Chargers score big win

NEWPORT BEACH — Playing a high school soccer game on a Saturday afternoon turned out to be something different for the girls of Newport Harbor and Edison.

It also proved to be something special for the Chargers.

For the Sailors? Not so much.

Edison forwards Alyssa Duren, Nikki Fedele and Amy Hayes each scored their first goal of the season in an important 3-0 Sunset League win at Newport Harbor.

The game was originally scheduled for Jan. 20, but rain pushed it to Saturday. Edison provided a storm of its own for Newport Harbor.

The victory gave the Chargers (9-5-3, 3-3 in league) sole possession of third place in league, the final spot for a guaranteed CIF Southern Section playoff berth.

The Sailors (4-8-5, 2-3-1), playing without two starters, including senior star Elizabeth Eddy, dropped to fourth place and suffered its third straight loss.

Eddy, a midfielder bound for USC, was playing with the U.S. women’s under-20 team in Guatemala. She helped the Americans to a 1-0 victory over Mexico for the CONCACAF Championship crown.

Newport Harbor is now in desperate need of a win. The Tars haven’t won since Jan. 14 when they beat Los Alamitos, 1-0. The Griffins are in second place in league at 4-2.

Newport Harbor also tied, 1-1, with league-leader Esperanza (4-0-1 in league) Jan. 12.

“This one hurt,” Sailors Coach Larry Draluck said. “This one puts us out of the playoffs right now. We need come back and win some games. We have our work cut out for us.”

Getting Eddy back will most likely help. She is sometimes marked by two players. Her defense also gives the Sailors a big boost.

“When she’s here it’s a different situation,” Draluck said. “She’ll create other opportunities for other players.”

Megan Khademi, a striker, was out with an illness.

Still, Newport Harbor did have scoring opportunities. Shortly after a corner kick, Shannon Boler blasted a shot that sailed inches above the goal and hit the crossbar from the football field in the 22nd minute.

Newport Harbor goalkeeper Emily Browne, who recorded seven saves, made a great stop with 11 minutes left in the first half, kicking away a hard shot by the Chargers.

However, Edison continued to attack and broke through with seven minutes left in the first half. That’s when Fedele’s corner kick floated perfectly toward Duren, who was in front of the cage and she headed it in.

Duren said she was excited to score her first goal of the season. She said it helped spark the Chargers, who were well aware Eddy was not going to play.

“I think it made it a little bit easier on us,” Duren said of Eddy’s absence. “[But] the last couple of times we’ve played her we marked her and we shut her down. We have some excellent man markers on this team that have shut her down, so I don’t think we were too worried about it. But I know she is definitely a force to be reckoned with in the middle.”

Playing down, 1-0, Newport Harbor almost got back in the game. Brianna Schwartz nearly connected for a goal. Her shot toward the upper right of the goal was slapped away by 5-foot-11 goalie Megan Thomson late in the first half.

But Edison essentially put the game away in the 66th minute. Fedele scored when she found a small opening in the Sailors’ defense after taking a pass from Alexis Cohea.

Thomson played a big part in the Chargers’ shutout with her four saves. With her height it was hard for Newport Harbor to sail any shots over her head.

Thomson was playing in her first game since she went through an undisclosed surgery, Edison Coach Kerry Crooks said.

The Chargers suffered a 4-0 loss to Los Alamitos Thursday. They also lost goalie Shelby Karal to a foot injury.

On Friday, Crooks put her team through a rigorous practice. It seemed to pay off Saturday.

A little luck helped too. With Thomson playing out of goal, Mary Yeager nearly scored. Her shot bounced just inches to the right of the goal with six minutes left.

Hayes finalized the scoring just before the final whistle. She scored after a Newport Harbor player failed to clear the ball away from the Sailors’ 18-yard box.

“I think Newport, Marina and us are kind of going for that race for third,” Crooks said. “Making [the playoffs] is hard in our league. You have good quality teams in this league. You have Esperanza and Los Al who are very dominant. This will help, but it’s not done by no means. We still have four games left.”