Newport Harbor boys’ lacrosse upsets Corona del Mar to end 13-year drought in Battle of the Bay rivalry

The Battle of the Bay had been a one-sided affair for long enough in boys’ lacrosse.

Not since 2006 had a Newport Harbor High team been victorious when the rivals met.

It was going to take something special to end the reign of Corona del Mar, and the host Sailors got it late in Wednesday night’s Sunset League match.

Rhett Farmer scored two goals, including the game-winner with 3:34 remaining to help the Sailors to a 5-4 upset victory and keep the Sea Kings from celebrating a league title on their home field.

Braydon Butler won a ground ball and sent the ball ahead to Farmer, who caught the ball around his ankles and shot the ball into the net all in one motion.

“I saw it come up out of Braydon’s hand, or his stick,” Farmer said. “I dove for it, and I threw it over my shoulder because I saw the goalie [Brandon Stoliar] go with me. It’s a game of luck.”

Neither team enjoyed a lead greater than one in the contest. Newport Harbor goalkeeper Garrett Rovazzini made 12 saves, including one from point-blank range on Logan Ip to close out a one-minute power play in the final two minutes.

“To be totally honest, I was weirdly calm,” Rovazzini said of facing the late power play. “I was scaring myself with how calm I was during that situation because I was like, ‘I should be freaking out.’

“I just had a good game, and I knew I could get it.”

Michael Morrison, Aiden Goltz and Hutton Wooters each recorded a goal and an assist for Newport Harbor (9-6, 5-0 in league). The Sailors will have a chance to win the league title outright on Friday if they can win at Los Alamitos.

Newport Harbor opened the scoring less than two minutes into the contest. A stretch pass was picked up by Farmer, and the attacker deposited the ball into an open net.

The Sea Kings (10-2, 5-1) took their first lead with 4:52 left in the first quarter. Simon Hall ripped a right-handed shot that skipped into the cage to give CdM a 2-1 lead.

Goltz, who ran free in the middle of the field most of the opening frame, got loose for the tying marker. Morrison sent an entry pass to Goltz, and he tied the game with a close-range shot on his backhand.

Wooters broke the tie a minute later. He stepped into a powerful shot after Goltz found him open with a right-to-left cross.

Newport Harbor rallied to the ball on defense. With his team having issues moving the ball in the attacking zone, Sea Kings coach G.W. Mix called a timeout, and the Sailors sideline roared with approval for the effort their teammates were putting forth.

Rovazzini continued to keep the lead intact, tracking the ball well with his stick. He made six saves in the second quarter to allow the Sailors to go to the halftime locker room with a 3-2 edge.

After a scoreless second quarter, the Sea Kings wasted no time in getting back to even. Just 36 seconds into the third quarter, Richard Eusey connected with Aidan Kelly for a fastbreak goal that knotted the score at 3-3.

Kyle Cord left the game with 9:06 left in the fourth quarter. The Sea Kings starting goalkeeper intercepted a pass and was moving up the field when a hit took him out of the game.

Morrison was assessed a one-minute cross-checking penalty, and CdM converted on the ensuing power play. Ty Caffarelli scored with an assist from Eusey as the Sea Kings drew even at 4-4 on the man-advantage with 8:13 left.

CdM failed to convert on its opportunities the rest of the way, and Farmer’s goal stood up as the one that ended Newport Harbor’s drought in the rivalry.

“The goalie did a nice job, but at the same time, we hit a bunch of pipes, and we missed the cage from close range,” Mix said. “That’s not going to win you too many tight games, for sure. We’ve got to get that cleaned up and do a better job of finishing the ball. We just did not shoot well tonight at all.

“Again, our opportunities were limited. They played hard. They played well. They did a great job.”

andrew.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner