Foothill sinks Sailors, again

Bryce Alderton

For the Newport Harbor High girls water polo team, redemption is

available in four days.

Sea View League rivals Newport Harbor and Foothill will duel in a

league showdown Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Tustin High.

Foothill’s 6-1 victory on Saturday in the finals of the Irvine

Southern California Championships at Corona del Mar High was the

Knights’ third against Harbor this season.

The Knights, 25-0 and the top team in CIF Southern Section

Division I, handled the Sailors (20-4), ranked No. 2 in CIF Division

I, on a sunny afternoon before some 250 fans.

Foothill’s defense gained Outstanding Field Player recognition

when organizers announced the all-tournament team following the

final, capping an impressive showing against the Sailors.

Knight goalkeeper Emily Feher made seven saves on 17 Harbor shots, including two back-to-back in the fourth quarter -- one on a penalty

shot and another on a point-blank attempt.

“Emily has been consistent throughout the season,” said Foothill

Coach Dave Mikesell. “She is the best female goalie I’ve ever seen.

She always comes to play.”

Feher also recorded two of Foothill’s nine steals compared to only

six for the Sailors, who struggled to get shots off and when they

did, balls went over the goal or to the side.

Newport couldn’t take advantage of any of its nine

player-advantage situations, frustrating Coach Bill Barnett.

“Our six-on-fives were atrocious,” Barnett said. “They do a

man-down defense, so girls are open, we just didn’t find them.”

Senior Annie Wight scored Newport’s lone goal in the first period

to tie the score, 1-1, before Foothill answered with two goals before

the half to take a 3-1 lead at intermission. The Sailors got two

steals each from goalkeeper Terrin Cottam and senior Jenna Murphy,

but couldn’t translate the turnovers into goals on the counterattack.

The Knights scored the only goal of the third quarter to go up 4-1

following a Newport shot clock violation. Gabbie Domanic, who scored

one goal with one assist and two steals, led the counterattack that

resulted in Kaitlin Prijatel pump-faking two times from 10 meters out

before sending the ball into the net.

“Barnett didn’t show as much as much as he is capable of,”

Mikesell said. “Barnett is a master and he will have them ready. “I

don’t think I’ve ever seen two teams as close as this for an entire

season. We were just able to maximize on opportunities that game.”

Feher was named outstanding goalie and made the all-tournament

team along with Hayes and Domanic.

Murphy, Wight and Paige Lansing, who played tight defense

throughout the Foothill game, made the all-tournament team.

* In the semifinals, Newport needed nine seconds of sudden death

overtime to prevail over Santa Margarita, 5-4, following a dramatic

end to regulation.

Santa Margarita drew an ejection with one second remaining in

regulation.

Once officials gave the ball to the Eagles, Sandra Andersen threw

the ball out to Erika Figge on the perimeter not once but twice as

the clock hit zero.

The horn failed to sound and Figge found the cage to extend the

game, where Carolyn Conway needed less than 10 seconds to score her

second goal, sending the Sailors to the title match.

“We found a way to win, that was the main thing,” said Barnett,

who questioned referees about the Eagles’ fourth goal. “They should

have started the clock when the ball was in play. (The Eagles) passed

the ball around a couple times when there was :00 on the clock.

Technically time should have expired. But it all came out a wash.”

Newport found itself trailing, 2-0, following a goal by Andersen

from 10 meters out with 3:12 left in the first half, and that was the

way it stood at halftime.

Conway scored Newport’s first goal with 4:14 remaining in the

third period on a pass from Murphy, who tallied three goals for the

victors, two via four-meter penalty shots in the fourth quarter.

Murphy’s third goal gave the Sailors a 4-3 lead with 3:20 left.

Much of Newport’s attack came as a result of a smothering defense,

led by Jessica Ball’s four steals and an aggressive Raelyn Ritchie.

Ball drew an ejection to allow Murphy to score on her first penalty

shot and Ritchie got a hand in on several entry passes to either

deflect them to herself, or just enough for Cottam to make one of her

seven saves. Cottam blocked a penalty shot by Figge in the first

period and made a point-blank save toward the right of the net in the

fourth quarter.

Championship

Foothill 6, Newport 1

Score by Quarters

Newport 1 0 0 0

- 1

Foothill 2 1 1 2

-- 6

Newport -- Wight 1. Saves -- Cottam, 6.

Foothill -- Hayes 2, Reynolds 1, Prijatel 1, Domanic 1,

Kraus 1. Saves -- Feher, 7. Redaeilli 4.

Semifinal

Newport 5, Santa Margarita 4

Score by Periods

S. Margarita 1 1 0

2 0 -- 4

Newport 0 0 1 3

1 -- 5

SM -- Hamilton 1, Andersen 1, B. Figge 1, E. Figge 1.

Saves -- O’Connor, 2.

Newport -- Murphy 3, Conway 2. Saves -- Cottam,

7.