Knox, right, battles for a ball against Andersen’s Reese Pluma in a girls’ third- and fourth-grade Gold Division pool-play match at the Daily Pilot Cup on Wednesday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

Knox didn’t let her team’s slow start get to her.

“I felt nervous, but I was very confident,” she said. “We passed, talked and worked together really well.”

In the 29th minute, Presley pounded a loose ball past Solarczyk to tie the game at 1-1. A minute later, Knox took a feed from Hayden Coady and scored on a sliding shot to the top corner for a 2-1 lead.

The Dolphins drew even in the 32nd minute when Olson stole the ball from the defense and slid another left-footed shot into the bottom-right corner of the net to tie the game at 2-2.

Mariners took a 3-2 lead in the 38th minute when Presley scored her second, off a scrum in front of the net. She added her third goal in the 40th minute with some quick footwork at the top of the 18-yard box and a long shot that squeaked by Solarczyk to bring the score to 4-2.

Despite the loss, Dolphins coach Tom Bottiaux saw Solarczyk keep his team in the game.

“She did absolutely excellent,” said Bottiaux, whose team faces Newport Heights on Friday in a pool-play match at 5:30 p.m. “Two of those goals were unsavable.”

Olson also praised Solarczyk.

“She was incredible,” Olson said. “I couldn’t believe some of the balls she blocked.”

Mariners coach Mike Coady saw his team’s success turn on the efforts of Knox and Presley.

“They both have a lot of experience,” said Coady, whose team plays Corona del Mar Harbor Day on Thursday in pool play at 6:30 p.m. “They know how to play the game and find the open spots and capitalize on the open shots.”

Mariners Elementary’s Valery Verdugo, left, and Arianna Presley, right, celebrate with Mia Knox after she scored a goal against Andersen in a girls’ third- and fourth-grade Gold Division pool-play match at the Daily Pilot Cup on Wednesday.

(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

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ANTHONY CIARDELLI is a contributor to Times Community News.