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NEWPORT BEACH — Newport Harbor’s girls water polo players were in the stands during the fall cheering the Sailors’ boys team to a CIF title while eagerly anticipating their chance.
“That gave us a lot of motivation,” senior attacker Morgan Netherton said of the boys. “They’re always now coming to our games supporting us. They’re just really hyped for us, kind of how we were for them.”
And make no mistake, the hype is real.
The Newport Harbor girls, ranked No. 1 in CIF-SS Division 1, rolled to an impressive victory Friday night, handling No. 3 Orange Lutheran a 17-11 loss to capture their group and reach the semifinals of the inaugural Newport Invitational.
Newport Harbor (19-1) advanced to play Surf League rival Laguna Beach in Saturday’s 10:20 a.m. semifinal. Orange Lutheran and Foothill will face off in the other semifinal at 11:30 a.m.
The Sailors again showed the 2-meter attack that makes them so formidable.
Brazil exchange student Bia Mantellato scored four of her team-high five goals from center, and also drew a penalty shot. The other goal for the Hawaii-bound senior came on a power play that she initiated by drawing an exclusion.
The Sailors’ 2-meter attack also featured senior Taylor Smith effectively posting up on the weak side. The UCLA-bound senior scored three of her four goals from center.
The USC-bound Netherton also drove into center to score two of her four goals. She added five assists and three steals.
Sophomore Ryan Chalupnik scored three times out of center for the Sailors, who led 9-3 at halftime and 12-5 going to the fourth.
“Everyone is so well-rounded,” said Newport Harbor goalie Anne Reed, who recorded 11 saves. “It’s not like one person can do just one thing. That’s really what has been working well for us. Everyone can do everything, and I think that’s really special.”
Newport Harbor’s power-play defense also performed well, holding Orange Lutheran to a 2-for-9 effort with the extra attacker. Reed made six of her saves against the man-advantage.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” Newport Harbor coach Ross Sinclair said. “Hopefully, we can keep that trend. (Saturday) is a really tough day and we got Los Alamitos next week.”
Orange Lutheran’s Caitlin Cohen (USC) scored three of her five goals in the fourth while Anna Pearson (UCLA) added three goals to lead the Lancers (15-7).
Seventh-seeded Foothill won its group by rallying behind junior goalie Alex Ortiz for an 11-10 victory against San Marcos. The Knights (12-9) trailed 5-1 after the first period but responded with a 6-1 run.
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Ortiz finished with 14 saves, including one against a penalty shot. Rachel Gazzaniga had three goals to lead Foothill’s scoring while Grace Cuozzo and Peyton Person each added two.
Laguna Beach won twice Friday to tie Foothill for first in Group B but the Knights earned the top seed based on their 7-6 win against the Breakers on Thursday. Laguna Beach rebounded Friday to beat San Marcos 13-11 and Mater Dei 10-6.