Ali Khosroshahin steps down as Newport Harbor boys’ soccer coach

Two years ago, Ali Khosroshahin took over a Newport Harbor High boys’ soccer team that was coming off one of the program’s worst seasons.

It didn’t take long for the walk-on coach to turn a winless Sunset League team into one of the top three teams in the league.

But four months after leading Newport Harbor to its second CIF Southern Section playoff appearance in as many seasons, Khosroshahin has decided to move on from the high school game.

Khosroshahin has stepped down as Newport Harbor’s coach to pursue opportunities in the professional soccer world, athletic director Jerry Murray said via email on Monday.

During Khosroshahin’s two seasons at the helm, the Sailors went 17-21-7 overall and 11-8-1 in league. Their best finish came in Khosroshahin’s final one, as the Sailors were second in the league at 6-3-1 and 10-10-4 overall.

Newport Harbor suffered a 6-2 loss at Montebello in the first round of the Division 2 playoffs on Feb. 16. In his first season, the Sailors placed third in the league before losing 1-0 at Long Beach Wilson in a Division 3 first-round match.

“He instilled pride and a strong work ethic in the athletes and will be missed,” Murray said in the email. “[Newport Harbor] wishes Coach Khosroshahin the best in his future endeavors. The search for a new coach will begin this week.”

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