Triumphant ways

Steve Virgen

Kim Housepian, a junior on the Newport Harbor High girls water

polo team, typified the Sailors’ successful first day, mainly in one

defensive play in the Newport Harbor-Corona del Mar Holiday Cup

Friday.

Housepian, a goalie making her first varsity appearance of the

season Friday, blocked a four-meter penalty shot in the fourth

quarter of the Sailors’ 16-2 victory over Carlsbad.

After the win, Housepian described the dominating feeling of

stuffing a penalty shot, coincidentally describing Newport’s

first-day performance.

“To sum it up in one word: Triumphant,” said Housepian who, along

with goalie Terrin Cottam, helped lead Newport’s junior varsity team

to an undefeated season last year. “To make a save like that, it’s

reassuring.”

Newport Harbor (4-1) coasted in the win over Carlsbad (1-3), and

earlier in the day, defeated Peninsula, 17-2. The Sailors will surely

need the same type of defensive play today when they face Santa

Margarita at 11:45 a.m.

“The (Newport) defense was stellar, giving up only four goals in

two games,” said Newport Coach Bill Barnett, who smiled upon thinking

about Housepian’s four-meter save. “That was great.”

The Sailors attacked quickly against Carlsbad, scoring five goals

in the first 3:45. Newport senior Annie Wight got Newport started

with her first of two goals. She sat all of the fourth quarter, with

the Sailors leading big, as she read the sports page during the

action.

Jenna Murphy, a Newport senior who is bound for UCLA, scored the

Sailors’ next two goals and finished with the tallies, while junior

Jessica Ball and senior Ashley Parole led Newport with three goals

each. Paige Lansing and Katie Erickson added two goals each, and KT

Adnoff and Carolyn Conway contributed one goal apiece.

Parole scored her three goals in the second quarter, the latter

coming from her own steal in which she took the distance and finished

for the score that gave the Sailors a 11-1 lead.

Earlier in the day, Newport scored eight goals in the first

period, and the Sailors went on to build a 13-1 halftime lead over

Peninsula (6-6). Wight led the way with four goals, while Lansing,

Conway, Andersen and Anne Belden scored two goals each.