Girls water polo: Newport doused, 7-6

Steve Virgen

NEWPORT BEACH - Newport Harbor High girls water polo coach Bill

Barnett was so disgusted with his team’s performance Friday, he didn’t

shake Poway Coach Jim NcNees’ hand after the game at Newport’s pool. The

Sailors were outscored, 3-1, in the fourth quarter and Poway’s Arin

Keyser scored with 1:05 left to provide a 7-6 quarterfinal win in the

Newport Harbor-Corona del Mar Holiday Cup, a 16-team two-day tournament

played at Newport Harbor and CdM.

“We couldn’t shoot the ball to save our soul,” said Barnett, who later

shook McNees’ hand and had a conversation with him. “We didn’t play very

good defense. We didn’t play very well.”

The Sailors (5-2) fired off two shots in the final 45 seconds, but

Poway goalie Sara Stanford stopped them both to finish with 15 saves.

There was a bit of clock confusion in the final minute. After Newport

junior Annie Wight’s shot was saved, 0:45 was stuck on the scoreboard

clock, but the clock at the scorer’s table continued to wind down. Nine

seconds ticked off the clock, before the officials stopped the game. When

play resumed, the officials put 0:21 left in the game.

With 16 seconds left, Wight recorded a steal, which led to Newport’s

final shot.

Newport senior Katherine Belden’s performance went for naught. She

came up with a game-high eight steals and scored three goals. She snagged

four steals in the first period, including one robbery that led to a

counterattack goal that she scored off an assist from junior Paige

Lansing. Belden’s goal provided a 1-1 tie with 2:29 left in the first

quarter.

The Sailors trailed 3-1 in the second period, but sophomore Jessica

Ball scored on the player-advantage with 2:15 left before halftime to

inch one goal closer.

“(Poway) just played solid defense,” Barnett said. “We came back on

them, but we just couldn’t hold up to it.”

Newport went on a 3-0 run in the third period to grab a 5-3 lead with

40 seconds left. To start the run, Belden scored off an assist from Ball

on a counterattack after a steal by junior Jenna Murphy. Wight’s efforts

then led to Newport’s 4-3 lead with 3:05 left in the third. Wight drew a

penalty after grabbing her own rebound from a shot that bounced off the

cross bar. Belden converted on the four-meter shot. Later, Murphy scored

on a breakaway after a long lead pass from Ball. However, Poway’s

Michaela Brady, who led the Titans (10-1) with three goals, scored on a

lob shot 21 seconds before the pivotal fourth period.

Poway, apparently grabbing the momentum, scored two goals in the first

3:45 of the fourth to gain a 6-5 lead.

Wight, who had a defender clinging to her left shoulder, scored on a

turnaround shot from about four meters out to tie the score, 6-6, with

3:02 left. But, the Titans answered with the final blow, Keyser’s goal.

The Sailors will play today at 10:40 a.m. against Santa Ynez, with the

winner advancing to the fifth-place game. Newport has a chance to face

Back Bay rival Corona del Mar in that fifth-place game, if both teams win

this morning.

Earlier in the day, Newport defeated Edison, 10-8, as the Sailors

built a 6-0 halftime lead and played mostly junior varsity call-ups in

the second half. Belden led with four goals, while Murphy added two and

Lansing, Wight, Ball and Katie Erickson scored one each. Newport goalie

Terrin Cottam recorded five saves, and senior goalie Leah Grocki posted

five saves against Poway.

NEWPORT HARBOR-CORONA DEL MAR HOLIDAY CUP

First round

Newport Harbor 10, Edison 8

Edison 0 0 4 4 - 8

Newport Harbor 3 3 4 0 - 10

Edison - Murphy 4, Belcher 2, Pawson 1, Eich 1. Saves - Heath 2,

Shelton 2.

Newport Harbor - Belden 4, Murphy 2, Lansing 1, Wight 1, Erickson 1,

Ball 1. Saves - Cottam 5.

Quarterfinal

Poway 7, Newport Harbor 6

Poway 1 2 1 3 - 7

Newport Harbor 1 1 3 1 - 6

Poway - Brady 3, S. Keyser 2, A. Keyser 1, Perkins 1. Saves - Stanford

15.

Newport Harbor - Belden 3, Ball 1, Murphy 1, Wight 1. Saves - Grocki

5.