Girls’ Water Polo: Third’s the word for Sailors

IRVINE — Emma Erickson’s journey has been an interesting one this season for the Newport Harbor High girls’ water polo team.

Erickson, a senior, was a starter for much of the season before being passed in the rotation by emerging junior Katie Kearns.

“I’ve gone from being a starter to being sick, to not playing very much anymore,” Erickson said.

Erickson got an opportunity for more extended run Saturday in the final day of the Irvine Southern California Championships, as Sailors senior defender Isabel Leveque was out sick.

She took advantage. Erickson was one of four Sailors with two goals each as Newport Harbor beat San Marcos, 9-3, in the tournament third-place game at Woollett Aquatics Center.

“Getting back in there was actually fun,” said Erickson, who also had a steal, an assist and drew two exclusions against San Marcos. “The fact that this was our last tournament together as seniors, it was really nice to be a big part of it and actually play. I had a lot of fun.”

The Sailors (18-6), who lost to Foothill for the third time this season, 6-3, in a tournament semifinal game earlier Saturday, more than likely solidified their No. 3 seed in the upcoming CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs by beating San Marcos. They also finished third in each of the major in-season tournaments this season, and top-three finishes have been a goal.

“I thought the girls did a good job of taking care of themselves when getting ready for the game on their own,” said Newport Coach Bill Barnett, who is retiring after 49 years after the season and was honored with a page dedicated to him in the tournament program. “They were in early warming up, and you could tell that they were very serious about the game [against San Marcos].”

Laguna Beach beat Foothill, 11-4, in the championship game, upping the Breakers’ winning streak to 46 straight games. Senior Makenzie Fischer scored six goals in the title match and earned Most Outstanding Field Player honors.

Newport Harbor senior goalie Carlee Kapana made a combined 32 saves Saturday and earned tournament Most Outstanding Goalie honors for the second straight year, after sharing it last year with Newport graduate Cleo Harrington. Senior center Chanel Schilling and senior defender Rachel Whitelegge also were all-tournament team selections for Newport Harbor.

Corona del Mar (18-6), which had all-tournament team selections in junior goalie Heidi Ritner and junior Maddie Musselman, finished in fifth place.

The win over San Marcos was important for the Sailors. The Royals, who upset Corona del Mar in the tournament quarterfinals Friday night, could have claimed they deserved the No. 3 seed in CIF by also topping Newport Harbor. The No. 3 spot is desirable, because it means being on the other side of the bracket from Laguna Beach.

“‘Coach B’ kept saying, ‘There’s a big difference between four and three, ladies,’” Erickson said. “We just kept remembering that.”

The Sailors’ resolve was high. Newport Harbor shut out San Marcos in the second half, turning a 4-3 game into the final score of 9-3. Senior captain Kate Pipkin, Ellie Reid and Schilling were the other players to score twice for Newport Harbor. Schilling drew four exclusions for the Tars, and Reid dished out three assists.

“I think we all connected,” Pipkin said. “There was a lot of positivity. I feel like sometimes when we get in pressure situations where the score is close, we start to panic and it gets hectic. I feel like we were calm the whole way through. We just talked it out. It wasn’t smooth sailing, but I think being able to talk to each other calmly made it a lot easier to get through.”

The Sailors’ offensive woes against Foothill continued in the semifinal game Saturday morning. Newport Harbor, which had scored just two goals each time against the Knights in two previous meetings, scored three this time.

Foothill took a 6-1 halftime lead and won, despite not scoring in the second half. A lot of that had to do with the play of Kapana, who made 16 saves. Schilling had two goals and three exclusions earned against Foothill, and Pipkin also scored. Pipkin and Kearns each had two steals for the Sailors.

Seniors Julia Sellers and Cana Manzella led the Knights with two goals each, and junior goalie Kenzi Snyder played a stellar game and recorded 12 saves. Newport Harbor pulled within 6-3 late in the third quarter on a counterattack goal by Pipkin, but could not get closer. The Sailors had at least seven shots go off a post or the crossbar.

“We had a lot of opportunities,” Barnett said. “We just couldn’t put the ball in.”

Newport Harbor concludes the regular season next week with the Sunset League finale Wednesday against Huntington Beach, then road games against Santa Margarita and Riverside Poly on Thursday and Friday.

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Corona del Mar came into Saturday knowing that fifth place was its best result after an upset loss to San Marcos in the quarterfinals. And the Sea Kings achieved it, beating Royal, 11-4, in a fifth-place semifinal before topping El Toro, 7-3, in the fifth-place match.

“We had to prove it to ourselves that we were capable of bouncing back, and they did a good job,” CdM Coach Ross Sinclair said. “No one wants to play in a semifinal for fifth and no one wants to play in a fifth-place game, but I thought we did a good job of getting fired up and playing well.”

Musselman and fellow co-captain Eliza Britt each scored twice in the fifth-place match, while Shannon Frome, Jaleh Moaddeli and Chloe Harbilas added goals. Ritner had a strong game with 15 saves, as well as a pair of assists.

The CdM defense was stout. CdM opened a 7-0 advantage before El Toro’s Haley Hagerty scored midway through the third quarter.

“I think everybody communicated really well,” Ritner said. “That’s something we usually lack, but there was a lot more talking on defense, which was good. Everybody knew kind of where they need to be. We definitely trusted each other a lot more. I trusted my shot-blockers a lot more, and they definitely came through.”

Senior Grace Morgan paced the Sea Kings with five goals in the win over Royal.

It was the second year in a row that both Ritner and Musselman have earned all-tournament team honors.