Sailors take third in wild shootout

Bryce Alderton

Newport Harbor High and Foothill girls water polo teams will most

likely end up on opposite sides of the CIF Southern Section Division

I playoff bracket when pairings are announced next weekend.

So the teams’ third meeting this season, staged in the semifinals

of the Irvine Southern California championships Saturday, offered an

opportunity to play Santa Margarita in the final, along with seizing

whatever psychological edge exists should the Sea View League rivals

meet once more.

Foothill, the tournament’s No. 3 seed, continued a trend of

one-upsmanship in this year’s series with an 8-4 victory over the

second-seeded Sailors at Irvine High behind five goals from junior

two-meter standout Grace Reynolds and sparkling defense from

goalkeeper Amber Oland, who made eight saves.

Newport, though, ended the day on a winning note, downing Santa

Barbara, 14-11, to claim third place for the second straight year.

Senior All-CIF first-team returnee Anne Belden scored six of her

game-high seven goals on penalty shots for the Sailors (23-3, 4-0 in

league).

Newport, ranked second in CIF Division I, scored five times in the

second period to stake a 7-5 halftime advantage and held on from

there. Junior Kally Lucas and senior Ashling Taylor each scored three

goals while Belden led the Tars with five steals.

Lucas tallied three assists and three steals against the Dons

(20-6), helping the Sailors enter their league finale at Woodbridge

at 3 p.m. Wednesday with some steam.

The Sailors took the inside track toward their second straight

league title with a 10-8 victory over Foothill (22-3, 3-1) on Jan.

12. Four days earlier, Foothill, ranked third in Division I, defeated

the Sailors, 9-8, to win the Tournament of Champions in Santa

Barbara.

The Knights added another tournament title Saturday afternoon with

a 2-0 victory over Santa Margarita in the Irvine championship game.

Newport struck first with 1 minute, 57 seconds left in the first

period when Lucas scored the first of her two goals on an assist from

Belden on a 6-on-5 advantage.

But that was the Sailors’ only lead as the Knights scored eight of

the game’s next nine goals to take a commanding 8-2 lead with 4:27

left in the fourth quarter.

Newport went 3 of 8 on 6-on-5 scenarios while holding Foothill

scoreless on its three extra-player chances.

Senior Melissa Wheeler tallied three assists while junior Leah

Robertson added two in the games Saturday.

Irvine Southern California

championships

Third place

Newport Harbor 14,

Santa Barbara 11

Score by Quarters

*--*

S.B. 3 2 3 3 -- 11

Newport 2 5 4 3 -- 14

*--*

S.B. -- Craig 6, Louie 1, Friedland 1, Bugay 2, Collyer 1. Saves

-- May 4.

Newport -- Belden 7, Lucas 3, Taylor 3, Wheeler 1. Saves -- Nelson

1, Layton 1.

Semifinal

Foothill 8,

Newport Harbor 4

Score by Quarters

*--*

Foothill 1 4 2 1 -- 8

Newport 1 1 0 2 -- 4

*--*

Foothill -- Reynolds 5, Klug 2, Umphrey 1. Saves -- Oland 8.

Newport -- Lucas 2, Belden 2.