Corona del Mar girls’ lacrosse earns first win over rival Newport Harbor in six years
Senior Belle Grace and juniors Frankie Garcia and Abby Grace all surpassed 100 career goals this season for the Corona del Mar High girls’ lacrosse team.
But the trio would likely have traded their individual accolades for a victory over Back Bay rival Newport Harbor.
On Thursday night, CdM was able to check off that box as well.
Abby Grace scored six goals as Corona del Mar rallied late to earn a 12-11 win over the Sailors at Newport Harbor High in a Sunset League game.
It wasn’t decided until CdM senior goalkeeper Ellie Spotts deflected a shot wide in the final seconds, but the Sea Kings earned their first Battle of the Bay win over the rival Sailors since 2016. CdM had lost five straight times to Newport Harbor since then, including two Sunset League matches last year as the Sailors went on to the league title.
“I’m just glad that we came up with the win,” Belle Grace said. “We really played with each other and for each other.”
Neither team led by more than two goals throughout the contest, but Corona del Mar (9-3, 2-1 in league) ran into some danger midway through the second half with back-to-back yellow cards.
Newport Harbor (7-5, 1-2) took advantage. Rowdy Farmer and Caroline Close scored free-position goals as the Sailors took a 10-8 lead with 9:31 remaining.
CdM was called for three of the game’s four yellow cards, though it wasn’t quite as bad as the Sea Kings’ 23-16 league loss to Edison on March 24. In that contest, CdM was yellow-carded seven times, which led to the Sea Kings playing four girls down for several minutes.
“Maybe our craziness against Edison allowed us to maintain a little bit better in that [on Thursday],” CdM coach Jessica Murray said. “Not that any coach wants that, let’s be honest.”
CdM had an answer against Newport Harbor, scoring four straight goals to take a 12-10 lead. Belle Grace started the rally with a ground ball and goal, before a pair of free-position goals by Abby Grace. Garcia’s strike with 3:07 remaining gave the Sea Kings the three-goal cushion.
They would need it. Close’s second goal of the contest brought the hosts within one with 1:55 remaining. Garcia got the ensuing draw control, but Close’s interception with less than a minute remaining gave the Sailors a chance to tie.
A shot with 30 seconds left went off the goalpost, though, and Spotts made two more of her 10 saves at the end to preserve the victory.
“We just busted down the field and gave everything we had on defense,” Belle Grace said. “We also have an amazing goalie that sacrificed everything to make us win. I think that just goes to show that we all had a team effort at the end.”
Junior defender Megan Schafer added a goal for the winners, who got four ground balls each from each of the Grace sisters. Garcia and senior Kate Kittleson each had five draw controls for the Sea Kings.
“I know I can always trust Frankie on the draw control,” Abby Grace said. “I always push it to her or Kate. They’re both so fast.”
Farmer led Newport Harbor with four goals, and Olivia Gritzmacher added three. Polly Ripke had seven draw controls, and junior goalkeeper Lucy Valdes also played well with 11 saves.
“We have another chance to beat them,” said Newport Harbor coach Brooke Wagner, whose Sailors will meet the Sea Kings again in the league finale April 26. “It’s going to be a close game. Our league’s always been very competitive. The games are always intense, but they’re fun, because it’s great lacrosse.”
Edison, which improved to 3-0 in league with Thursday’s 19-5 victory over Los Alamitos, is in the driver’s seat for its first title halfway through league play. The Chargers host CdM in a key game on April 19.
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