Sailors shut door on Riley’s Chargers

NEWPORT BEACH — There was a time when Diggy Riley did his best to impress Bill Barnett while playing water polo for him at Newport Harbor High for two years before graduating in 1980.

On Wednesday at Newport Harbor, Riley didn’t so much want to impress Barnett. He just wanted to beat him.

With just under three minutes left in the second period, it appeared Riley’s team, the Edison girls, had a chance to do it. The Chargers came within a goal and had their fans cheering loudly. But Newport Harbor, the defending CIF Southern Section Division I champion, made sure Edison’s momentum was but a fleeting moment.

The Sailors (6-3), going for their third straight Sunset League title, opened league play with a 10-6 victory over Riley’s Chargers.

Edison trailed, 4-3, with 2:56 left in the second period after Danielle Warde’s goal. But Newport Harbor junior Kate Klippert scored on a lob shot and junior Kaleigh Gilchrist spun away from a defender for another goal, all in a 41-second span. The Sailors ended up outscoring the Chargers, 6-0, over 13 minutes, 24 seconds, until Edison (9-7) put in three goals in the final 4:32.

“Our girls knew they could play with [the Sailors], other than their counterattack,” said Riley, who played for two CIF Southern Section Division 4-A teams after transferring in from Edison. “We still feel like we can play with them. I don’t know if we’ll ever get another chance to play them.

“We’re not intimidated by them. They’re a phenomenal program and an amazing group, but we can play with them. And our girls know that.”

Edison was playing with Newport Harbor for the majority of two periods. But the Sailors used their strong counterattack to regain control.

“I don’t think they played very good defense [at that point],” Barnett said of his team that allowed Edison to go on a 3-1 run in the first half. “I wanted them to counterattack harder. They did.”

Junior Katie Jackson scored two goals in the third period on counterattacks. Gilchrist also finished with two goals to go with three steals. Nicolina McCall, the senior bound for USC, led the Sailors with three goals and five steals.

“I was a little worried,” McCall said of her feeling when Edison drew within, 4-3, in the second period. “I just started to get more focused. Once we got more focused we just kept it coming.”

Junior Kate Klippert helped with that. She contributed five assists.

Of course, it didn’t hurt to have a strong defense, too, anchored by junior goalie Krissy Burger. She recorded eight saves, including a great one early in the fourth quarter turning away Haley Kunert’s shot from two meters. The Edison sophomore, a transfer from Estancia, didn’t score for the Chargers.

Kunert, a first-team All-Orange Coast League selection and a Daily Pilot Dream Team player, scored 73 goals last year, tops in the Newport-Mesa area. She said she transferred to Edison because it was the best route to helping her play water polo in college.

“I thought playing for a Division I [high] school would be better,” Kunert said. “I really like it. There are definitely differences. But something felt right here.”

Sunset League

Newport Harbor 10, Edison 6

SCORE BY QUARTERS

E – Wilson 2, Warde 2, Williams 1, Towgood 1. Saves – Babinski 9.

NH – McCall 3, Gilchrist 2, Jackson 2, Klippert 1, Cottam 1, Butera 1. Saves – Burger 8.

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or by e-mail at [email protected].