Mira Costa may have lost a lot of talent from last year’s Bay League championship squad, but Coach Jon Reichardt doesn’t rebuild his team, he just reloads.
The young Mustangs, who are relying on freshmen, sophomores and juniors to help take the load off seniors Jake Miller-Tolt, Finn Pardon, Anders Khaykin and Adam Zaun, have been impressive early in the season.
Ranked No. 7 in CIF-SS Division 2, Mira Costa has already put itself in the driver’s seat in the Bay League race with a 13-5 victory at rival ninth-ranked Palos Verdes.
Seven different players scored for the Mustangs who were led by Pardon’s four-goal performance.
“The win against PV was good because it was only our second game of the season,” Reichardt said. “We played as good as we could have for how little experience we had.”
The Mustangs then finished third in the 32-team AFC Tournament in San Diego, losing a 9-8 overtime game in the semifinals to eventual champion Coronado. Tolt-Miller and Pardon were named to the All-Tournament team.
“Jake Miller-Tolt and Finn Pardon have been our best players so far,” Reichardt said. “They have been leading us on both sides of the ball. Our crew of goalies (led by Khaykin and Zaun) has been awesome as well.”
Mira Costa hosts a much improved Redondo team on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 3 p.m. in another key Bay League contest. The Mustangs will then host Dana Hills, the No. 2 team in Division 2, at noon on Saturday.
Mira Costa will conclude its series with Palos Verdes when the Mustangs host the Sea Kings on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Redondo, who also competed in the AFC Tournament, won its first Bay League game with an 11-9 victory over visiting Peninsula.
The Sea Hawks were led by Cade Bruno who recorded six goals in the win. Goalkeeper Spencer Malone-White will play a key role for Redondo this season who played at Palos Verdes on Tuesday before traveling to Mira Costa.
Redondo coach Chris Murin has also been pleased with the play of Chris Kirchner and Blaze Bird.
“Mira Costa appears to be solid this year,” Murin said. “I don’t think Redondo has beat Mira Costa in over 15 years but I expect them to be physical and prepared. We hope to match that.”
The Sea Hawks continue Bay League action on Wednesday, Oct. 14 when they host West at 3 p.m.
