Just one corner is all Tars require

COSTA MESA — The first six penalty corners resulted in no goals for the Newport Harbor High field hockey team. No dice on the last 12 penalty corners either.

But lucky No. 7 was a winner for the Sailors in their Sunset League game against Fountain Valley on Thursday at the Harper Community Center.

Off Natalie Mitchell’s corner, Claire Josephson fed junior forward Chelsea McDonald, who scored from directly in front of the goal six minutes into the second half. It was the only goal Newport Harbor would need in a 1-0 victory.

“We were just all connecting really well and talking a lot, which made it a lot easier,” McDonald said. “It was a group effort, and I just happened to be there to slap it in.”

The Sailors (17-4-2, 6-2 in league) were playing in their regular-season home finale, and they usually do well on their home field. But Wednesday, they had to fight off an effort from a Fountain Valley squad (2-9-2, 0-7-1) that was searching for its first league win.

Newport Harbor, which had beaten Fountain Valley, 4-0, earlier in the season, dominated the scoring chances and had 19 penalty corners to just two for the Barons.

“It’s so frustrating,” said Sailors co-captain Katy Storch, who just missed scoring several goals in front of the net. “Those are supposed to be in, for sure.”

But a gutsy defensive effort by Fountain Valley, including standout goalie Susie Toumamian, kept the game close. Toumamian, who was the MVP of the Marina Tournament last month, finished with nine saves.

“They gave us a run for our money,” Storch said. “I don’t think we were playing like we were expecting to win, but we definitely didn’t expect them to play alongside us like that. It was good on their part. I was impressed.”

Newport Harbor also benefited from the strong midfield play of Josephson and co-captain Samantha Hill, and aggressive defense from Maggie Bernay and Claire Layton.

Coach Devon Kelly said Layton, who usually plays either forward or midfield, did great stepping in as defensive stopper with Shannon Rohan out sick.

“I’ve been practicing defense in practice,” Layton said. “I knew I had to step it up today, because Shannon sets the bar high. I had to bring it today.”

Sailors players said that though it was a bit frustrating that they couldn’t score more goals, they’ll take the win.

“It was a little bit frustrating, but at the same time, it was a lot of fun,” McDonald said. “We had to work for what we were getting. We were talking a lot more, and even though we weren’t scoring we were still bonding and connecting. We were still working on what we practice, so it was still rewarding.”

Sailors goalie Jessie Bass made four saves, including a key kick save with 90 seconds to go as Fountain Valley’s Jacqueline Matthews was fast approaching.

Newport Harbor finishes its regular season with a pair of road games next week, including Tuesday at Louisville and Thursday at rival Harvard-Westlake.

Both of those games will be on turf, so they should provide a good challenge as the Sailors prepare for the Los Angeles Field Hockey Assn. Tournament of Champions, which begins Oct. 30.

“We started out a little rocky, with lots of new players and some younger girls,” Storch said. “But we’re coming together. I wish we could have scored a little bit more today, but it’s good that we won. I think that even though the season’s almost over, we’re going to keep growing as a team.”

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or by e-mail at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.