HUNTINGTON BEACH — Edison senior captain Delaney Hallstrom scored an overtime goal Thursday to defeat Newport Harbor, 2-1, and send the Chargers to the CIF girls field hockey final for the second straight year.
The Chargers will defend their title Saturday at 1 p.m. against cross-town rival Huntington Beach at Harvard-Westlake High in Studio City. Huntington Beach defeated Bonita of La Verne, 2-0, in the other semifinal.
Edison and Newport Harbor met two times during league play, playing through overtime to a tie each time. Thursday, the tie was broken two minutes into the 7-on-7, sudden-death overtime.
Sophomore Melanie Encisco made a tackle and passed the ball to Hallstrom in the middle to set up the goal.
Edison coach Becca Antongiorgi said she emphasized to her players the importance of not missing opportunities. She told them “the exhaustion that you feel running back or up is going to be far less painful then feeling that you let one slip away.”
Hallstrom expressed her relief at finally getting an overtime goal against the Sailors.
“(It felt) so good,” she said.
The Chargers defeated the Sailors in the semifinals last year as well, and Newport Harbor coach Amanda Boyer said that made Thursday’s loss worse.
“(It makes it) much more bitter, especially for the seniors who experienced it last year too,” she said.
Mollie Crook scored the Sailors’ goal, with an assist from Mckenzie Porteous.
Sophomore Gigi Fletcher scored Edison’s goal in regulation. Hallstrom assisted.
Senior captain Alexyss Pawlak made several key defensive stops for the Chargers.
Hallstrom said that being the defending champs, “Everyone wants to come out and beat us. So we went through every game like, we have to just take it like it’s our first.”
Despite the disappointment, Boyer said she has high hopes for the team next season.
“We only are graduating six senior and only had two seniors in the seven v. seven,” she said. “So we should come back pretty strong.”
