Second to Sailors

Knocking off Corona del Mar High in Irvine resulted in more than just bragging rights for Newport Harbor High.

The Feb. 2 win in the championship game of the Irvine Southern California Championships put the Sailors in prime position for the top seed in the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs, and Sunday they officially took it.

Newport Harbor (25-3, 5-0 in the Sunset League) has the No. 1 seed in the Division I bracket, while the Sea Kings (20-6) took the second spot. Foothill (20-6) was third, and Long Beach Wilson (20-6) was fourth.

“I think it’s really significant because you have an easier route to get to the top,” said senior Mimi Bury. “It’s a psychological thing a little bit. It just always feels good to be number one. You have confidence in yourself.”

The first-round home-pool advantage is important, too, said Bury, the only holdover from Newport Harbor’s 2006 CIF championship team.

“I love playing at home because it’s a super short drive, and our scoreboard’s so cool,” Bury said, giggling. “I love showing it off to other people.”

This year’s team is stacked with more talent that the 2006 team, Bury said, but the real advantage might be the Sailors’ left handers.

Senior Annie Savoji is ambidexterous, and Chelsea Datt, Jessica Robinson, and Erin Reid are all left-handed. Bury, who has 33 goals and 47 steals on the season, said the team didn’t face any left-handers when it played CdM, Foothill, and Wilson earlier in the season.

Whether their presence opens up an extra attack lane in the right side of the pool, or makes it easier to fight off defenders, Bury said Newport Harbor’s left-handers could play an important role in the post-season.

And even though the final is four matches away, the Sailors are still keeping an eye on the bottom half of the bracket. Newport Harbor will play Schurr in the first round of the playoffs Feb. 13.

“We go everywhere, and it seems we always end up with CdM at the end,” Bury said. “It seems very appropriate [if it ended that way].”

But while Newport Harbor was happy with its placement, CdM coach Aaron Chaney was not so happy to be hosting Huntington Beach in the first round of the playoffs. Huntington Beach finished in third place in the Sea View league behind Foothill and El Toro.

“I think we got a tough game in the first round,” Chaney said. “I think there’s some teams that have [lower] seeds than we do that got easier game than we have, but that’s the way it goes.”

Chaney was also under the impression that CIF had changed its policy for selecting home-pool advantage for the playoffs, but it hasn’t.

Chaney and other coaches wanted the rules to change so that everyone who advances past the quarterfinals must play in a larger pool with floating goals.

“I thought it was a done deal, otherwise I would have pushed for it,” Chaney said. “We’ll see if we can get it in there next year.”

Chaney and other coaches don’t like playing in the smaller pools with wall-mounted goals because it subtracts about two yards of playing space.

“Two yards makes a big difference,” Chaney said. “It’s great to play at home. The teams that are higher seeded should have home-field advantage all through the playoffs.”

With just one regular starter from last season’s varsity team on this year’s squad, Chaney will take his advantages wherever and however they appear.

“If you asked me six months ago, I never would have expected us to be the second seed,” he said. “It’s a young team. They’ve come a long way. What matters is having playoff experience. It’s a new season, a different set of circumstances. You don’t play for third and fourth. You lose, you’re done.”

Costa Mesa (11-17, 2-1) is the No. 2 representative from the Orange Coast League in the Division II playoffs. The Mustangs will play at third-seed Santa Barbara in the first round Feb. 14.

Senior Tahlia Nunez led the team with 54 goals and 35 steals this season.

SORAYA NADIA MCDONALD is a staff writer. She may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or by e-mail at soraya.mcdonald@latimes.com.