Boys soccer: Sailors end on down note

Steve Virgen

NEWPORT BEACH - That old saying, it’s not how you start, it’s how

you finish, was never more true for the Newport Harbor High boys soccer

team, which lost, 4-0, to visiting Los Alamitos in the second round of

the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs Tuesday.

The Sailors (10-8-2) started the game strong and began each scoring

opportunity which such promise, but in the end, they could not finish.

Los Alamitos (24-1-1), on the other hand, put away its chances, some of

them unexpected opportunities.

For instance, the Griffins’ first goal definitely shocked the Sailors.

Newport produced three shots and two corner kicks before the Griffins

fired off their first shot, which scored, in the 12th minute. After a Los

Al corner kick, it appeared a Newport player was about to clear the ball,

but in swooped senior Shay Murphy who stole the ball and quickly booted a

shot from about 30 yards out, that caught the Sailors off guard and shut

down their momentum.

“They had a little bit of luck and we didn’t,” Newport Coach Kevin

Esparza said. “We created just as many scoring chances as they did. I’m

proud of our guys. In my opinion, it was an even game. They got a couple

of lucky breaks. All their goals were soft -- goals that they really

didn’t earn, just a bit of luck.”

Los Al, the two-time Sunset League champion, unbeaten in its last 21

games, outshot the Sailors, 16-13, and three of the Griffins’ shots came

in the final two minutes. Griffin senior goalkeeper Geremy Uhl proved to

be a big factor, recording 11 saves and setting up his team’s

counterattacks. Newport sophomore goalkeeper Hector Campos also stopped

11 shots.

One of Uhl’s biggest saves came in the 61st minute, when he dove in

front of Tyson Wahl’s cross intended for Kevin Campos. The stoppage

helped protect Los Al’s 2-0 lead.

Wahl, who had missed five games with a strained back muscle, played

the entire game and Esparza said he was at full strength, just like the

Sailors, whom also received the return of Redge Bendheim and Adam Kerns.

The Sailors earned six corner kicks to the Griffins’ two, but could

not find the net. Newport junior Jose Serpas, who scored two goals in the

Sailors’ 2-0 first-round win over Santa Ana Valley Friday, finished with

two shots and booted two crosses in front of the net, but none of his

teammates could get to them.

“They had a lot of momentum and we got that first goal and it broke

them,” Los Al Coach Trey Scharlin said. “The second goal broke them

again. But, those first 15 minutes, I was definitely scared. Newport is a

great team and they were showing it in the early part.”

The Griffins scored in the eighth minute of the second half after a

free kick from midfield and senior Jon Bornstein was first to the ball in

front of the net and put it home.

Newport then came up with two shots, two corner kicks and the

aforementioned cross that Uhl stopped. Then the Griffins put the game

away after Nick Koromelas won a goal kick at midfield and found Ryan Gay

on the breakaway. Gay scored. Los Al earned its final goal with two

minutes remaining when Mark Cano delivered after Campos slapped away two

shots.

Esparza remained pleased with the season, despite the setback.

“For the coaches, the players and this program, it was a successful

season,” Esparza said. “There’s definitely a good foundation and a good

future.”