Newport Harbor girls’ water polo sinks Santa Margarita, advances to CIF Division 2 final

The high school game was physical, with 22 total exclusions called. Twice, the referees were fed up enough to call a double exclusion, kicking out a player from the Newport Harbor and Santa Margarita girls’ water polo teams at the same time.

The Sailors also dealt with adversity as two starters, first senior Kaela Whelan and then junior Annie Rankin, fouled out in the second half of Wednesday’s CIF Southern Section Division 2 semifinal playoff game.

Newport Harbor coach Brian Melstrom expected the physicality. It’s usually been the case when the Sailors have played the Eagles in his three years as head coach, he said. What he couldn’t be sure about was how his team would respond.

“We handled it with a lot of composure,” Melstrom said after the Sailors claimed an 8-5 victory at Irvine’s Woollett Aquatics Center, advancing to a section final for the first time since 2014.

Second-seeded Newport Harbor (17-9) will play No. 4 Santa Barbara (15-13) for the first time this season Saturday in the Division 2 title match. Santa Barbara upset No. 1 San Clemente 9-8 in the second semifinal match Wednesday.

Senior captain Jessica Lynch, senior Sarah Barker and junior Kili Skibby each scored twice in the semifinal for the Sailors, who will be trying to win their sixth CIF title, the first five coming in Division 1.

“It’s really exciting,” Lynch said. “We all really want to win that ring. We keep saying [it’s] ring season. We just know that we went this far, so no holding back … A championship’s a championship.”

The Sailors will play for the title after their second win of the season against No. 3 Santa Margarita (22-8). Newport Harbor was down 6-3 at halftime of the teams’ nonleague game on Jan. 23, before rallying for a 12-9 win.

The Sailors started stronger on Wednesday, earning a 5-1 halftime lead while holding the Eagles scoreless in all six of their first half power-play chances.

Santa Margarita had just two shots on goal in the first half. Sailors junior goalie Erin Ross had to make just six saves, one coming in the first half.

“We missed the cage,” Santa Margarita coach Brian Weathersby said. “I think a couple of players might have been a little nervous. The other ones, we just didn’t shoot the ball very well.”

Newport Harbor finished four for eight with the extra player, while Santa Margarita converted two of 10 power-play chances. Freshman Honnie Vandeweghe-O’Shea scored twice for the Eagles, but Melstrom credited the defense of Skibby in slowing Indiana University-bound Eagles senior Christina Doherty, who was held scoreless and fouled out.

The Sailors led 7-3 after three quarters before Santa Margarita made things interesting. Mara Loughlin skipped in an outside shot, and then Vandeweghe-O’Shea scored a six-on-five goal to bring the Eagles within 7-5 with 4:52 remaining. But they couldn’t get closer.

Newport Harbor junior Karis Couch made a key steal with two minutes left after Rankin fouled out. Then junior Linnea Kelly, who earlier scored a backhand goal from two meters, drew a six-on-five. Skibby scored it, assisted by Couch, to push the lead back to three goals with 1:29 remaining. Sophomore Emily Cantu, pressed into extended action with the Sailors in foul trouble, also had a key field block late.

Whelan added a first-quarter goal for Newport Harbor, which showed its good teamwork through the six-on-five numbers, Melstrom said.

“You can’t execute offensively a [player] up, or stop a good team a [player] down, without all of the girls collectively playing as a whole,” he said. “Just an overall good team win. It’s good for the program. These girls have never been in this position before.

“This is uncharted waters for our Sailors. We’re mapping it out.”

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo