Girls water polo: Harbor sails past Uni, 13-1

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - Once the Newport Harbor High girls water polo team

swam beyond the rough waters of the first quarter, it was smooth sailing

Friday in a 13-1 nonleague victory over University at Newport Harbor.

“After we scored two (goals), then we got real sloppy with the ball,”

Newport Harbor Coach Bill Barnett said, referring to his team’s six

turnovers in the opening seven minutes, mostly after the Sailors (4-0)

built a 2-0 cushion.

“I thought (senior goalie) Leah Grocki had a good game, otherwise it

was just a good team effort,” added Barnett, whose squad trounced the

visitors in the second quarter, outscoring the Trojans, 5-0, to take a

7-0 halftime lead.

Junior Annie Wight and sophomore Jessica Ball scored three goals each

for the Sailors, while UCLA-bound senior Katherine Belden scored two

goals, along with her three assists.

In the game’s first 1:06, junior Paige Lansing ignited the Newport

Harbor scoring onslaught, scoring on a counterattack after a steal by

senior Amber Braly, who set up Lansing’s goal with a good pass.

Wight scored on a counterattack 30 seconds later, but Newport Harbor

attempted only one more shot on goal from the field the rest of the first

quarter.

“We turned the ball over six or eight times in a row (after taking a

2-0 lead),” said Barnett, whose unbeaten team will have a week to prepare

for Back Bay rival Corona del Mar, which travels to Newport Dec. 21 for a

nonleague game.

“I thought we played good defense, but we got very sloppy with our

ball handling early in the game.”

Newport had more turnovers in the first period than the next three

quarters combined (five).

And, while the shot attempts were close in the opening period (4-3

Newport), the Sailors found their rhythm on offense, outshooting

University the rest of the game, 26-10.

After Ball gave Newport a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter on a

shot from 10 meters, University’s Laura Crooks was taken to Hoag Hospital

after a bloody scene in the pool.

“She was defending at set and an elbow hit her eye and just split it

open,” Uni assistant coach Nora Seager said, filling in for head coach

Mike Reid, who accompanied Crooks to the hospital.

Ball scored an extra-player goal with 3:38 left in the second quarter

to give Newport Harbor a 4-0 lead, then Belden scored on the power play

with 2:43 on the clock.

Junior Jenna Murphy touched the back of the net on a turnaround shot

from two meters with 1:06 remaining and junior Raelyn Ritchie scored on a

rebound at the buzzer, also during a six-on-five, as the hosts managed a

7-0 lead at the intermission.

To open the scoring in the third quarter, Wight finished a

counterattack with a lob into the goal on a pass from Lansing, triggering

another Harbor scoring run.

Belden scored on a counterattack on a goalie assist and Ball added her

third goal of the game with 0:47 remaining in the third quarter on the

power play.

Braly scored a counterattack goal with 4:46 left in the game on a pass

by Ashley Parole as Newport Harbor built an 11-0 lead.

On University’s ensuing possession, Alaina Sudeith scored on a rebound

to get the Trojans on the scoreboard with 4:15 to play, after one of

Grocki’s five saves.

Wight scored again with 4:02 left on a counterattack, then Ritchie

scored from two meters.

Ball also led Newport Harbor with three steals, while Wight, Parole

and Braly each had two.

NONLEAGUE

Newport Harbor 13, University 1 Score by Quarters

University 0 0 0 1 - 1

Newport Harbor 2 5 3 3 - 13

Uni - Sudeith 1. Saves - Gazin 7.

Newport - Ball 3, Wight 3, Belden 2, Ritchie 2, Murphy 1, Lansing 1,

Braly 1. Saves - Grocki 5.