Newport bounces Monarchs
Bryce Alderton
Seemingly deprived of luck for a majority of the first 11 games,
the Newport Harbor High girls soccer team finally got the break it
was looking for and made the most of it.
After a Mater Dei player committed a hand ball within the 18-yard
box, Parade Magazine All-American senior Amy Burlingham booted a ball
that Monarch goalkeeper Tawny Poggio got her hands on but couldn’t
stop from sneaking into the right side of the net. Burlingham’s goal
came with 19 minutes gone in the first half and was the only score in
a 1-0 nonleague win, Harbor’s first of the season.
“We’ve been playing really well and we’re coming together as a
team,” said Burlingham, bound for the University of Texas in the
fall. “We’ve kept a positive attitude each game and we’re getting
more and more confidence. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be
winning.”
Newport (1-6-5) defeated a Monarch team (6-4) coached by former
Sailors’ boys head man Matty West. West and six-year Newport Coach
Jason Sorrell both played at Irvine Valley in the early 1990s.
“(The first win) has been a long time coming,” Sorrell said. “Our
record doesn’t show how well we’ve played. We were leading Santa
Margarita, 1-0, El Toro, 2-1, and we’ve faced Capistrano Valley and
Esperanza. We got the lucky break today and other than some mistakes
late in the game we didn’t give up any silly goals.”
Newport held the Monarchs to no shots in the first half and three
attempts in the final two quarters, two coming in the final 20
minutes. But aggressive defense provided by senior Taryn Flamson
along with sophomores Erin Hardy and Tayler Giacomaro kept Mater Dei
at bay. Newport senior goalkeeper Kara DeMille slid feet-first to
smother a ball in front of a charging Kristen Miller.
“Hardy and Giacomaro both played their best games all year and
Andi Sarris, Stephanie Lambrakis and Amanda Hollenberg did well when
they were in there,” Sorrell said. “It was a total team effort
today.”
Newport had its chances to increase the lead in the second half,
but the UC Riverside-bound Poggio came up with key saves. Burlingham
broke for the goal on a header by senior midfielder Trisha Orth to
kick a ball Poggio knocked away with her left arm. After Mater Dei
sent two shots on DeMille at the other end, Burlingham led a
two-on-one advantage alongside freshman forward Amy Klippert but
Poggio again denied the shots.
“Unlucky,” said Burlingham, the Sea View League Player of the Year
last season and a first-team All-CIF Southern Section Division II
selection, about her shots on breaks up field. “Sometimes it goes in
and sometimes it doesn’t. The more practice we get the more
experience we’ll have to get more opportunities. You just have to
keep on shooting.”
Klippert had two of Newport’s four first-half shots, one on a
throw-in by senior forward Kate Younglove, who had a shot off a free
kick.
“(Klippert) is a workhorse,” Sorrell said. “She always shows up
for every game and is a leader on the field.”
Being on the field was the only thing senior forward Nichelle
McRorie wanted after injuring her upper thigh following a collision
with a Monarch with 23 minutes gone in the first half. McRorie limped
off the field with assistance from the team’s trainer favoring her
right leg, but came back out in the second half.
“I wanted to score,” said McRorie in pain following the game. “We
overplayed (Mater Dei). We always have the effort, we just needed to
knock some shots away. It feels so nice to win.”
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