Sadie Hoch’s hat trick helps Newport Harbor girls’ soccer win Battle of the Bay
The Newport Harbor High girls’ soccer team knows how to show up for the Battle of the Bay match.
One minute into Thursday’s showdown at rival Corona del Mar, the Sailors were able to quiet the home faithful. Antonella Russo’s corner kick from the left found the head of fellow senior Isa Whittaker, who flicked it in.
The onslaught did not stop there. Less than two hours later, some of the nine Sailors seniors held up three fingers after the final whistle and talked about a “three-peat.”
Newport Harbor got a hat trick from sophomore midfielder Sadie Hoch as it romped to a 5-1 win in the Sunset Conference crossover match.
The Sailors improved to 5-0-4 in their last nine meetings with rival CdM, and also handed the Sea Kings their first loss of this season.
“It means everything to us,” Russo said. “We go out there and we play with passion. We go to defend our side of the bay. We’re just showing that we’re not only here to compete, but that we’re also good sports on the field. We don’t feed into the rivalry or anything. We just play our game and we dominate, three times in a row.”
Junior Kylie Lopez assisted on two of Hoch’s three goals for the Sailors, who led 3-1 at halftime. Hoch’s other goal came on a penalty kick, as she said she believed it was the first hat trick of her high school career.
“It was really cool,” said Sadie Hoch, whose mom Tisha, an assistant coach for the Sailors, is a former U.S. women’s national team player who was on the famous 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup championship team. “Obviously, all of our friends are here, and they don’t really come to a lot of our other games. This was the big one. I couldn’t have done it without my team and the good balls that they played me.
“We trust our team so much and love each other, and our chemistry is really, really good. I think that helps us on the field, and that kept us kind of calm.”
Newport Harbor improved to 9-5-2 in its final tuneup before beginning Surf League play Tuesday, when the Sailors host defending champion Los Alamitos. Goals have come in bunches this week for the Sailors, who also scored five goals in a nonleague win over Fountain Valley.
Starting in the very first minute, though? That was more than Sailors coach Justin Schroeder could have expected.
“Nobody game plans getting scored on in the first minute,” he said. “It worked two-fold for us. We got that comfort of getting that first goal, and probably made them change what they were going to do. It’s kind of a gut punch, but we were ready. We knew set plays were going to be a big deal.”
Russo added a goal in the 13th minute, converting a penalty kick after a CdM hand ball in the box. Ten minutes later, Hoch scored her first goal on a quick counterattack.
The slow start hurt the Sea Kings (10-1-1), who hadn’t played a match in a couple of weeks. They host Los Alamitos on Saturday before playing at Laguna Beach on Tuesday in a Wave League opener.
“We had nine days off as a team, so had to shake the cobwebs off,” CdM coach Bryan Middleton said. “They jumped on us and earned that first goal on us on the corner, but it still took us a little time to wake up ... My hat’s off to Newport. They played a very good game. They’re very strong and physical with size.”
Corona del Mar did add a goal before halftime, when senior defender Emily Chanawatr scored on a free kick.
The score stayed 3-1 until midway through the second half, when CdM junior goalkeeper Alex Boserup, who made five saves, dove for the ball following a Newport Harbor cross. While on the ground, she got tangled up with the Sailors’ Lopez.
The referee gave Boserup a yellow card, which changed to a red card after Middleton said she used profanity. She slammed her gloves onto the ground near the sidelines in disgust at the call.
“I don’t believe it was directed at the referee, but you can’t use any profanity,” Middleton said.
Hoch put the penalty kick past CdM backup goalie Ashley LaRocca, who made a pair of saves. In the 63rd minute, Hoch added the match’s final goal on another helper from Lopez.
Newport Harbor got three saves from sophomore goalkeeper Audrey Burns, and a back line of seniors Stella Gaffney and Delaney Gahm, junior Alexis Thomas and sophomore Ella Knox helped limit the Sea Kings’ chances.
Russo and Hoch connected well in the midfield, with help from teammates like Whittaker and Kate Kubiak.
That chemistry isn’t by accident; Russo and Hoch each went to Kaiser Elementary School in Costa Mesa.
“I kind of grew up watching her play,” Hoch said. “She’s a really awesome person to be around, so I love playing with her.”
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