Sailors stay perfect in Sunset
The entertainment for Newport Harbor High boys’ lacrosse games still needs a little work.
The blaring music interrupted play at times to the chagrin of the referees. It is understandable why things are a little out of sync during Newport Harbor home games.
The Sailors played at Jim Scott Stadium in Costa Mesa for only the third time this year. With Davidson Field undergoing renovations, Newport Harbor is playing its home contests away from campus. Wednesday marked the Sailors’ fourth game that they have been the designated home team.
While they’re struggling playing DJ in the press box, the Sailors are in tune when it comes to their play on the field in the Sunset League. They keep on winning in league.
The latest affair turned out to be a nail biter. A team mom taking photos near the sideline said she was glad she didn’t have any nails to bite on. The game was that nerve racking.
Dane Flinn ended the drama, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime to rally the Sailors past Los Alamitos, 12-11, extending their winning streak to 19 games in league. It has been two years since the Sailors last suffered a setback in league.
“This was way too close for comfort,” Flinn said. “We needed [to win].”
Flinn got the Sailors one step closer to repeating as league champions. Newport Harbor improved to 5-0 in league and it can clinch at least a share of first with a win Friday against Edison.
Flinn finished with three goals and an assist, and it was the assist on Kyle Duffy’s goal with 40 seconds left in regulation that kept Newport Harbor alive. Duffy’s fifth goal evened things up at 11-11 and it forced the four-minute sudden-death overtime period.
In overtime, Flinn showed why he has been the Sailors’ leading scorer since the team lost sophomore attacker Joe Fuller to a back injury earlier in the year.
Flinn, who moved to attacker after playing as a midfielder, picked a good time to test the defense. The senior’s wrap-around goal with 2:44 left allowed Newport Harbor to stay two games ahead of Marina in league and three ahead of Los Alamitos.
“Too much stress,” Newport Harbor Coach Mark Todd said of the Sailors’ toughest game in league this year.
Los Alamitos was the last league team to knock off Newport Harbor, coming in a 19-9 win on April 4, 2014. Wednesday’s matchup between the two programs was never as one-sided.
The score was even eight times, no team going ahead by more than two goals. The Griffins led by two twice in the second quarter and once in the fourth quarter.
Each time the Sailors responded by either catching the Griffins (4-3 in league) or surpassing them. It took some work to even things up in the fourth.
After a penalty-free game through three quarters, the referees called Newport Harbor defender Max Durante for an unnecessary roughness penalty after Bronson Ban scored 19 seconds into the fourth to push the Griffins’ lead to 11-9.
The penalty was a big one because it was a non-releasable for three minutes. The Griffins were unable to take advantage and put the Sailors away.
Goalie John Jasper turned away the Griffins, making 13 saves. After Los Alamitos picked up its first penalty, Newport Harbor’s Patrick Lynch scored off a rebound to cut the deficit to 11-10 with 9:38 left in the fourth.
Los Alamitos, playing with the man-up advantage three times in the fourth, couldn’t score again.
“We got to bury more shots,” said Los Alamitos Coach Chris Jewett, whose leading scorers were Joey Weinman and Matt Fanelli, who finished with four goals apiece. “We took 40 shots in our [9-8 loss to Marina on Saturday] and 30 in this [game]. We just got to but ball in the back of the net. Their goalie looked good.”
Everything seemed on cue for the Sailors in the back-and-forth battle, except the music. The timing of when to play music can be fixed in the Sailors’ final three league games, all at Jim Scott Stadium.
In one of those contests, the Sailors hope to play the “We Are the Champions” song by Queen.
