Newport Harbor continues on undefeated trail

Steve Virgen

When the girls field hockey season began, Danica Kalmbach was

intimidated, excited and unsure of what to expect from playing in her

first varsity year at Newport Harbor High.

With the Sailors clinging to a 1-0 lead over Huntington Beach

Thursday, Kalmbach provided the insurance goal in Newport’s 2-0

Sunset League victory over the visiting Oilers at Harper School.

Kalmbach also showed just how far she has come along in such a

short amount of time. She is one of Newport’s two sophomores who have

improved because of the team’s chemistry, which has also been the key

to the Sailors’ 10-0 start this season.

“I’m getting more comfortable,” said Kalmbach, who has scored five

goals this season after helping lead Newport’s frosh-soph team to a

16-0-1 record last year. “I’m not as intimidated as I was in the

beginning. I’ve become friends with the girls.”

With 13:22 remaining, Kalmbach shot into an open cage after senior

Victoria Swigert’s shot ricocheted off the goalie. Kalmbach appeared

to be at the right place at the right time and put it away.

“She’s really aggressive,” said senior Jillianne Whitfield, who as

a sophomore helped lead the Sailors to a Sunset League championship

in 2001. “It’s really nice to have someone that’s younger and that’s

aggressive, so [the seniors] know that [Newport has] them for next

year. She’s just a boost for us, playing on the left side. She can

catch the other team off guard.”

Kalmbach, Whitfield, senior Kerri Gates and a handful of other

Sailors were instrumental down the stretch on defense helping Newport

(10-0, 2-0 in league) remain undefeated and record its ninth straight

shutout. For the first time in four games, the Sailors allowed a shot

on goal, as the Oilers (4-1-1, 1-1) had three shots in the second

half.

However, senior goalie Amanda Wittman stepped up with two saves,

and seniors Dana Owad and Danielle Pfaff teamed up to clear a

Huntington Beach attack with 14 minutes left. The change in momentum

led to Kalmbach’s goal.

“Last year we had good chemistry,” Newport Coach Sharon Wolfe

said. “This year it seems like the chemistry is blending more. And,

the more intense we get the better we seem to do.”

Wolfe said the Sailors played their ugliest game in a 2-0 victory

over Fountain Valley Tuesday, but they came back with motivation

Thursday. Newport had 25 shots, and appeared to have more than two

goals, but the referees did not notice the ball cross the goal line

on two occasions.

“We came out with a little bit more enthusiasm than we normally

do,” said Whitfield, who had an assist in the first half. “At

Fountain Valley we came out dead, but this is definitely an

improvement from Tuesday. We really want to come out more stronger on

Saturday [at the Orange County Invitational].”

Whitfield had four of the Sailors’ first 10 shots on goal in the

opening 15 minutes. With 14:38 left before halftime she passed to

junior Lyndsi Foster, who smacked the ball to the back of the cage.

“[The Sailors] are the best team in the league,” Huntington Beach

Coach Amber Stockstill said. “They know each other tendencies and

they attack the opponent’s disadvantages. They played really well.”

Stockstill said the Oilers took a hit less then five minutes into

the game when one of their best players, Helen Ho, suffered a knee

injury. However, Huntington Beach could not take advantage of its

scoring opportunities midway through the second half and was dealt

its first loss of the season.