Girls soccer: Sailors dominate Warriors

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - The long wait is finally over. Newport Harbor

High’s girls soccer team can stake claim to victory over Woodbridge’s

Warriors, the defending Sea View League champions.

“This is the first time we’ve beaten them in five years,” Newport

Harbor Coach Jason Sorrell said, after his team’s dominating 2-0 league

win over the Warriors under the lights Thursday at Newport Harbor.

The Sailors tied Woodbridge last year and another time in 1999, when

senior standouts Amy Ross and Tory Manchester were freshmen.

Ross, who has signed with Concordia University, returned this week

from a sprained ankle, which forced her to miss the Tars’ first two

league games.

She scored in her first game back Tuesday in the Sailors’ 2-0 win at

Laguna Hills, then kick-started Newport Harbor in an impressive result

against Woodbridge (7-6-1, 2-1-0 in league), which would’ve lost by much

more than two goals had it not been for the diving saves by senior

goalkeeper Kacee Jewell.

“We had such a good team effort ... you always want to beat

Woodbridge,” said Ross, whose goal in the fifth minute came on a cross by

junior midfielder Amy Burlingham. For Ross, it was her fourth goal of the

season.

In the 19th minute, Manchester scored on a blast from 24 yards out on

a cross by junior Kate Younglove.

“Kate gave me a perfect ball,” said Manchester, who scored her fourth

goal of the campaign.

Manchester was wide open and had time for a couple of touches before

unloading a rocket to give Newport Harbor (9-6-2, 2-1-1) a comfortable two-goal advantage.

“Those were two tremendous goals,” said Sorrell, whose team outshot

the Warriors in each half, 6-2. “We’ve been working extremely hard and it

just paid off with those two good chances. But we had more chances in the

second half.”

Jewell leaped high in the air to tip away a shot by Ross early in the

second half, then a goal by Ross was nullified in the 55th minute because

of an offside.

In the 62nd minute, Jewell’s diving stop to her right prevented

Burlingham from giving Newport a 3-0 lead, then she saved another two

minutes later on freshman Taylor Giacomaro’s shot.

Burlingham, after beating two players with the ball, fired an open

shot over the cage in the 72nd minute.

“In the beginning of the season, we couldn’t find any chemistry, but

now we’re really clicking,” Ross said. “When we come to play, we come to

play.”

Manchester, who has committed to Brown University in the Ivy League,

said it was sweet to finally defeat the Warriors.

“They always have the strongest team every year,” Manchester said.

“Sometimes we pull off a tie against them, and it’s always close, but

we’ve never been able to beat them.”

Until now.

Newport Harbor is ranked No. 6 in CIF Southern Section Division II and

No. 7 by the Times in the Southland poll.

The Sailors host Aliso Niguel Jan. 24 at 5 p.m. The Wolverines, ranked

No. 5 by the Times in the Southland, defeated Newport in the first round.