Sailors’ run comes up short

HUNTINGTON BEACH — With the title up for grabs, the scene for the Los Angeles Field Hockey Assn. Tournament of Champions final was set up like a Hollywood script. More or less anyway.

For field hockey, crowds don’t get too big, but the number of fans at this game made it look like an opening-night premiere.

The matchup between the Newport Harbor High Sailors and the Huntington Beach Oilers could have been confused with an epic good vs. evil battle, or even a grand story of the underdog. The Sailors (26-4), wearing white, had to win in sudden-death overtime in the semifinals. The Oilers? Those girls in black uniforms entered unbeaten.

With the high school band practicing on the field right next to where the Sailors were set to face off against the Oilers, the beating of the bass drums and the melodies of the brass created a soundtrack. Banners and posters were displayed by Huntington.

While the captains met with the referees, both teams stood in huddles, eyeing each other.

There was nervous tension, butterflies and anxiousness to start.

But as most movie scripts play out, this one would not.

Huntington Beach beat the Sailors, 2-0, to win the championship and end its season undefeated.

The game started off with both teams slapping at the ball, no one taking complete control.

But that changed in a matter of minutes when Huntington gained the advantage, scoring on a shot driven in from the top of the circle, and taking the lead, 1-0.

Huntington continued to pressure and the Sailors continued to battle on defense.

The Oilers scored their second goal later in the first half, putting them up, 2-0, early and forcing Newport Harbor to take a timeout.

It was time to calm the girls down and keep them in the game

“I told them that the game is certainly not over,” said Newport Harbor Coach Devon Kelly, whose team won it’s division of the Sunset League. “It’s two to nothing and we just need some opportunities to score.”

The Sailors came out of the timeout revamped.

Newport finished the half strong and the attitude on the sideline was optimistic and confident.

Senior Claire Josephson was all over the field. Liz Tennyson, as usual, was aggressive. Sophomore Lauren Rojas and junior Maggie Bernay were also contributing, making important stops and keeping the Sailors close.

Senior co-captains Katy Storch and Samantha Hill contolled the midfield, junior Shannon Rohan was quick, running balls down, and the players on the sidelines kept the energy high.

But Huntington Beach controlled the ball too much and seemed to get all the breaks. It was Huntington’s day.

“They played defense well because we certainly got camped out on our end of the field below the 25 a lot of the time and Huntington plays well inside the circle,” Kelly said. “We couldn’t clear it high enough to give our offense a chance.”

But in the presence of defeat, the attitudes were not somber. There was sadness, but not disappointment.

The Sailors may not have been crowned champions, but they are not the type of group to sit around crying ... too much anyway.

“We’re a pretty young team, so we mature through a loss and Huntington’s a tough team,” Kelly said.

Josephson’s feelings were similar, saying “They’re probably our toughest rivals because they were undefeated and ended their season undefeated. They’re definitely a good team. I’m glad if I had to lose to anyone, I lost to them.”

Newport Harbor may have lost to the Oilers on the field, but off the field Storch feels they don’t have any reason to hang their heads.

“The way we played out there and to not give up, that is as much a win as there is,” Storch said.

ANDREW SNYDER may be reached at (714) 966-4616.