Battle of the Bay Girls’ Soccer: Sailors, Sea Kings play to tie

Newport Harbor High junior Sianna Siemonsma continues to terrorize rival Corona del Mar every time she steps onto the Sea Kings girls’ soccer field.

Siemonsma played in her third Battle of the Bay rivalry match Tuesday afternoon. She again scored a goal, as she did as a freshman and sophomore.

This time, however, the host Sea Kings were able to avoid their third straight loss to the Sailors.

Despite playing down a player for much of the second half, CdM held on for a 1-1 tie in the match that also was an Aliso Cup tournament pool play match.

“I’m pretty happy that we got a tie, but obviously a win would have been better,” Siemonsma said. “They were down a player, and that defender that went out was one of their best defenders I think. It’s pretty upsetting, but we didn’t lose.”

What the Sailors (1-3-3) did was prevent the Sea Kings (1-0-2) from winning the three-team Aliso Cup pool. CdM Coach Bryan Middleton said that, by tournament rules, his team lost a point after junior defender Hailey Neumann was issued a red card 14 minutes into the second half.

The Sea Kings, who tied Hart, 1-1, on Monday in the pool play opener, can finish second at best in the pool. Newport Harbor can win it by winning on the road at Hart on Thursday. If the Sailors tie the Indians, the two teams will go to penalty kicks to decide who wins the pool.

Siemonsma, who is committed to the University of Washington, again put the Sailors on top in the Battle of the Bay. She scored her sixth goal of the season in the 20th minute, taking the through ball from Newport freshman midfielder Emily Johnson and worked her way into inside position on her defender. The shot went into the right corner, giving the Sailors the lead.

This year, it wouldn’t stand up. Neumann tied the score eight minutes into the second half, after Newport Harbor committed a handball penalty about 30 yards out. Neumann drilled the direct free kick into the lower left corner, and her teammates piled onto her in celebration.

Six minutes later, she was out of the game. She committed her second yellow card penalty by taking down Siemonsma, who like Neumann plays club soccer for Slammers FC. The Sailors would spend the final 26 minutes of the match up a player, yet they did not find the scoring chances plentiful.

“Sometimes when a team loses a player on the field, they play a lot harder because they know they have to,” Newport Harbor Coach Larry Draluck said. “They’re playing shorthanded, and I’ve got to hand it to them. [The Sea Kings] stepped up and put a lot of pressure on us, and we kind of lost our way. Instead of moving the ball and taking advantage of the extra player, we kind of just got into trying to win the game. We forgot to play as a team.”

It was Corona del Mar that had the better scoring chances late. Junior forward Taylor Rosen was constantly around the goal, but Newport Harbor sophomore goalie Ryah Montano made two of her four saves to keep the score tied.

Newport Harbor got one last corner kick in the final minute, but it was headed out of danger as the final whistle blew.

Middleton could not be too upset about the result, especially since he also lost standout senior defender Ally Doherty to cramping in the second half. Sophomore Caroline Casey and freshman Katherine Caston helped to hold down the defense along with sophomore Julie Bartz and junior Christina Venturini, as well as senior keeper Kat Hess (seven saves).

“I think we had some tired legs today [after Monday night’s tie against Hart],” Middleton said. “And of course the Battle of the Bay is played with a lot of emotion, so it takes away from some of the composure in the match, especially in the first half. It’s just tough, but it’s still a positive result. We don’t have a loss on our record, we’re 1-0-2, and we’re ranked 10th [in CIF Southern Section Division 2]. I’m excited for the season.”

Draluck, whose team benefited from the defensive efforts of seniors Emily Gess and Emily Goltz among others, has a younger Emily in the midfield who he also is excited about. Johnson continually set her teammates up with chances to score.

“Emily Johnson was POM, Player of the Match,” Draluck said. “She runs the midfield. She’s got some things to learn as far as her distribution, but man, very impressive. She and Sianna work very well together. They have a good understanding.”

Johnson is used to playing club soccer, also with Slammers, but the high school season has been hectic as well. The Sailors have already played seven games in eight days. They went 0-3-1 in the Brentwood tournament, finishing it off Monday with a tie against host Brentwood.

“Starting off the season so quickly might have been a bit chaotic, but I think having good teammates really helps you,” Johnson said. “[High school soccer] has been fun so far, and my teammates make it a lot better. It’s way different than club, a lot different, but I love my teammates.”