Messi or Ronaldo. Saints midfielder leads win against Pilgrim

He chipped the ball over an out-rushing goalie like Lionel Messi. He fired low and hard from the edge of the box like Cristiano Ronaldo. He rounded the goalie and gently pushed the ball into the net, a typical Ronaldo maneuver.

With three goals, Hosea Ashcraft channeled the kings of Barcelona and Real Madrid to lead the Lighthouse Christian Academy to its second season win against Pilgrim School of Los Angeles on Friday night at Lincoln Middle School field in Santa Monica.

With the 5-0 bashing, LCA is calming qualms that the new crop of kids -- without last year's superstars -- wouldn't conjure Ws.

It must be acknowledged that Pilgrim fielded a team of nine players, always a formula for avalanche. But they had talent and gallons of effort.

Independent of its two-man advantage, Lighthouse showed significant progress over its first game. The team clicked better and improved its competence.

It may be that a few qualified players declined to join the team this year because of cynicism -- without last year's two senior stars, they anticipated disappointed and opted out.

Instead of the anticipated loss of playing panache, new players have arisen and filled the void. There's Bryan Gutierrez, a sophomore who didn't figure large in last year's roster. On Friday, he was at the right place at the right time to connect with a pass from Hosea and smash home to open scoring.

There's Ethan Zerihun, a sophomore who's earned the moniker of the recovery king. Slinging in from the wing, he has dispossessed opponents over and over. It was Ethan's initiative that led to a goal Tuesday against Highland Hall. On Friday, he was back at it with an impeccable work ethic, stealing from opponents and returning Lighthouse to assault.

There's Stephen Lahood, a freshman, who grew into a big kid this year and put into practice the lessons he learned as a tyke in Mar Vista soccer. There's Joey Catalano, a sophomore who cracked the formidable first team last year and continues great. There's Ryan Zepeda, a kid told he was no good at soccer at his old school. (Man, were they ever wrong!)

Stronger tests await Lighthouse. But under Coach Junior Cervantes, who was a star on Santa Monica College's playoff-advancing team this year, they can expect to continue to improve to meet the challenges ahead. Already, they are exceeding expectations. Who knows? They might surprise the pessimists.

And if Hosea and internationally-born fellow stars Mosie and Josie Bowen continue their dominant form, good things can happen. Mosie picked up a ball on the edge of the area and fired high and hard to score LCA's fifth and final goal. Josie, manning the defensive line, used his skill and muscle to shut down Pilgrim's attack. Goal-keeper Jordan Shepherd hardly had any work to do.

Pictured: Hosea Ashcraft with Coach Junior Cervantes. Full disclosure notification: Hosea is this reporter's son.