Girls soccer: Newport breaks new ground, 1-0

RIVERSIDE - Newport Harbor High senior forward Amy Ross continued

an impressive postseason by scoring the game’s only goal in the Sailors’

1-0 CIF Southern Section Division II second-round girls soccer playoff

victory Wednesday at Riverside Poly.

The win, Harbor’s first second-round playoff triumph, propels Coach

Jason Sorrell’s No. 3-seeded squad into Friday’s quarterfinal against

Crescenta Valley, with the host to be determined by a coin flip today.

Ross posted a hat trick in the Sailors’ 3-1 first-round win over

University Saturday. Wednesday, she cashed in a Tricia Orth assist in the

72nd minute for the game-winner. Orth directed a pass to the left side of

the goal and Ross booted it inside the far post from about 15 yards out

to make history at Harbor (13-6-4), which has allowed just one goal

during its current nine-game unbeaten streak.

The goal put the finishing touches on a dominant Harbor performance.

The Sailors outshot the Bears, 7-2, and Newport sophomore goalkeeper Kara

DeMille was forced to make just one save.

Riverside Poly (16-4-7), the Ivy League runner-up, did manage two late

scoring threats.

Harbor’s defense cleared the ball out of the 18-yard box, after a

Riverside Poly direct kick caromed off the crossbar, back into the

playing field in the waning moments.

And, in the final seconds of the game, Sailor senior fullback Lauren

Birchfield chased down a breakaway Bear attacker from behind, then made a

sliding tackle to prevent a potential tying goal.