Edison trick no treat

NEWPORT BEACH — Kaylee Schneekluth lifted her arms in celebration right after she shot the ball.

The Edison High senior girls’ soccer player knew her third goal of the game, on a breakaway counterattack, was going right into the net after she got it past a diving goalie.

On the other sideline, Newport Harbor Coach Larry Draluck normally would have been proud of Schneekluth. She plays on his under-18 club team for the Southern California Blues.

But Tuesday at Newport Harbor High, Schneekluth’s hat trick instead meant blues for the Sailors. Their 3-1 Sunset League loss dealt a severe blow to their CIF playoff hopes.

Edison (7-7-4, 3-3 in league) leapfrogs over Newport Harbor (6-6-6, 2-4-1) in the fight for the third CIF Southern Section Division I playoff spot the league provides. Schneekluth made it possible with her goals in the 12th, 50th and 73rd minutes.

“Since she plays for Larry, she had a little, you know, ‘Here you go, Larry,’ ” Edison Coach Kerry Crooks said. “It’s kind of fun.”

Not for Newport Harbor, which worked so hard in the first half only to come away scoreless. Sophomore Gillian Hogan had maybe the best chance, when she stole a pass intended for Edison goalie Cassie Becker in the 39th minute and had open net in front of her. The cross from the left would drift wide.

Elizabeth Eddy earned three corner kicks in the first half and Hogan collected two more to open the second half, but Newport Harbor would score its only goal when Melissa Hancock provided her team’s sixth corner kick in the 58th minute.

The kick in from Eddy was headed at the top of the box by senior Carly Ruiz, deflected off an Edison player near the post and went into the net, pulling the Sailors within 2-1.

Newport Harbor pushed all its players up in hopes of finding an equalizer. But, when the ball got played near midfield, that plan backfired. Schneekluth sped past a defender and found an open net in the 73rd minute, giving the Chargers an insurance goal.

“We played extremely hard,” Draluck said. “We went for the result. One of the dangers of pushing people into the attack is that you’re vulnerable to counterattacks, and we made three grave mistakes. We basically gave the ball to them while we were spread out, and they capitalized. We’ve just got to make better plays under pressure.”

Crooks said the Sailors, who had beaten Edison, 2-0, on Jan. 8, won that game largely on account of their ball-control offense.

“They like to play with a lot of rhythm out of the back,” Crooks said. “The first time we played them, we got rocked to sleep.”

But Draluck shook his head after Tuesday’s loss, saying that type of game is harder to accomplish on the Newport Harbor football field.

“It’s just difficult to play here,” he said. “It’s so bumpy and so narrow. You have to be able to do things with the ball when you’re not comfortable. It takes a high level of technique to play like that.”

Rachel Baugh, Katy Storch, Crystal Mena and Maggie Bernay all played solid defense for the Sailors, who got four saves from freshman goalkeeper Sydney King.

Brianna Schwartz also injected some energy for Newport Harbor into the team with her runs in the second half.

Thanks to Schneekluth, Draluck said Newport Harbor will likely need to win all of its final three Sunset League games for a chance at the postseason.

“She scored three?” Draluck said. “Ooh. She’s never going to let me live that down.”

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or by e-mail at [email protected].