Newport eyes elusive crown

Bryce Alderton

The Golden West League was created this year to provide “preseason”

games for high school field hockey teams, but ask Newport Harbor High

coach Sharon Wolfe and she will tell you that every contest will be

difficult in a sport that has many up-and-comings.

“Harvard-Westlake is always good, Huntington Beach is stepping up,

Edison finished first in [the Sunset League] last year and Fountain

Valley has a new coach and can only go up,” Wolfe, who expects this

to be her last season at Newport after eight years at the school. “We

should be solid, but some people may have to adjust to different

positions.

“We are weaker on the front lines, but are solid on defense and

midfield.”

Newport, which lost 1-0 in a shootout in last year’s Tournament of

Champions against Harvard-Westlake, returns nine seniors from last

year’s unit that went 18-1-1. The Sailors got the upper hand in the

season opener last week, though, beating Harvard-Westlake, 3-1.

Newport remains in the Sunset League along with Marina, Edison,

Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach while Harvard-Westlake, Bonita,

Santa Ana, Westminster and Glendora make up the Golden West League.

The Golden West League was created to give teams the opportunity

to play nonleague games to begin the season instead of heading

straight into league contests from the outset, Wolfe said.

No matter the foe, Newport can count on a corps of returning

seniors and an influx of first-year varsity members to make an impact

from the beginning of the season.

Senior forwards Ashley Harrison and Kristen Jendrusina return to

lead the front lines and will get support from Jillianne Whitfield,

who also plays “link,” -- or midfield -- and Tiffany Vandersloot, who

can step up on defense or offense. Vandersloot scored four goals last

year while Jendrusina found the net three times and added one assist

last year. Kaley Nix (graduated) led Newport with 10 goals last fall.

This summer Whitfield was one of five Newport players and the only

varsity member who represented the United States national team in the

Futures tournament, a field hockey Olympic development league. Senior

sweeper Danielle Pfaff enters her second year on varsity along with

senior defender and midfielder Dana Owad and Kerrie Gates, a

midfielder. Gates, who scored one goal and added four assists last

year, along with Whitfield, are the only two returning midfielders.

Sophomore Danica Kalmbach and junior Lyndsi Foster enter their

first year on varsity, and will see action at forward in front of

four-year varsity goalkeeper Amanda Wittman and senior defender

Lauren Curtis and junior returner Ashley Gleason.

“Danica Kalmbach is close to how Kaley played,” Wolfe said.

“Foster attacks the cage and pushes the ball into the space well.”

Among the first-year players are defenders Jenny Taylor (junior)

and seniors Rachel Zarnow, Casey Ibbetson and Maddy Anderson. They

will be joined by forwards Lara Schilling, senior Cologne Schmidt,

junior Reese Simmons and senior Victoria Swigert.

In the past, 10 teams have qualified for the TofC, but this year

Wolfe said that number changed to eight.

Wolfe, who walked on as a coach 28 years ago at Newport, her alma

mater, said it is time for a new challenge. She is good friends with

Diann Pendergrass, the varsity coach at Westminster High, and would

like the opportunity to build the lower level programs there. Newport

didn’t have a frosh-soph or junior varsity program eight years ago

when Wolfe began coaching the varsity team.

“You’re going to be near the bottom if you don’t have feeder

teams,” Wolfe said. “The JV and frosh-soph programs have been a bonus

to us. We had 58 [players] come out this year, which is extremely

high.

“I’ve been thinking about this for the past two years,” she said.

“I’ve been around here for some time now, so it’s time to get some

new blood into the program.”

Wolfe said with “90%” certainty that this will be her last year,

barring “the school contemplating eliminating the team.”

Junior varsity coach Sue Romando, along with frosh-soph coach Kim

Erickson and assistant Devon Kelly, are all “capable,” of leading the

varsity, said Wolfe.

But Wolfe’s vision remains on the season at hand.

“The entire group of girls is fun and they are maturing,” Wolfe

said. “We’ll have to see what happens.”