Penalty Shot

Joseph Boo COSTA MESA - The first half was a fruitless one for Costa Mesa High's girls soccer team in its Pacific Coast League opener against cross-town rival Estancia. Despite logging over 20 minutes of attack time, the Mustangs were losing, 1-0, at halftime Thursday afternoon. So Costa Mesa came out in the second half and blitzed the Eagles until it took a 2-1 lead. Costa Mesa goalie Margaret Landeros then stopped an Estancia penalty shot to preserve Mesa's undefeated record.

CORONA DEL MAR — Early in the fourth quarter, Aaron Chaney had seen enough. “Everybody out, except Pippa [Saunders]!” Chaney yelled to his players during Friday’s nonleague game against Laguna Beach. A whole new line went into the game, but the Corona del Mar High girls’ water polo team still couldn’t put the ball into the net. The Sea Kings struggled in the second half and fell, 8-3, in their final game before the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs.

Steve Virgen CORONA DEL MAR - Not even head congestion nor the thought of Corona del Mar High's Christina Hewko preparing for a penalty shot could bring a frown to Newport Harbor's Heather Deyden. Instead, Deyden, the Tars' girls water polo senior goalie, was all smiles before she rose to slap away Hewko's shot and swung the momentum to Harbor. Deyden hoped her smile would distract Hewko. Afterward, Deyden might have been showing a smirk as her key save helped the Sailors to a 7-5 victory over Back Bay rival CdM, Thursday, in the 32-team Irvine Tournament at the Sea Kings' pool.

Bryce Alderton Third-grader Ally Brahs said the reason she picked No. 99 to write on her shirt was because 99 is "the highest number." That and 19 was taken, she added. No matter the numeral, Brahs added to her Pilot Cup goal-scoring column with three more Friday for Harbor Day as it defeated Andersen No. 2, 7-0, at the Farm Complex to remain undefeated in two games and secure a spot in a quarterfinal game today at 1 p.m. Brahs scored the first three Harbor Day goals in the first four minutes Friday, picking up where she left off Wednesday against Carden Hall.

Steve Virgen Kim Housepian, a junior on the Newport Harbor High girls water polo team, typified the Sailors' successful first day, mainly in one defensive play in the Newport Harbor-Corona del Mar Holiday Cup Friday. Housepian, a goalie making her first varsity appearance of the season Friday, blocked a four-meter penalty shot in the fourth quarter of the Sailors' 16-2 victory over Carlsbad. After the win, Housepian described the dominating feeling of stuffing a penalty shot, coincidentally describing Newport's first-day performance.

Joseph Boo COSTA MESA - Newport Harbor High's field hockey team defeated visiting Huntington Beach, 1-0, in a Sunset League game marred by an injury at Harper Community Center Tuesday. Huntington Beach's Keiti Kedic accidentally made contact with a Newport Harbor player in the second quarter and went down hard. Kedic did not get up and said she could not feel her legs. She eventually did gain sensation, and was taken off the field by paramedics. "They told me she had a pinched nerve in all of her limbs," Huntington Beach Coach Art Carrido said.

Steve Virgen In a game of inches it seemed only fitting that the Corona del Mar High boys water polo team came up short in its quest to defeat Long Beach Wilson, the No. 1 team in CIF Division I, Tuesday. The Sea Kings, ranked No. 3 in CIF Division I, is seemingly inches away from becoming the team that they're capable of. In the meantime, Wilson (3-0) displayed its prowess and pulled away from an 8-7 lead with 90 seconds left and won, 10-7, in nonleague action.

Steve Virgen NEWPORT BEACH - The Newport Harbor High girls water polo team added another piece to the CIF Southern Section Division I playoff puzzle with a 7-4 nonleague victory over visiting Capistrano Valley Saturday morning. Though it seemed the Sailors (14-4) might have jammed the piece in, they took care of business, nonetheless. Junior Annie Wight led Newport with three goals and senior Katherine Belden scored two, while sophomore Jessica Ball and junior Jenna Murphy added a goal each.

Bryce Alderton The net stayed put, but the Mariners Christian boys fifth- and sixth-grade soccer team must have felt as if it were shooting at a moving target in its gold division game against Lincoln Wednesday in the Daily Pilot Cup. Mariners Christian spent most of the second half in the attacking zone, but a fresh Lincoln defense anchored by goalkeeper Hunter Lewis turned away numerous scoring chances to preserve...

Steve Virgen COSTA MESA - Even though the Orange Coast College men's water polo team suffered the loss, Wednesday, to Riverside City, Pirates' Coach Jason Gall thought the team played its best match of the season. OCC's best, however, could not overcome the Tigers attack and Riverside picked up an emphatic 7-6 Orange Empire Conference victory at the Pirates' pool. "Those kids played really well today," Riverside Coach Dave Almquist said of OCC. "I wouldn't want to play them here again.

IRVINE - Twice the UC Irvine women's soccer team erased one-goal deficits, including a goal with 1:27 left in regulation in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against visiting San Diego. But trying to expunge the painful details that followed two scoreless 10-minute overtime periods and gave the Toreros a 5-3 win on penalty kicks, may never occur, especially for five Anteaters seniors. Senior Amanda Hardeman finished a cross from junior Dana Sanderlin in front to force overtime, nearly 48 minutes after USD had broken a 1-1 deadlock.

CORONA DEL MAR — Early in the fourth quarter, Aaron Chaney had seen enough. “Everybody out, except Pippa [Saunders]!” Chaney yelled to his players during Friday’s nonleague game against Laguna Beach. A whole new line went into the game, but the Corona del Mar High girls’ water polo team still couldn’t put the ball into the net. The Sea Kings struggled in the second half and fell, 8-3, in their final game before the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs.

It was apparent immediately after his transfer from Mater Dei High that Preston Schow would bring plenty to the Estancia boys’ water polo team this season. “He joined us out of the blue,” Eagles Coach John Carpenter said of his arrival at the beginning of the summer. “Right away, when I saw him play, I thought ‘Oh, wow! This kid’s good.’ ” Almost as quickly, it was equally obvious that Schow would not be contaminating the Eagles’ talent pool with his ego. “He is kind of quiet and unassuming,” Carpenter said.

COSTA MESA — Shortly before the fourth quarter began and with his girls’ water polo team trailing by a goal against its rival, Costa Mesa High Coach Tim Postiff emphasized a short speech to his seniors. He reminded them that if they lost there would be no playoff appearance for them for the first time in their four years. Yes, playing against cross-town rival Estancia always pumps up the Mustangs, but Postiff’s words about the playoffs put them on another level of motivation.

IRVINE ? Nothing was going the way it was supposed to for the Newport Harbor High girls? water polo team. Down three goals entering the fourth quarter against Back Bay rival Corona del Mar, the Sailors were also without their senior team captain, who had fouled out. What happened next was a thrilling comeback fit for a champion. Top-seeded Newport Harbor scored the game?s final four goals, including junior Nicolina McCall?s go-ahead rebound goal with 52 seconds left in the second overtime period, to stun CdM and win its fourth CIF Southern Section Division I title, 6-5, Saturday night at Irvine High.

NEWPORT BEACH — Merrill Moses stood at the edge of the pool, pounding his right fist into his left hand. The U.S. men’s national team goalie, who also works with Newport Harbor High goalies, prodded the Sailors as they lined up. It was halftime of their nonleague game against Montebello on Saturday, and Newport Harbor was only up by a goal. “Come on, you guys should be smoking this team,” Moses said. Later in the third quarter, Moses had more words, this time to Sailors senior goalie Morgan Vickers as she prepared to defend a five-meter penalty shot.

NEWPORT BEACH ? Corona del Mar High goalie Kate Murphy said facing a five-meter penalty shot is more about mind games than anything else. Maybe the Sea Kings, then, have Murphy's mind to thank for their 5-4 win over Back Bay rival Newport Harbor in the Holiday Cup championship game on Saturday. Murphy, a senior, stopped three straight penalty shots for the Sea Kings, who won the tournament for the first time in school history. They also avenged a 6-5 loss to Newport Harbor on Dec. 21 and dethroned a Sailors team that had won the Holiday Cup the previous two years.

Costa Mesa High's boys water polo team played a decent first half Tuesday. Then, it turned the third period into shooting practice as if Santa Ana wasn't even in the pool. The Mustangs scored the first two goals of the match in opening 44 seconds by senior Kyle Thorsness on assists from Sam Edman and Nick Fisk as Mesa coasted to a 20-9 Golden West League win. Later in the first period, Thorsness added two additional goals. Santa Ana, down 4-0, scored its first goal at 1:45.

Rick Devereux A dynasty is defined as "a succession of rulers." The Corona del Mar High girls water polo team has ruled CIF Southern Section Division II pools for three years after beating Laguna Beach, 9-5, Monday at Belmont Plaza. It marked the fourth straight division title for the Sea Kings. CdM won the Division IV championship in 2002. "I think this is the first CdM team to win four straight championships," senior Jordan Anae said. "It is my complete privilege to be part of it."