Newport Harbor finds the net early, often in win

COSTA MESA — With three goals just 10 minutes into the game, the Newport Harbor High field hockey team knew it was rolling on all cylinders Thursday against Westminster.

First-year coach Devon Kelly said she was impressed that the Sailors kept playing their game throughout a 7-0 nonleague win for Newport Harbor (5-1-1) at the Harper Community Center.

“I told them to go back to fundamentals and work on some things we usually work on in practice, and they did,” Kelly said. “They stayed on the balls of their feet and they stayed focused. I was proud of the way they spread the ball around.”

The Sailors got on the board just four minutes into the game, when Amanda Shaw scored a straightaway goal off a penalty corner.

Three minutes later, Shannon Rohan tapped the ball into the net after a scrum near the goal. Jessie Nix earned an assist on the play.

Rohan scored three goals for a hat trick, and also added an assist.

“I picked [the sport] up last year, and I was the only freshman on JV,” said Rohan, now the only sophomore on varsity. “I love it. This was a fun game; it was good practice.”

Newport scored again in the 10th minute, when Samantha Kuhns angled the ball past drawn-out Westminster goalie Alexis McConald after a centering pass from Kyleigh Harrison.

In the 21st minute, Harrison’s hard shot spun past the goalie and in.

Rohan then scored her second goal with five minutes left in the half, when her shot deflected off the goalie and into the net.

Senior goalie Jessica Pizarek had to make just one first-half save before being relieved in the second half by Robin Ibbetson.

“We’ve been working pretty hard, so it was nice to have a little break,” said Pizarek, who played midfield in the second half. “I’ve got to give it up to our forwards and midfielders; they were controlling the ball the whole time. We really play as a team. We don’t really have any standouts, so it’s easy to play together.”

Pizarek, who has been the starting varsity goalie the past two seasons, said she had only played midfield once before.

“I don’t make a practice of it, but it’s always nice,” she said with a smile.

The Sailors added to their lead in the first minute of the second half. After Claire Josephson won possession near the end line against two Westminster defenders, her centering pass to Rohan was banged in to make it 6-0, Newport Harbor.

Josephson capped the scoring five minutes later when she again beat two defenders in the middle of the field, then angled a shot past the sliding goalie’s leg and into the corner of the net.

With the game in hand, Kelly shuffled the lineup in the second half, bringing some of the defenders up to play offense. She said her team is in good physical condition, even if it didn’t matter much in a blowout game.

“They didn’t have to do a lot of back-and-forth running today, but they’re in decent shape,” Kelly said. “It was a good midweek game today.”

Kelly also credited defensive midfielder Hayley Ayres for helping the Sailors create so many opportunities and keep the ball away from the Newport Harbor goal.

“She did a great job and had great stickwork,” Kelly said. “She controlled the field real well.”

Newport Harbor plays at Harvard-Westlake today and then prepares for a key nonleague game at Marina of Huntington Beach next Tuesday.

Marina has defeated the Sailors in three Los Angeles Field Hockey Assn. Tournament of Champions title matches, including last year.

“Last year, Marina was the only team that we had a problem dominating,” Pizarek said.