First place in Sailors’ sights this season

Bryce Alderton

A new coach presides, but some constants remain for the Newport

Harbor High boys soccer team this season.

Martyn Hansford played for a professional club team in his native

England and takes over the reins for a program that saw improvement

last season.

The Sailors (10-8-2 in 2001-02) finished second place in the Sea

View League before losing, 4-0, to Los Alamitos in the CIF Southern

Section Division II quarterfinals. Last season marked the first time

Newport had won a CIF playoff game (a 2-0 first-round defeat of Santa

Ana Valley) since 1997 under the eye of then-coach Kevin Esparza, who

resigned following last season to take an assistant coaching position

at UC Riverside.

The Sailors will need to overcome the losses to graduation of

All-CIF standouts Tyson Wahl and Kevin Campos. Wahl was first-team

All-CIF Division II, while Campos was a third-team selection.

The previous year, Newport finished (4-6-6), good for a

third-place tie in league and missed the playoffs.

This season, Newport is 1-1 after play Friday and Hansford is

trying to see where players are the most effective to determine a

standard lineup. The Sailors lost to Estancia, 4-2, before earning a

4-1 triumph over Huntington Beach Friday.

Hansford, who is working to get his teaching credential so he can

instruct at Harbor, consults coaches of AYSO Region 57 soccer teams

on ways to get the “best results from the players.” He will try to

implement an “English style” of physical and aggressive play.

“I hope to get the best from the kids,” said Hansford as he

watched his team warm up for its season opener last week against

Estancia.

The Sailors return eight from last year’s team including seniors

Jose Serpas, Marco Cambreros and Ryan Underwood and juniors Will

Guzman, Mike Gustafson, Joel Walker, Skyler Taugher and Matt Tracy.

Through the first two games, Serpas, who, like Guzman, was a

first-team All-Sea View League performer last season, shares the team

scoring lead with Walker (two apiece).

Walker, the kicker for the football team, was a second-team

all-league performer last season, as was Tracy.

Other factors for Newport’s run this season will include Steve

Sharma, Ryan Newell, Chase Kelly, Conrad Williamson, Brandon Lufty,

Will Sanchez, Jose DeArcos, David Manchester, Detlef Mouler, Eduardo

Garcia, Brian Grella and goalkeeper Mark Spears. Garcia had a goal

against Huntington Beach.

“Spears has been doing well in goal and (Kelly) should provide

good attack options,” said Hansford, who moved to the United States

in June. “(Walker) has some good energy.”

Hansford hopes the continuity and understanding will improve as

the Sailors get more and more playing time under their belts.

He has been pleased with the effort he’s seen so far.

“I’m pleased with the desire they’ve shown,” he said.

The Sailors continue their preleague schedule Wednesday when they

host Mater Dei at 3 p.m.