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.”