Field hockey: A Sailors’ letdown

Steve Virgen

HUNTINGTON BEACH - When it comes to the Sunset League’s Tournament

of Champions the Newport Harbor High field hockey team appears to have a

monkey clinging to its back.

For the second straight year, the Sailors lost in a 1-0 overtime TofC

final to Marina, this time at Edison High on Thursday night.

For 60 minutes of scoreless field hockey, the Sailors (19-3-1), the

Sunset League champions, and the Vikings (19-3-1) went toe-to-toe in an

epic battle, that ended when Marina’s Alexis Ramsey scored on the

Vikings’ 18th penalty corner of the game, 55 seconds into the 7-on-7

overtime period.

“We always bring out the best in each other,” Newport Coach Sharon

Wolfe said. “The (Newport) girls can’t hang their heads about this one. A

lot of people counted us out after we lost 4-0 (to Marina) in our first

game. But you can’t judge a team on one game. We came back. We’re a good,

young team.”

The Sailors faced Marina four times this year, winning once (which led

to their Sunset League title), tying once and losing twice.

“This was an ultimate championship game,” Marina Coach Crystal Gray

said. “We knew it would be.”

Newport’s Athena Vasquez and goalie Amanda Wittman, who recorded 10

saves, earned All-Tournament laurels, while Jill Whitfield was awarded

co-MVP of the tourney.

The trio was quite instrumental in the final as the Sailors once again

relied on its defense for an opportunity to win.

“We played killer defense,” Wolfe said. “Amanda was on fire. Our

strength is our defense. But Marina had the advantage of the attack. They

picked up more penalty corners. And our front line, we just weren’t in

sync.”

Marina’s offensive attack controlled the second half when the Vikings

earned 14 penalty corners, but Newport never backed down, despite injury.

The game included three stoppages because of Newport injuries. And all

three players, Vasquez, Tiffany Vandersloot and Lauren Birchfield,

returned to help the Sailors.

Vasquez continually thwarted Marina attacks, clearing the ball away

from Newport’s cage. And when the Vikings actually got a shot off,

Wittman was there to grab at it or kick it away.

In the first half, Newport senior Allison McKenzie led the defense and

the offense, but the Sailors were denied on six of their penalty corners.

Speed from Newport’s Kaley Nix matched up evenly with Marina’s up-tempo

game, but the Vikings kept coming, right to the very end.

“It’s been a good season,” Wolfe said of her Sailors who won their

second straight Sunset League title and produced 18 shutouts. “We beat

Harvard-Westlake, on turf and in the rain (Tuesday). That was pretty

great.”