Newport girls earn bronze

The Newport Water Polo Foundation girls’ 12-and-under team placed third at the 2006 S&R; Sport Junior Olympics, completed Sunday in Ventura.

The Newport 14-and-under team placed sixth in its age division and the 18-and-under team placed 10th, bolstering a strong local showing.

It was an eye-opening experience, especially for the 12-and-under squad.

“Most of the girls have been playing water polo for two or three years, but this was easily the biggest tournament they’ve played in,” Co-Coach Matt McCormick said. “There were a lot of college coaches there, even looking at the talent for the girls at the 14 and 12 [year-old] levels. So, it was exciting for the girls to be in that environment.”

The Newport 12-and-under team started toward the bronze by winning its first five games in the 15-team pool.

Newport topped Ventura Coast, 17-1; Laguna Beach, 13-5; Fallbrook, 10-3; Chino Hills, 9-4; and eventual tournament champion Santa Barbara, 6-4.

Newport lost in the semifinals to SoCal of Tustin, 5-3, but rebounded for a 9-6 triumph over Commerce in the third-place game.

Team members Pippa Saunders, Cassidy Papa, Ally McCormick and Alys Williams made the Under 12 girls’ All-American team.

The Newport Water Polo Foundation 14-and-under girls finished sixth in their age division, compiling a 5-3 record in the tournament.

Newport beat teams from Poway and Stanford, advancing past Commerce in a shootout before edging Los Alamitos, 6-5.

The Newport 14-and-under girls lost a rematch to Los Alamitos, 7-5, in the fifth-place game.

Coach Rob Williams said Kaleigh Gilchrist was the leading scorer.

The team also received strong play from Katie Jackson, Krissy Burger and Kate Klippert, Williams said.

“We had a strong corps of girls going into high school,” Williams said. “We finished above our expectations going in, but we almost made the semifinals before losing in a shootout.”

The Newport Water Polo Foundation 18-and-under girls placed 10th in their age division, overcoming an early loss to go 5-2.

In the ninth-place game, Newport fell to El Rancho, 6-2.

Corona del Mar’s 18-and-under girls’ team finished 12th in its age division, falling to Florida Coast, 4-3, in a tough 11th-place game.

Corona del Mar beat teams from Eastside, Modesto, Chino Hills and Houston along the way.

The Newport 16-and-under girls finished 23rd.

Newport went 3-3 in its first six games, winning a shootout and dropping another, before defeating Los Alamitos, 4-1, in the 23rd-place game.