Newport Harbor girls' water polo seniors exit with yet another win

Newport Harbor's Taylor Smith takes a shot under pressure from Laguna Beach's Ava Knepper.

By Matt SzaboStaff Writer

Feb. 26, 2022 5:52 PM PT

Defense has been the trademark of the Newport Harbor High girls’ water polo team over the years, even over the decades.

The current crop of seniors helped the Sailors turn in one more defensive gem on Saturday morning before their time was up.

Newport Harbor dominated, earning a 9-2 win over Laguna Beach in the CIF State Southern California Regional Division I title match at Newport Harbor High.

A week after winning the CIF Southern Section Open Division title by beating the same Breakers, coach Ross Sinclair’s Sailors put an impressive cap on a remarkable season.

“I think this has been the most fun season we’ve had,” said senior Morgan Netherton, who scored a match-high three goals Saturday. “It’s pretty remarkable what we’ve done here. I couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else with any other girls, or under any other coach. I’m very glad to be a part of it and leave a legacy, as he would say. I think we did.”

Newport Harbor's Anna Reed stretches out to block a shot during Saturday's match.

Appropriately enough, every goal the Sailors (29-1) scored Saturday was by a senior. Taylor Smith and Alex Love each scored twice, while Bia Mantellato and Makaelee Hansberger added one goal each for Newport Harbor. The Sailors also got eight saves from junior goalkeeper Anna Reed.

Netherton, Smith, Love and senior defender Lily Gess were all four-year varsity players who, yes, will be a tough act to follow.

“We’ve been here for four years, and we always knew in our minds that senior year we weren’t going to be the underdogs anymore,” Smith said. “I think we came into this season with a lot of energy and that helped carry us through the season. I’m really proud to be playing for Newport and representing my teammates.”

Newport ended the season on a 22-match winning streak by notching its fifth win in six tries against Surf League rival Laguna Beach. The Breakers (27-7) were the only team to beat the Sailors this season, a 10-9 come-from-behind victory in the Bill Barnett Holiday Cup title match on Dec. 30.

Newport Harbor's Bia Mantellato takes a shot against Laguna Beach's Ava Knepper during Saturday's match.

But the Sailors won their last five meetings against Laguna by an average of more than five goals.

“I think [the loss] was a good learning moment for us,” Reed said. “It was a good way to approach the rest of our season, starting with that game. We didn’t want to lose anymore … and everything got better from that point.”

Newport Harbor’s girls’ water polo team joined the boys’ team, which won the Open Division and SoCal Regional titles last fall. They almost pitched a shutout Saturday against Laguna Beach, taking an 8-0 lead in the fourth quarter before Breakers junior Lauren Short scored a power-play goal from center.

Jordan Schneider added a goal for Laguna Beach, which substituted in lines — six players in and six out — during the match. Laguna Beach got one save from first-half goalkeeper Lauren Schneider and five saves from second-half keeper Natasha Denny.

Laguna Beach's Myha Pinto takes a shot against Newport Harbor's Paige Naegle during Saturday's match.

The Breakers also felt a sense of accomplishment, senior Ava Houlahan said, in making the Open Division and SoCal Regional title matches.

“We started from the bottom, and I feel like we’ve grown so much as a team,” said Houlahan, who led Laguna with 73 goals this season. “I’m so proud of every girl. I think everyone expected us to be the underdogs and the underrated team this year, and I think we proved a lot of teams wrong.”

Newport Harbor did not have a large student presence at Saturday’s match, which came at the end of ski week in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. The Sailors also did not have practices this week, but still came together during the matches when it mattered.

To Sinclair, being home for ski week was just another sacrifice this senior class had to make.

“Obviously, it paid off this year with a magical season,” he said. “Honestly, these seniors have been motivated since the second they stepped foot on this campus four years ago. They obviously got some really good coaching at the 12-and-under level, 14-and-under level, and they’re competitors. That’s something that I’ve always admired about this group … and the difference is actually going and putting in the work to be successful.

“They put in the work.”