Tars left blowing in wind

Newport Harbor gives up second-half goal and loses to a Warriors team it had beaten in three of four previous meetings.NEWPORT BEACH -- The Newport Harbor High girls’ soccer team, which had won three of the last four meetings with Woodbridge, fell to the Warriors, 1-0, on Tuesday.

The Sailors found openings throughout the game with passes and good field positioning, but were unable to capitalize on their 17 shots compared to the Warriors’ seven.

In the first half, both teams went scoreless, despite relentless attempts by Newport Harbor to take advantage of the wind.

“We rallied up defensively,” said Woodbridge Coach Gabe Smith. “It’s hard to play against the wind, and we just hung in there.”

In the middle of the first half, a header by Amanda Laz sent the ball to Alex Conley, who beat two defenders. Her shot drew silence in the crowd, but sailed left of the goal.

In the second half, Stephanie Lambrakis got free after battling a defender, but her shot flew high and left.

The Sailors, desperate to score, followed with a series of shots in a matter of minutes. First, Krystal Wright’s shot was blocked by Woodbridge midfielder Taera Ebert. Seconds later, a shot by Laz was saved by goalkeeper Roxy Barker. A minute later, a throw-in created another wind-blown shot for Conley, which made its way to the left of the goal.

Woodbridge got its chance when a Newport Harbor player tripped midway through the second half, creating a breakaway for the Warriors. Rachel Lerma put the ball away for the game’s only goal.

“It should have never come to that,” said D’Agostino. “Every statistical indication suggests we should’ve won this game. We should have never let ourselves fall behind. This is a game of goals, and we should have put a ball in the first half. It just didn’t happen.”

The Sailors fall to 6-10-2, 2-3-1, with four league games remaining, beginning with a trip to Foothill on Thursday.

Sea View League

Woodbridge 1, Newport Harbor 0

Score by Halves