Historic season concludes for Newport Harbor girls’ soccer
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LONG BEACH — The Newport Harbor High girls’ soccer team put constant pressure on the Eastvale Roosevelt defense in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship match on Saturday afternoon.
Corner kicks stacked up, as did dangerous opportunities in the box. Roosevelt was trying to win its second Division 1 title in three years, while junior-dominated Newport Harbor was making its first CIF title match appearance, but the play on the field seemed to say otherwise.
Anyone who has watched high school soccer long enough, however, is well aware that the more impressive team doesn’t always win.
Roosevelt sophomore Harsha Subramanian scored in the 10th minute and it held up, as the Mustangs earned a 1-0 win at Veterans Memorial Stadium on the campus of Long Beach City College.
“I think all of us should be really proud of ourselves,” said Sailors junior Mia Knox, a pest in the midfield for Roosevelt all match long. “We worked really hard. It sucks, but I just want everyone to feel proud. We worked so hard, and I thought we had them.”
Newport Harbor (17-6-4) made its first appearance in the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs this week. The Sailors were the top seed in the Division II bracket but fell to No. 8 Westview, the San Diego Section Division 1 champion, by a 1-0 score at Davidson Field on Tuesday night.
Roosevelt (19-4-6) took advantage of a defensive miscue for its goal on Saturday. A Newport Harbor defender played the ball back to Sailors junior goalkeeper Aliyah Chappell, meaning she couldn’t pick it up with her hands.
The problem was, Subramanian was on her immediately.
“My defender kind of played it back a little softer, so I knew I had to come up,” Chappell said. “As soon as I got the ball, I was a bit indecisive on where I was going to put it. I didn’t know if I was going to go long, or if I was going to go short. I decided to take a touch, and I had her, and then I took one more touch and then she took it from me.”
Chappell, who took over as goalkeeper when Cooper Dick graduated at midseason, has been an instrumental part of the Sailors’ run to the CIF final. The goal was just the second allowed by Newport Harbor in the postseason, and found the Sailors trailing for the first time in the five-match postseason run.
From there, Newport Harbor dominated possession, but Roosevelt was able to keep the Sailors from scoring behind a defense led by senior goalkeeper Giulianna Vargas and senior center back Avery Mendez.
“That [goal] didn’t change anything, aside from the outcome, I guess,” Sailors coach Justin Schroeder said. “It’s a bummer. You just feel like you’re walking off as the better team, but not with the result. That’s a tough pill to swallow if you’ve coached soccer long enough, because it always happens that way.”
The Sailors’ best chance came late in the first half, in the 38th minute. A cross from the left by Abigail Van Exel found the foot of freshman Cassie Jacoby on the doorstep of the goal. Jacoby, who leads the Sailors with 12 goals this season, had her shot partially blocked by Vargas.
“You’ve got to respect the keeper,” Knox said. “Stuff is going to happen. I think [Jacoby] made an incredible run. That was our chance, but I respect the goalie. That was a great save.”
Roosevelt was able to hold on despite the early graduation of its all-time leading scorer, Ireland Churchill, now at Texas A&M.
As for Newport Harbor, the future is bright, as just two seniors — midfielder Carys De Vengoechea and forward Lily Ure — typically received significant playing time. The Sailors have 14 juniors on their roster.
“I think we’re going to be solid,” said Knox, a UC Irvine commit. “To be honest, a lot of us came into [the season] with a lot of doubt, but we worked really hard and earned that respect for ourselves.”
Updates
9:58 a.m. March 4, 2026: This article has been updated with results from the first round of the regional playoffs on Tuesday night.
