NEWPORT BEACH – Newport Harbor girls water polo coach Bill Barnett has endured health challenges this winter, but he had his team well prepared Wednesday for a showdown against Los Alamitos.
The third-ranked Sailors followed Barnett’s scouting report for the power play and the arm of Rachel Whitelegge to beat the reigning Sunset League champion Griffins, 7-3, at Newport Harbor.
Whitelegge scored three power-play goals in as many chances en route to a match-high four goals against the No. 6 Griffins (10-3, 0-1). Newport Harbor (7-3, 1-0) finished 3 for 3 with the extra attacker, a statistic that loomed large in a tightly contested game.
The Sailors led, 3-2, at halftime and 4-3 going into the fourth period.
Barnett said the Sailors fed the UCLA-bound Whitelegge on the wing for each of her power-play goals to counter Los Alamitos’ strategy of placing a defender slightly inside the posts.
Barnett’s strategy was it would be easier to score from the wing against one defender than in the middle of the pool against three, including goalie Kennedy Joseph.
Whitelegge proved the theory correct and marveled at her coach, who was hospitalized in December with complications from hip surgery.
“I love how much he prepares,” Whitelegge said of Barnett, 72, who is retiring after the season. “Even when he was in the hospital that was one of his biggest concerns – making sure that we were prepared. … It really does help us.”
Los Alamitos upset Newport Harbor, 6-5, last season to win the league title. On Wednesday, the Sailors opened a 5-3 lead midway through the fourth on a power-play strike by Whitelegge after Kate Pipkin drew an exclusion.
Chanel Schilling added a strike from center about a minute later for her third goal and Whitelegge scored her third power-play goal, on a pass from Pipkin, with 1:19 left.
All-County goalie Carlee Kapana added 10 saves for Newport Harbor, which didn’t allow a goal for the final 10:16.
“I didn’t want to lost it (the league title) again and I know nobody else did either,” Whitelegge said. “It’s our last season with Coach B, it’s his last season here. We need to go out for him.”
Los Alamitos went 1 for 2 on the power play and got goals from Lauren Dvonch, Karley Kraft and Sarah Siepker.
Los Alamitos coach Brent Danna said his team played three “awesome” periods but came up short in the fourth. “We’re in the mix (in Division 1),” he said.
Also in the Sunset League:
Edison 7, Huntington Beach 6: Lefty Delaney Cleveland scored from center with one minute left coming out of a timeout and helped force a late steal to lift the Chargers (7-9, 1-0) past the Oilers (10-6, 0-1) at Newport Harbor. Cleveland finished with a match-high three goals.
Edison led, 6-3, early in the second half but the Oilers tied the score, 6-6, on a goal from center by Kalista Hyham with 3:46 left in the fourth.
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
