NEWPORT BEACH – There are few rivalries on the level of the “Battle of Bay” meetings between the Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar water polo teams.
Bill Barnett has been a coach at Newport Harbor since 1966 and witnessed these remarkable duels from the pool deck, but he plans to retire at the end of this season.
Friday’s game was supposed to be a special occasion for the longtime Sailors coach, but he spent the afternoon in a Mission Viejo hospital after undergoing hip surgery.
If Barnett’s absence was a letdown, the Sailors girls water polo team made up for it by focusing on ending a three-game losing streak in the series. Led by the standout play of goalkeeper Carlee Kapana, the Sailors defeated Corona del Mar, 5-4, at Newport Harbor High.
Newport Harbor’s players received word that their coach would not be at the contest less than two hours before game time. Assistant coach Brian Melstrom took over the head coaching duties for the Sailors (3-1).
Melstrom said he is confident Barnett will return this season.
“That guy is resilient,” he said of Barnett. “It is going to take a lot more to keep that guy off the pool deck.”
The players knew what a win against Corona del Mar (2-1) would mean to Barnett.
“It’s one of our goals,” Kapana said of beating Corona del Mar. “We filmed it, so he’s going to get to watch it. It means a lot to him.”
It also meant a lot to the Sailors’ seniors, who had their first taste of regular-season success against their rival.
Kapana was the key to the victory. She had 14 saves, one on a 5-meter shot from Maddie Musselman in the final seconds.
Newport Harbor rattled off four consecutive goals after trailing, 2-1, midway through the second quarter. Katherine Kearns’ goal with 4:37 left proved to be the winner.
Eliza Britt and Musselman peppered the net with a combined 13 shots on goal, but Kapana repeatedly turned away their attempts to score.
“I think it’s the best game I’ve ever seen her play,” Melstrom said of Kapana’s performance. “To score on her, they had to be very, very good shots.”
