Girls soccer: Surging Sailors prevail

Barry Faulkner

CORONA DEL MAR - Though another highly regarded opponent fell to

his Newport Harbor High girls soccer team Saturday at Back Bay rival

Corona del Mar, Sailors Coach Jason Sorrell figures it’s about time jaws

should stop dropping over his squad’s suddenly sensational season.

“I hate to say it, but we don’t get the respect we deserve,” said

Sorrell, whose team began the season ranked No. 23 nationally by Student

Sports, then posted an 0-4-1 start.

Since then, however, the Tars, have won seven of their last eight,

climbing to the No. 7 ranking in Orange County.

And that rise should continue after the Sailors followed up Thursday’s

2-1 triumph over 10-2-3 Mater Dei with a 1-0 nonleague victory Saturday

over No. 4-ranked CdM, now 7-3-4.

“There were some comments made by the Mater Dei Coach (Austin Sharp

after Thursday’s road win) that we didn’t like (crediting the victory to

a pair of Monarch mistakes),” Sorrell said. “But that’s OK. I guess we’ll

just keep winning and take all the comments people have about us.”

CdM Coach Ron Evans had some comments about Harbor, but most were

tinged with a critical tone toward his own players.

“(Newport) is a good team,” Evans said. “But it shouldn’t matter if

(the Sailors) were 7-1 their last eight games or 1-7. In a rivalry game

like this, both teams should come to play. Unfortunately, we didn’t. CIF

doesn’t allow us to practice on Sundays, or we’d be out there (today)

bright and early. I guess we figured since we’d beaten (the Sailors)

three straight, today was going to be the fourth. That’s the worst game

we’ve played.”

It may have been the best in a growing string of sterling efforts for

Harbor (7-5-1), which opens Sea View League play Tuesday at Aliso Niguel,

ranked No. 3 in the county after owning the top national ranking in

Student Sports’ preseason poll.

“Like I told our girls before today’s game,” Sorrell said, “no matter

what happens, we just need to keep on doing what we’re doing.”

What the Sailors did Saturday was dominate their Back Bay rivals, who

managed just three shots. Only two of those shots required saves, both

routine stops by sophomore Kara DeMille.

The Sailors, who scored in the 63rd minute, finished with 10 shots,

the most important of which came off the right foot of four-year varsity

veteran Tory Manchester.

Manchester took a throw-in from senior teammate Kristin Nahin about 15

yards in front of the goal. She used her stomach to settle the ball to

her feet, while facing the sideline. She then wheeled and booted a drive

across her body and into upper portion of the net.

“Because it was against CdM, I’d have to say that was my best goal

ever,” said Manchester, one of a handful of Newport seniors who had

endured one-goal setbacks to the Sea Kings their last three meetings.

“This is so great.”

Junior Amy Burlingham had three quality scoring chances for the

winners, while senior Amy Ross had two and sophomore Jillian Austin

another.

Junior sweeper Taryn Flamson and freshman stopper Erin Hardy helped

stymie CdM’s offensive thrusts, while Tricia Orth, Katie Yeager, Taylor

Giacomaro, Nahin, Kate Younglove and Lauren Birchfield were also ever

present for the winners.

CdM, playing without junior returning All-CIF standout Elisha Morgan,

whom Evans believes could return from injury within two weeks, had its

best scoring chance on Lauren Shepherdson’s free kick in the 67th minute.

The 30-yard blast, however, sailed just high.

CdM junior sweeper Paige Janes, sophomore fullback Kinzie Kramer,

junior fullback Lauren Loe and Shepherdson, a junior stopper, battled

well against the surging Sailors.

“Since we’ve won all these games lately, we’ve really gained

confidence,” Manchester said. “I don’t think we’re sneaking up on teams

anymore, but if teams want to take us lightly, that only makes it easier

for us.”

CdM begins defense of its Pacific Coast League title Tuesday against

visiting Laguna Beach.