Sailors perfect

Steve Virgen

For the past four games, Newport Harbor High has not allowed a shot

on goal and has apparently owned girls field hockey in the Sunset

League. The Sailors have shut out eight opponents and have not lost

this season.

They won again Tuesday, 2-0 over host Fountain Valley, but that

doesn’t mean everything is hunky dory for Newport Harbor.

“This was our ugliest game of the season, by far,” Newport Coach

Sharon Wolfe said. “We were just really out of sync. We didn’t really

play team ball. We weren’t moving, just standing. We were two steps

behind everything in the first half.”

The Sailors (9-0) had defeated Fountain Valley, 8-0, Saturday in

the Orange County Invitational at Marina High. But, Tuesday was a

different story because the Barons (1-3-2) appeared to be more

aggressive than the Sailors.

However, despite Fountain Valley’s efforts, Newport still outshot

the hosts, 28-0. The Sailors overcame a slow start, which included an

injury to senior Amanda Wittman. She was struck in the face by a

stick in the first minute, but came back in the second half.

Wittman is usually the team’s goalie, but Wolfe put one of her

best field players, Jillianne Whitfield, in goal because she was

nursing a tender ankle and Wolfe also mixed up her regular starting

lineup. That, Wolfe said, played into the Sailors’ slow start.

“I knew the tempo would change,” Wolfe said.

Newport did not have a shot on goal through the first 18 minutes,

which included a timeout by Wolfe. Less than two minutes after the

timeout the Sailors began to attack.

With 6:48 left before halftime, sophomore Danica Kalmback scored

after junior Ashley Gleason’s hard shot ricocheted off Fountain

Valley goalie Denise Chanel (16 saves).

Chanel and the Barons defended well in the second half, but

Newport senior Ashley Harrison broke through with 4:33 remaining. She

also scored off a rebound.

Fountain Valley crossed midfield just once in the second half, yet

Coach Kerri Hunt said her team played its most aggressive game of the

season. But the Sailors’ defense, and control on offense, was too

much.

Junior Jenny Taylor turned in an impressive performance, taking

charge of the midfield, Wolfe said, while senior Tiffany Vandersloot

intensified her effort in the second half and senior Kristen

Jendrusina was very consistent for Newport’s front line.

The Sailors will face visiting Huntington Beach on Thursday at

3:15 p.m. at Harper Field in Costa Mesa.