Girls soccer: Sailors escape with 1-1 tie

NEWPORT BEACH - Newport Harbor High senior Laura Kauth considered

herself fortunate to avoid injury when her teammates made her the target

of a post-goal celebration in the closing seconds of Monday’s Sea View

League makeup game with visiting Laguna Hills.

But it was the Sailors, as a collective unit, who pulled off the

biggest escape in the 1-1 girls soccer tie at the Tars’ football stadium.

Kauth’s goal, a header into the upper center of the net from about 7

yards in front, cashed in a bending direct kick from near the left

sideline by Taryn Flamson to knot the score with just five seconds left

in extra time. It also salvaged a valuable point in the standings for the

hosts (7-4-4, 1-0-2 in league), who complete the first round of Sea View

action today at 5 p.m. against visiting Aliso Niguel.

“I guess I was just in the right place at the right time,” said Kauth,

who netted her fifth goal of the season. “The sun was in my eyes, so I

didn’t see the ball until it was about two feet in front of my head. I

just jumped and headed the ball into the net. Then, I managed to get out

of there alive, when my teammates mauled me.”

That Kauth was in position to score at all, was somewhat serendipitous

for the Sailors, whose 17-3 shot advantage over the Hawks was indicative

of how they dominated the flow of the contest.

“We brought Laura in up front when Tory (Manchester) came out late in

the second half,” Newport Coach Jason Sorrell said.

Manchester was helped off the field after sustaining a bruise on the

inside of her right shin, allowing Kauth to convert in the clutch.

Despite the dramatic equalizer, Sorrell expressed some disappointment

to have gained only half of the two-point total a victory would have

given Harbor in the standings (two points for a win and one for a tie).

“I’ll take a tie over a loss, but I’m disappointed, because this is a

game we should have won,” Sorrell said. “Our goal, coming into league,

was to get two points from the teams we could compete well against (like

Irvine, which provided their only Sea View win, and Laguna Hills).

“We got a point, today, but we also lost one. Still, I think this game

shows what kind of character our girls have. This is the first time we’ve

scored late in a game, but it’s happened to us twice.

“Foothill scored in the last couple minutes to beat us, 1-0, and El

Toro scored in about the third minute of extra time for a 2-2 tie.”

Harbor managed a 0-0 tie last week against Woodbridge, ranked No. 4 in

Orange County at the time. The Tars will look to finish a strong first

round against Aliso, ranked No. 5 in last week’s county poll.

“I don’t think I’m surprised that we’re unbeaten in league at this

point,” Sorrell said. “I wanted us to get four points in each of the four

games that make up a round of league play. Four points in four games

(and, by extension, eight points in eight league games) made the playoffs

last year. So we wanted to get four points the first round and we have

that already, going into (today).”

Sorrell’s offense, typically led by sophomore speedster Amy Burlingham

(12 goals), struggled to finish against Laguna Hills and senior goalie

Jamie Lautenschlager (seven saves).

“We didn’t play very well, offensively,” Sorrell said. “Most of our

trouble came in the last (offensive) third of the field.

Sorrell credited junior fullback Lauren Birchfield for anchoring a

defense backed by junior keeper KiIssa Tyler (three saves).

“I think the only shot we gave them in the first half, was the one

they scored on (a Jackie Fischer tally in the 39th minute).”

The Sailors, also benefiting, Sorrell said, from the recent return of

junior Amy Ross (dislocated knee cap), had eight corner kicks and several

crosses in the scoring area.

“It was a little frustrating, because we just couldn’t score,” Kauth

said. “But it finally came together.”