Briefs: OCC in regional

The Orange Coast College women’s soccer team earned an at-large berth into the 16-team California Community College Athletic Assn. Southern California Regional tournament.

The Pirates (13-4-4) are the No. 16 seed and visit top-seeded Cerritos (20-1) on Saturday.

OCC finished third in the Orange Empire Conference with a 10-3-3 record. The Pirates lost their last two regular-season games after having compiled a 7-0-3 stretch.

OCC is led by freshman midfielder Emma Pridmore, who has 14 goals and five assists.

Freshman forward Jessica Amaral had nine goals and 10 assists, while sophomore Nicole Vanderlaan has two goals and 10 assists for the Pirates.

OCC sophomore goalkeeper Katie O’Banion has a 0.60 goals-against average.

The second round is scheduled for Tuesday.

— From staff reports

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Three Lions compete

Three runners will represent Vanguard University at the NAIA Championships, Saturday in Vancouver, Wash.

Kimberly Jennings and Chelsea Van Cott, both All-Golden State Athletic Conference performers, will represent the Vanguard women, while Cameron Barela, another All-GSAC honoree, will run for the Lions’ men.

Barela, a freshman, finished seventh at the GSAC championships, while Jennings and Van Cott, both seniors, were in the top 14 in the women’s conference final.

— From staff reports

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Four Lions lauded

Vanguard University placed four players on the All-Golden State Athletic Conference men’s soccer team.

Junior Kevin Cornwall, junior Kyle O’Brien and senior Jack Plummer were repeat honorees, while senior Billy Pellow was also recognized after helping the Lions finish 12-7, 6-3 and fourth place in the GSAC.

Cornwall, the GSAC Player of the Year as a sophomore, missed three matches and parts of others with various injuries. He had a team-leading 11 goals and added three assists in 16 games. The forward from Dublin, Ireland had six game-winning goals.

O’Brien, a midfielder, produced eight goals and seven assists, while Plummer, a defender, had four goals and three assists.

Pellow, a defender, had five goals, including two game-winners, as well as four assists.

Paul Islas, a junior forward from Fresno Pacific, was the Player of the Year, while FPU’s Jaime Ramirez was Coach of the Year.

— From staff reports

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New program coming

Starting Dec. 1, Newport Beach Water Polo, Inc (NBWP) will be opening its program to girls ages 10U, 12U and 14U.

Robert Lynn, the U.S. men’s national team assistant coach, and his existing staff at Newport Beach Water Polo, will be taking the helm for the girls’ program. Lynn is the head coach of the Newport Harbor High boys’ team that reached the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs. He led the Harvard-Westlake girls’ team to a CIF Southern Section Division IV title last year.

NBWP’s overall goal and approach is to offer a high-caliber coaching experience while using a positive coaching philosophy with intensive focus on instruction and the basic fundamentals.

Lynn is excited to absorb the girls’ age-group water polo program and intends to elevate it to a world-class program.

To find out more and/or register for the winter session, go to the club’s web site: https://www.newportbeachwaterpolo.com.

— From staff reports