Newport Harbor girls’ lacrosse bests Murrieta Mesa for first CIF title
DOWNEY — Newport Harbor burst into delirious celebration after finishing off a one-sided victory in its CIF Southern Section girls’ lacrosse title game, leaping into each other’s arms with tears of joy for an achievement they’d pursued long and hard.
For Rowdy Farmer, a quick, incisive senior midfielder so pivotal to the Sailors’ success, it ended mostly in tears, and not of joy. As the clock hit zero on an 11-6 triumph over Murrieta Mesa in the Division 2 final Saturday night, she lay prone on the track that encircles the field at Downey High School, holding her left arm, crying in pain.
She was joyful for the occasion, for which she contributed two goals and two assists, but something was wrong with her arm, and nobody was certain what it was.
“It’s a little bittersweet,” Farmer said, holding her bandaged arm after her teammates carried her to midfield for the trophy presentation and requisite group photos. “At least we’re coming home with rings.”
The Sailors (15-9) earned the rings with a brilliant effort, turning a tight game into a romp with a 7-1 run in the final three and a half minutes of the first half and first 13 minutes of the second period that opened a 10-4 advantage.
There was no coming back for the Rams (20-2), who had rallied from a 3-0 deficit to tie the score with a bit more than 10 minutes to go in the opening half, not once Newport Harbor, claiming its first major championship in the sport, went into its “52” slow-down game, which wipes time off the clock with ceaseless possession and, occasionally, a shot at goal.
The Sailors led 5-3 at the break, then dominated the rest of the way.
“We controlled the second half, which is always our goal,” Newport Harbor coach Brooke Martini said. “Control that second half, make sure the [opponent] in the first half doesn’t get too big of a lead — or, hopefully, we’re the ones in the lead — and second half, control the ball. That’s what it’s all about.”
They did so to topple Battle of the Bay archrival Corona del Mar — which won the Division 2 title in the first CIF-sanctioned tournament last year — in Tuesday’s semifinal, but this time they did not dominate the draws. They won just five of nine in the second half but thrived behind goalkeeper Lucy Valdez and a resolute defensive effort — featuring Delaney Gahm, Audrey Sharpe, Emma Chaix and Brooklyn Bedford — that limited Murrieta Mesa to just six goals on 14 shots and success on just three of seven 8-meter opportunities.
Newport Harbor jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first five and a half minutes, then struggled as the Rams earned three 8-meter foul shots and finished them, one with Caroline Close in the penalty box after picking up a yellow card. Martini called timeout in the midst of the run, and, she noted, “from then on, we did fine.”
Close scored three goals to lead the Sailors. Lucy Toohey and Olivia Gritzmacher, who was tightly marked by Ryan Smith much of the game, added two goals apiece, and Casey Sharbrough scored a goal and assisted on two more. Claire Abraham also tallied.
Close, also key defensively, called the title “the best thing ever.”
“We’ve been working so hard the whole season, and we were failing a little bit at the beginning [with a 5-4 start],” she said. “Then we picked it up and worked together as a team, and everyone put in their efforts today. I think everyone really played their hearts out, because we really wanted it.”
Carson Dickey’s three goals led Murrieta Mesa, which dropped a nonleague game to Newport Harbor on March 26, and Smith scored twice.
Farmer was hurt with just six seconds to play as she surged into the goalmouth for an 8-meter foul shot, pushed to the ground by Dickey, and then Farmer said she was stepped upon by goalkeeper Mikaila Stone. She came off the field in clear torment.
Dickey received a yellow card, leaving the Rams four players short after Jayda Johnson, Avery Moreno and Elizabeth Wang were sent off, the latter with a red card, 13 seconds apart with about a minute and a half to go.
Farmer said the trainer “thinks there may be something wrong with my thumb” and planned to seek medical attention after leaving the stadium. Winning took some of the sting away.
“I’ve been playing on varsity for four years and we’ve never even made it this far. We’re usually out in the first round,” she said. “To not only make it through all the rounds, but also win by four [in the semifinal] and five, it’s insane.”
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