Newport Harbor catches fire

Steve Virgen

Foothill High, beware of the Sailors.

That seemed to be the message Newport Harbor’s girls water polo

team sent in defeating the visiting Santa Margarita Eagles, 13-3, in

a nonleague game Friday.

The Sailors, who will face defending CIF Southern Section Division

I and Sea View League champion Foothill Wednesday at Newport, played

their best game of the season, as they had just about everything

working: the counterattack, defensive pressure and Carolyn Conway

demanding plenty of attention.

Conway scored five goals. Yet, Newport’s victory wasn’t just about

Conway, it was a team win, Sailors Coach Bill Barnett said. Junior

Anne Belden recorded five steals, scored three goals and dished out

one assist, and she sat out most of the second half. The Newport

defense stuffed the Eagles throughout the first 18 minutes, 28

seconds, building an 11-0 lead.

Newport’s five-on-six defense was also dominant, as Santa

Margarita went 1 for 12 on the power play. Newport senior goalies Kim

Housepian and Terin Cottam, who usually play one half each, had two

and seven saves, respectively.

In the process, the Sailors achieved their preseason goal of

wanting to build team chemistry. They also let their performance do

all the talking. While some coaches call them statement games,

Barnett would rather solely focus on what took place in the Sailors’

pool.

“That was by far our best performance,” Barnett said. “[The

defense] was great. We had them suffocated, basically. We had good

counterattacks and good balance on our frontcourt ... I just thought

we played well. We’re not trying to send any message to anybody. We

just try to come in and play every game well.”

The Sailors (7-1) certainly achieved that simple goal against

Santa Margarita (7-4). Conway got things started 1:46 into the game,

scoring at two meters, as she established position when taking the

pass from Jessica Ball.

About two minutes later, Ball, bound for the University of

Michigan, scored on a counterattack, and with 38 seconds left in the

opening quarter Conway made good on a six-on-five opportunity, two

seconds after drawing the ejection.

Conway, once again, gained her place in set and found the back of

the cage, 18 seconds into the second quarter for a 4-0 lead. From

there, it seemed to be the Anne Belden Show. Belden, who had her

first three shots stuffed by the goalie, scored two straight goals on

the counterattack in a 35-second span.

Leah Robertson, who had two goals, closed out the first half with

yet another goal coming on the counterattack for a 7-0 lead. Newport

produced three goals in the first two minutes of the third quarter,

as Conway, Melissa Wheeler and Belden scored. Conway, a senior who

will play at Indiana next year, put it away in two meters with 2:45

left in the third.

Santa Margarita, which missed on its first 10 shots, ended its

drought 13 seconds after Conway’s goal when Darby Anderson scored on

a skip shot from about four meters out.

“Newport’s an outstanding team,” Santa Margarita Coach Kevin Ricks

said. “They were ready to go right from that first whistle. They were

on fire. Defensively, they pressed really hard and that gave us

trouble. It was tough to make the adjustments. If Newport comes out

and plays that type of game, Foothill is going to have themselves a

big-time [opponent].”

Senior Jennifer Beech scored in the fourth quarter, along with

Robertson. Beech’s goal came on a power play, and on an assist from

senior Kaycie Craib. Newport went 3 for 5 in player-up situations.

The Sailors’ margin of victory came a bit surprising for Barnett,

considering Newport defeated Santa Margarita, 9-5, Dec. 26 in the

Holiday Cup, the tournament hosted by the Tars and Corona del Mar.

But this time Conway stayed away from foul trouble and the Sailors

were excited as they prepare for their matchup against the Knights, a

game that will most likely determine the Sea View League champion.

“[Thursday] in workout I could tell they were really ready to

play,” Barnett said. “We just have to keep it going. This is the

worst week in the whole year. We have The Bishop’s [today at 11 a.m.]

and they’re supposed to be the best team in San Diego. We have the

big showdown with Foothill on Wednesday and then we have the Santa

Barbara tournament [Jan. 16-17]. All tough games, and the Wednesday

one is the most important.”

*--*

Nonleague

Newport Harbor 13, Santa Margarita 3

Score by Quarters

S. Margarita 0 0 1 2 -- 3

Newport 3 4 4 2 -- 13

Santa Margarita -- Anderson 2, Markel 1. Saves --

O’Connor 8.

Newport Harbor -- Conway 5, Belden 3, Robertson

2, Ball 1, Wheeler 1, Beech 1. Saves -- Cottam 7,

Housepian 2.

*--*