Girls water polo: Sailors lose opener

Steve Virgen

NEWPORT BEACH - A seesaw battle would not suffice as a clear

description of the Newport Harbor High girls water polo team’s opener

against visiting Long Beach Wilson Thursday.

The Sailors lost, 5-4, but there were four lead changes and, toward

the end, it seemed as if the team with the ball last would win.

With 24 seconds remaining, the Bruins capitalized on their final

opportunity as Monica Johnson scored the game-winner when she threw a

shot that skipped into the cage.

“Well, we kept them at a low score,” Harbor Co-coach Bill Barnett

said. “They had two more games than us, but that’s no excuse.”

Harbor tried to send it into overtime, but the Sailors failed to score

as goalie Heather Deyden’s desperation heave was stopped. Deyden finished

with seven saves.

Long Beach Wilson (1-2) entered Thursday’s game with two losses to

top-ranked Foothill and No. 4 Marina. The Sailors are No. 5 in Orange

County.

“(The two Bruin losses) was more to our advantage,” said Harbor junior

Katherine Belden who scored twice and had four steals. “It was our first

game and we were a little apprehensive at first, but we got into it.

There was no pressure on any of us. We all know each other well enough.”

The Tars scored on their first possession, 33 seconds into the game,

as Belden sent one in from long range.

The Bruins quickly responded on their first possession and evened the

score 10 seconds after Belden’s goal.

Harbor’s Casey Hill gave the Sailors a 2-1 lead when she took a pass

from Erin Kelly Bates on a man-up situation. But, Long Beach Wilson

scored with 21 seconds remaining in the opening quarter to tie the score

again.

“We had a lot of six-on-fives we didn’t score on,” Barnett said of the

Sailors, who scored on two of their six man-up opportunities. “There was

no consistent counterattacks and that will do it to you.”

Neither team scored in the second quarter as the Bruins challenged

Harbor with aggressive play. The Sailors failed to shoot as the shot

clock expired three times in that second quarter.

Harbor did not get on the scoreboard again until 31 seconds remained

in the third. Belden took advantage of the man-up, immediately after

Bruins Lauren Wenger was kicked out, to tie the score, 3-3.

Harbor’s Erin Ball made a fantastic play as the Sailors regained the

lead, when she spun away from a defender and threw the ball into the cage

with 5:10 remaining. But, 12 seconds later, Long Beach Wilson’s Cassie

Azevedo, who finished with three goals, caught the Sailors off guard and

scored.

Harbor’s schedule doesn’t get any easier as the Sailors host Marina

Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

NONLEAGUE

Long Beach Wilson 5, Newport Harbor 4

Long Beach Wilson 2 0 1 2 - 5

Newport Harbor 2 0 1 1 - 4

Long Beach Wilson - Azevedo 3, Wenger 1, Johnson 1. Saves - Barr 9.

Newport Harbor - Belden 2, Hill 1, Ball 1. Saves - Deyden 7.