Newport pulls it out

Joseph Boo

COSTA MESA - Newport Harbor High’s field hockey team defeated

visiting Huntington Beach, 1-0, in a Sunset League game marred by an

injury at Harper Community Center Tuesday.

Huntington Beach’s Keiti Kedic accidentally made contact with a Newport

Harbor player in the second quarter and went down hard. Kedic did not get

up and said she could not feel her legs. She eventually did gain

sensation, and was taken off the field by paramedics.

“They told me she had a pinched nerve in all of her limbs,” Huntington

Beach Coach Art Carrido said. “It only seems like a pinched nerve, but we

had to get the stretcher as a precaution.

The injury provided a 40-minute break, which Newport Harbor used to

regroup in a game it was being dominated by the Oilers. The Sailors came

out intense, and scored on a penalty shot from Katie Welbourn for the

game’s only goal.

“After the injury, we focused better,” Newport Harbor Coach Sharon Wolfe

said. “We got more support laterally and from behind. And that made our

offense more aggressive.”

“Huntington Beach definitely dominated three-fourths of the game though.”

Newport only managed two shots in the first half, and the Oilers were on

offense for most of the half with 13 shots on goal. In one stretch, the

Oilers had three penalty corners in a row, with the last one hitting the

post. But none of the shots would go in.

That’s because Newport Harbor’s sweeper Shirin Oskooi was all over the

place. Oskooi managed to clear most of Huntington Beach’s entry passes.

“Oskooi had a great game,” Wolfe said. “That’s probably the best game she

played all year.”

Newport Harbor goalie Susan Lear made it even tougher for the Oilers to

score. Lear ended up with seven saves in the game, six of them in the

first half. She made two kick saves in the first half, and used her

shoulder to knock away a shot in the second.

Huntington Beach overpowered Newport Harbor again to start the second

half but could not score. Besides the shoulder save by Lear, the Oilers

had a shot that got past Lear and went across the mouth of the goal.

Then Kedic went down in the 17th minute. After the scary delay, Newport

Harbor regrouped and matched Huntington Beach’s aggressiveness.

Then, in the 12th minute, Welbourn was fouled and awarded a penalty shot.

She shot high to the goalie’s left and it went in for the game’s only

score.

The win moves Newport Harbor (6-1-2) into second place in the league.

Huntington Beach (5-2-3) drops to third.