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NEWPORT BEACH Newport Harbor’s girls water polo team didn’t give up after a rough, eighth-place finish at the Holiday Cup last month. As the obstacles piled higher Wednesday night, the No. 9 Sailors not only didn’t budge, they responded.
After sixth-ranked Huntington Beach opened an early two-goal lead, Newport Harbor recovered to seemingly take control. And after the Oilers erased a three-goal deficit in the fourth period, the Sailors won their biggest game under second-year coach Brian Melstrom in overtime.
Juniors Sarah Barker and Jessica Lynch scored in the first three-minute overtime period and the host Sailors didn’t allow a goal overtime en route to a 10-8 victory in the Sunset League.
“We never gave up,” said Lynch, who scored a match-high four goals. “We want to be good.”
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Newport Harbor (13-8, 3-0) relied on its patience early in overtime to strike first and break an 8-8 tie. After coming up empty on a power-play chance off a drawn exclusion by Lissa Westerman, the Sailors reset the ball to center for Barker, who scored 51 seconds into overtime.
Lynch later hustled for a rebound and scored on a perimeter shot with 51 seconds left in the first overtime period, blasting a shot in off both side posts.
Barker and sophomore Anne Rankin supported Lynch with three goals apiece.
The Sailors also held Huntington Beach (11-6, 2-1) to a 4-for-13 effort on the power play while going 3 for 8. Newport Harbor forced tough-angle shots from the wing against goalie Chloe Schilling (four saves, two steals) and pressed to spark four counterattack goals.
“For us to come in and take it to overtime and win it, showed a lot of promise,” said Melstrom, whose squad also hung tough at the Santa Barbara TOC. “It’s exciting.”
The Oilers trailed, 7-4, going into the fourth but tied the score, 7-7, and again, 8-8, with 1:20 left in the fourth period on Lauren Smith’s third goal of the period. Goalie Marina Hyham made five of her 12 saves in the fourth.
The Oilers converted their first two chances with the extra attacker to open an early, 2-0, lead but missed on six straight chances at one stretch.
“That’s a crush,” Huntington Beach coach Mark Canner said of the power-play. “The girls played hard. We had our opportunities.”
And like the Sailors, the Oilers also fought back and had the final possession in regulation.
“It could have been a real defining moment for the program,” Canner said. “(But) we’re not going to go away.”
Both squads still need to contend with defending champion Los Alamitos.
In the Freeway League:
Troy 11, Fullerton 5: Claire Schade scored five goals and added two assists and three steals to pace the Warriors at Fullerton College. The defending champion Warriors have won 53 consecutive league games.
Hannah Officer made 13 saves for the Indians (2-1 in league).
In the Orange League:
Santa Ana Valley 5, Magnolia 3: The host Falcons scored the only goal of the fourth period and remained in first place.
