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Newport and Edison tie again

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Bryce Alderton

Like two heavyweights battling in the ring, the Newport Harbor

High and Edison High field hockey teams ran and batted the ball

around the Harper Community Center field Tuesday but the ball eluded

one place, the back of the net.

Visiting Edison, 9-0-2, and Newport, 13-0-4, 7-0-4 in the Sunset

League, battled to a 0-0 tie in front of a crowd of about 75

spectators that included an Edison cheering contingent of eight fans

holding orange cones and chanting phrases such as “Defense,” and the

Newport Harbor cheerleading squad performing a “pyramid” routine.

“We outplayed them and didn’t have anything to show for it,” said

Newport Coach Sharon Wolfe.

With the tie, Newport has 25 points, good for second place in the

Sunset League behind Edison (29 points). Santa Ana came into play

Tuesday with 21 points. Both Newport and Edison have three games

left.

The Sailors beat the Chargers when the teams met in the finals of

the Orange County Invitational at Marina High earlier this month.

“We needed this win but it’s not over yet, we’ll probably play

(Edison) again in the post season,” said Newport forward Kaley Nix.

Nix made two steals, had two shots and kept the ball in the Edison

zone for a majority of a more-aggressive second half charge by the

Sailors, according to Newport Coach Sharon Wolfe.

“The last 13 minutes the intensity picked up,” Wolfe said. “(In

the first half) we had the ball inside 50 yards and 25 yards, but

didn’t click. In the second half we got everyone involved more.”

Newport outshot Edison eight to one, three to zero in the second

half, and had 12 penalty corners to the Chargers’ one.

Newport goalie Amanda Wittman recorded her 14th shutout of the

season, stopping one Charger shot.

The Sailors had their best scoring chances with just under 12

minutes remaining in the game.

Jill Whitfield crossed to Meagan McHone, but Edison goalkeeper

Megan Veneracion came out to stop the rolling ball.

Seconds later Kristin Jendrusina received a cross pass but an

Edison defender swatted the ball away to Ashley Gleason, but Gleason

couldn’t get a shot off in the myriad of sticks and feet.

Wolfe credited Edison’s Katie Cornell, Rebecca Antongiorgi and Kat

Balmsedo with stopping Newport attacks.

“They were the key to the game in the second half, they led the

team by intensity and defense,” Wolfe said.

Jenna Schmidt and Antongiorgi often broke up Sailor passes and ran

down the field, passing back and forth to one another.

Edison had to step up its defense with just under 4:30 left.

Whitfield took the ball at midfield, passed to Rachel Furman who

centered a ball to Kirsten Chamberlain who then touch passed a ball

to Nix down the left sideline.

Nix sprinted to her left past a defender and centered back to

Whitfield in the middle of the field, but the Charger defense

converged toward the ball and swatted it down the field.

“It was frustrating because it was our possession for majority of

the game and we didn’t get it in,” Nix said. “They had a really good

defense and made us run a lot. It got my adrenaline pumping.”

Danielle Pfaff, Kerrie Gates and Dana Owad made several steals and

started breaks for the Sailors to counter the steals and

interceptions made by Edison’s Trigere Popoff and Jill Ketchum.

Even with a tie, Wolfe is encouraged to have Pfaff and Lauren

Curtis back from injuries heading into the playoffs.

“We’re doing excellent to be where we are considering we played a

majority of the season with three starters out,” Wolfe said. “We are

still learning how to score.”

Newport plays at Huntington Beach Thursday before hosting Santa

Ana Tuesday and traveling to face Marina in the final regular season

game Oct. 31.

Newport’s JV team beat Edison, 1-0 Tuesday to move to 10-0-1 on

the season with Edison losing their first game, falling to 7-1-3 on

the season.

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