Girls soccer: Newport settles for 0-0 tie

Steve Virgen

NEWPORT BEACH - Two of Orange County’s top high school girls soccer

teams, Newport Harbor and Aliso Niguel, produced a scoreless tie in Sea

View League action Thursday at Newport. However, here was one of those

cases where the score didn’t tell the whole story.

The Sea View League battle of the elite was a game that the Sailors

(9-6-3, 2-1-2 in league) should have won, Newport Coach Jason Sorrell

said. And Aliso Coach Randy Dodge also thought Newport played better.

The Sailors, the sixth-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division

II, outshot the Wolverines, 12-6, 8-3 in the second half. In addition,

Aliso (14-3-2, 3-0-2), ranked No. 5 in the Times’ rankings and No. 2 in

CIF Division I, came away with one threatening shot on goal. But, junior

Taryn Flamson swept that one away with eight minutes left.

“I’m happy that we didn’t lose, but I’m disappointed we didn’t win

because I thought we totally outplayed them,” Sorrell said. “Any time you

say that about Aliso it’s something special. If we had won the game, that

does a make a statement to everybody else out there. But we know. All our

supporters know. Randy knows. Everybody knows that we have done well. The

way we played I think we should have won the game.”

Newport, ranked No. 7 by the Times, earned two corner kicks in each

half and received its first direct free kick after an Aliso foul in the

67th minute. Flamson booted the free kick to senior Lauren Birchfield,

who passed it over to senior Amy Ross for a one-on-one situation. But

Aliso goalkeeper Marissa Welliver made one of her five saves.

Birchfield also had a goal nullified after an offside with four

minutes left. Newport senior Tory Manchester drew a foul to set up the

free kick from about 25 yards out. Flamson struck a bouncing ball that

Birchfield’s chest pushed in the goal, but it was called off.

Junior Amy Burlingham created both corner kicks in the first half, but

the Wolverines stuffed both of them. Burlingham made a nice cross to Ross

in the 13th minute, when Ross’s header sailed inches above Aliso’s

crossbar.

Burlingham’s efforts produced another corner kick in the 55th minute

and Ross also attacked to create a corner kick in the 58th minute.

Sorrell also singled out “extremely hard” effort from junior Tricia

Orth and freshman Erin Hardy.

“Newport played better,” said Dodge, who also noted the Wolverines

were without UCLA-bound junior national team member Stacy Lindstrom, who

was injured. “They were more dangerous. They have a great player in Amy

(Burlingham).”