Tars held up on home field

When Amanda Carver scored for the Newport Harbor High field hockey

team toward the end of the first half, little did the Sailors know it

would be their only goal of the game.

Newport Harbor was held scoreless the last 35 minutes, 55 seconds

of the game, as Marina High held on for a 2-1 Sunset League victory

Tuesday afternoon at Harper School.

Carver won a loose ball in front of the Marina net and clubbed it

past goalkeeper Caitlyn Kagawa with 5:55 remaining in the first half

to give the Sailors a 1-0 lead.

But the Vikings, applying consistent offensive pressure all game

long, responded with two quick goals and went into halftime leading,

2-1.

Newport Harbor was coming off a third-place finish in the Marina

tournament Saturday when the team was competing on a finely-cut field

that plays fast, which is how the Sailors like it.

“We seem to have a hard time getting used to playing on this

field,” Newport Harbor Coach Piper Phillips said. “It has long grass

and it plays slow. Our strength is our speed and this field does not

play to our strengths.”

Robin Ibbetson had the best opportunities to score in the second

half for the Sailors. Early in the second half, Ibbetson ran past a

defender and came in on the net, but Marina’s Kagawa slid forward to

smother the shot.

After a key save by goalkeeper Jessica Pizarek on a Marina shot

from point blank kept the game close, Newport Harbor went back on the

offensive. With 2:25 left in regulation, Ibbetson had the ball in

traffic in front of the Marina net, but her shot was saved by Kagawa.

Newport Harbor had one more opportunity to score, but Sasha

Grumman’s crossing pass scooted past multiple teammates in front of

the net untouched and rolled out of bounds.

“Marina is one of the better teams in our league,” Phillips said.

“They are probably the best competition we’ve faced so far. They

caught us back on our heels at times, and it seemed like they were

cutting off a lot of our passes.”

Pizarek made four saves in goal for Newport Harbor, which fell to

16-4 overall and 2-1 in the Sunset League. The Sailors get one more

chance to even the score in league action against the Vikings Oct. 20

at Marina.

“We expected a tough game, it just didn’t work out in our favor,”

Grumman said. “If we played the first half like we did the second

half, we would have dominated the game. Next time we play them we

just have to come out strong in the beginning and don’t wait for it.”

Newport Harbor will try to get back on the winning track when it

plays at Edison Thursday in a Sunset League game.

“I definitely think we can still win our league,” Grumman said.

“Especially after this game. Now we know we can’t just go out there.

We have to work hard.”