Sailors advance behind shutout

Seniors Reese Simmons and Amanda Fallon each scored first-half goals

and the top-seeded Newport Harbor High field hockey team made it

stand with a 2-0 victory over Chaminade in the first round of the Los

Angeles Field Hockey Association Tournament of Champions Saturday at

Huntington Beach High.

The Sailors (17-3-5), defending tournament champions and winners

of the Sunset League, advance to the semifinals scheduled for 3:15

p.m. Tuesday against visiting Glendora at the Harper Community Center

in Costa Mesa.

Both Sailor goals were unassisted and the result of deft passing,

said Newport Coach Kristy Cross, who singled out the play of senior

midfielder Jenny Taylor, junior Lara Schilling and Rachel Foster

against Chaminade (6-9).

Newport applied pressure from the outset, earning six penalty

corners in the first 10 minutes. They finished with 11.

The Sailors blanked Chaminade, 1-0, in the teams’ prior meeting

this season, so Cross was expecting a close game.

Newport spent much of the past week practicing for a potential

shootout.

“I knew [Chaminade] was a tough team, so I prepared the girls for

a tie,” Cross said.

Senior goalkeeper Ciara Lawrence made one save while Jackie Taylor

provided strong defense and Sienna Palmer added a spark on the front

lines with one-touch passing, Cross said.

After Saturday’s showing, Cross believes Newport has a strong

chance of reaching its fifth straight TOC title game, which would be

played Thursday.

“After [Saturday’s] game, we are unstoppable right now,” Cross

said.