The Leahi 91 Premier girls soccer team, a squad rich with some of the top players in Hawai'i, couldn't overcome a poor performance yesterday.

Leahi lost to the Mustang Mavericks of California-North, 3-1, in an under-17 match on day two of pool play at the U.S. Youth Soccer Far West Regionals at the Waipi'o Peninsula Soccer Park.

"I told them after the game I thought we started off well but made some silly mental mistakes," Leahi coach Michele Nagamine said.

The top two teams in each of the four groups per age division advance to the quarterfinals. Under-19 boys and girls are slightly different, because they have only 12 teams participating. Teams earn three points for a win and one for a tie.

"This team has been in the finals and semifinals since they were 12," Nagamine said. "They have a lot of experience.

"(It seems like every year) they win the first game, then lose the second and then win the third."

Leahi 91 Premier, full of players named to all-state and all-league high school teams as well as club-level state and region teams, has three points after winning its first game, 1-0, over Alameda SC Flash of New Mexico Monday. They play LOSC Soul Crew, a wild card team from Oregon today.

"Both teams need a win to advance to the quarterfinals," Nagamine said. "It's a must-win situation."

In pool play, Nagamine said, "it's nice to be able to have a bad game and not be out of it.

"This team is super competitive; a bunch of premier athletes who hate to lose."

Leahi fell behind 1-0 on a goal by Cori McGovern on a 30-yard blast in the 18th minute. That came after a couple of great saves by Leahi goalkeeper Alana Munger, who first made a diving save to her left on a header in the 13th minute that looked so good that the Mustangs players started celebrating.

Then, Munger made a one-handed diving save that was eventually cleared out to McGovern for her goal.

"We were a little off balanced," Leahi's Lauren Wong said. "But we shouldn't have kept her open."

Leahi had a chance to tie after forward Lahi Gallarde was taken down in the 18-yard box, but Brittney Sanford's penalty kick was blocked out over the endline. On the ensuing corner kick, a shot by a Leahi player was stopped on the goalline by a Mustangs defender.

"We just had a few breakdowns," Wong said. "We were a little off today."

Leahi returned the favor minutes later when it blocked consecutive shots with a wall of defenders.

After an evenly played game, the Mustangs struck again in the 70th minute on a goal by Maricela Padilla, who beat a defender and shot the ball under Munger. Nine minutes later, the Mustangs made it 3-0 on a goal by Camellia Senemar.

Leahi's Gallarde scored in the 88th minute off a rebound on a blocked free kick by Kirsten Adams.

"Coach Bud (Nagamine) always says to play until the last whistle," Gallarde said. "We didn't come all the way to Regionals to give up at the end.

"If we did that the rest of the game, we could have come out with a win."

Notes: The Nevada Youth Soccer Association could not fill two spots after a charter that some of the teams booked raised its prices days before departure.

"They had 170 seats booked on the charter — four teams and a few individuals from other teams," Region IV Cup chairman Tom Mendoth said. "In the contract they signed with the charter, it allowed the charter the option of adjusting the price. Just before they were ready to leave, they were told it would be an additional $500 per person."

Two teams and other players were able to make alternate travel plans, but the remaining two Nevada spots — boys under-14 and girls under-13 — were filled by Hawai'i teams.

"We were asked to fill spots and did it based on our standings," Hawai'i Youth Soccer Association President Scott Keopuhiwa said.

The boys spot was filled by Maui United and the girls by the HSC Bulls.

Also, Washington was unable to fill its under-19 boys and girls spots, and the teams scheduled to play them in pool play were awarded byes.