“They were ranked ahead of us, but now we showed them that we can beat them, and by three [goals],” said Vickers, who started in goal each of the five games last season against the Knights, four of which were Foothill victories, including the Southern Section Division I semifinals. “Last year, the only time we won was by one [goal].”
While Vickers stood out, the Sailors’ defensive wave extended well beyond the cage.
“I think we all played great,” Vickers said. “We all played major defense and we took it to them on offense, too. We tired them out.”
Foothill Coach Dave Mikesell also said Newport Harbor’s defense, bolstered by four steals apiece from junior Nina McCall and senior Kimmy Morrison, was the difference.
“[Newport Harbor Coach Bill] Barnett’s kids looked very good, defensively, really good defensively,” Mikesell said of the Sailors. “I thought they were impressive all the way around. I’m not sure if, in the second half, we had many looks at the cage at all.”
Mikesell said Vickers played well, but he was at least equally impressed with the Sailors’ defense on the perimeter.
“The shots we did get were [via breakdowns] or out at two meters,” Mikesell said. “For the most part, they eliminated any and all shots from our perimeter.”
The Sailors held Foothill’s two-meter standout, USC-bound Emily Klug, to two goals, though it resorted to nothing more than standard help defense, no double-teaming or sloughing, to accomplish that task.
“We knew we had to shut down set,” Vickers said. “[Klug] is an amazing player. We had to help [defend] set any way we could. When we needed help [on Klug] the set defender and myself called for it.”
