HUNTINGTON BEACH – The torch carried by Orange County’s best field hockey team wasn’t passed as much as it was taken away.
The new team to beat in the six-team Sunset League Southern Division is Edison, which is currently unbeaten, and has now defeated Huntington Beach – the previous O.C. power, which won six straight Southern Division titles and two Los Angeles Field Hockey Association championships from 2007 to 2012 – in five straight meetings.
The most recent victory came Tuesday, when the Chargers defeated the Oilers, 1-0, on a goal by senior forward Nicole Apodaca in overtime, to take command of the league for the second season in a row.
Led by fourth-year coach Rebecca Antongiorgi, a former four-year varsity player at Edison who was also a member of Puerto Rico’s national team, the Chargers (9-0, 5-0) have built off their league title last season, which was their first since Antongiorgi’s senior year at Edison in 2002.
But this season appeared to be what Antongiorgi felt would be a “rebuilding year.” Seven key seniors, including five who are now playing in college, graduated from last season’s team and even the players were apprehensive on their prospects.
The first game of the season, a come-from-behind, 2-1 victory on the road against Glendora, removed any prior hesitation.
“There were doubts, but after that first game, we had some momentum,” said senior captain Rachel Buyan, who leads the Chargers with 14 goals and is also a candidate for homecoming queen. “It was like, ‘Wait a minute, we have more than we thought.’”
Buyan also scored, along with teammate Taylor Briggs, in a 2-0 nonleague win over defending LAFHA champion Harvard-Westlake of Studio City on Sept. 12. The game was a rematch of last season’s LAFHA title game, which Harvard-Westlake won, 2-0.
“They were a completely different team, but it was satisfying,” Buyan said. “It felt like revenge, which is kinda mean, but it accomplished one of our goals, because it was such a huge (game) last year.”
The undefeated record and victories over Huntington Beach and Harvard-Westlake make the Chargers look like clear favorites to win their first LAFHA title since 1999, but Antongiorgi is doing her best to make sure the team does not get overconfident.
“All the girls were excited (Tuesday), but I told them, ‘What does this mean? It means we’re first in the middle of the season, which means nothing,’” Anongiorgi said. “We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves.”
The margin of the victories against both rivals should also give the Chargers pause, because they’ll see both teams down the road and it’s likely both will be more than motivated.
Edison will play Huntington Beach in a regular-season finale Oct. 23, likely with a league title on the line.
The Oilers, led by seniors Emily Martinez, Samantha Earthman and Natalie Anzivino, would be more than happy to supply Edison with a loss heading into the playoffs.
“We didn’t play our best game (against Edison),” Huntington Beach coach Cathy Van Doornum said. “But we pretty much know what we have to do. Every game is important. It’s not about getting up for one game.”
Contact the writer: jbalan@ocregister.com
