Newport dominates

NEWPORT BEACH — When Kaleigh Gilchrist is on her surfboard, riding waves, she’s wanting to get barreled. As a star youth surfer, it happens quite often for her. But on Friday, she was in a different body of water, in the pool at Newport Harbor High.

That’s where she was making some waves of her own. She wasn’t in the green room here. But she was definitely in a zone, scoring five goals and recording seven steals as the No. 3-seeded Sailors wiped out Mater Dei, 10-0, in a quarterfinal of the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs.

Gilchrist, one of four under-18 girls on the USA Surf Team that leaves to compete in Ecuador next month, drew two ejections and two penalties that set up two five-meter shots that she put away. On defense, the junior was a big part of the effort that blanked the Monarchs and turned them away on all six of their power-play opportunities.

“She came ready to play,” Newport Harbor Coach Bill Barnett said. “That was one of the best games I’ve seen her play. She is really a gamer.”

In some form, Gilchrist had a hand in eight of the Sailors’ goals. She kept busy helping Newport Harbor (22-6) advance to the semifinals against Dos Pueblos, which will be played Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Irvine High.

Keeping busy is nothing foreign to Gilchrist, who has been balancing her surfing and water polo playing since she was 8.

It’s been a bit more challenging in high school, but this season has worked out smoothly, as she trained in the morning with the girls’ water polo team from 6 to 7:30. Then later she would have her surf period at school, starting at 9:30 a.m.

“I’ve been really lucky,” Gilchrist said. “I haven’t had too many conflicts.”

The Monarchs were probably wishing Gilchrist was out in the ocean trying to get tubular. Still, Newport Harbor’s dominating performance wasn’t all about the Sailors’ surfer girl.

The goalie, Krissy Burger, was quite sensational too. She had 12 saves and recorded her first shutout.

“Fantastic game,” Barnett said of Burger. “For a goalie to have a shutout is almost unheard of, especially against really good competition. [The Monarchs] have a really good offensive attack. She was fantastic.”

The Monarchs (26-5) tried different shots, cross-cage, lobs, but Burger just ate them all up. On a breakaway with 2:30 left in the first half, McKenna Mitchell attempted a lob shot against Burger, but the Newport Harbor junior wasn’t deceived at all, stopping the shot.

“It felt really nice,” Burger said of her first shutout. “I never had one before, so I guess it was a good time to have it. I was really motivated. I really wanted to step up for the team. I thought a shutout would be a good idea.”

The game started a bit slow for the CIF Division I defending champions as it took nearly five minutes for them to get on the scoreboard. But by halftime, Newport was in complete control. And, in the second half, the Sailors kept attacking.

Kathryn Manderino scored two goals. Katie Jackson, Kate Klippert and Nicolina McCall added one goal each. Yet it was Newport Harbor’s defense that impressed Mater Dei Coach Chris Segesman, who called the Sailors the best team in Division I and the team to beat with four teams remaining in the playoffs.

“Newport is a great team, great defense, great counterattack,” Segesman said. “They‘re going to be hard to beat.”

Dos Pueblos, which beat Long Beach Wilson, 10-6, will surely be up to the task. The Chargers have goalie Sami Hill back from injury. They beat Newport Harbor without her, 9-7, in the semifinals of the Irvine Southern California Championships Feb. 7.

The Sailors scored a 9-2 win over Dos Pueblos in the semifinals of the Holiday Cup on New Year’s Eve.

CIF Southern Section

Division I playoffs

Quarterfinal

Newport Harbor 10, Mater Dei 0

SCORE BY QUARTERS

MD – Saves – Wilcox 8.

NH – Gilchrist 5, Manderino 2, Jackson 1, Klippert 1, McCall 1. Saves – Burger 12.

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or by e-mail at [email protected].