Newport Harbor Girls Lacrosse opened the 2016 season with a strong performance against Mission Viejo. After conceding the first goal, the Sailors tied the game, and the teams went back and forth once more to match up in a 2-2 stalemate with 8:20 to go in the first. But the Tars owned the end of the half and carried a 5-2 lead into the break. The second half was all Newport, who controlled the pace, dominated in transition, shut down the Mission attack, and built an 8-2 lead. The Diablos took advantage of a Sailor yellow card and scored with 4:24remaining. As the game wound down, the host team pressed out on defense and opened the door to three Newport goals that put the 11-3 victory on ice.
On the Sailor defensive end, senior captain Jordan Rausch racked up an impressive seven takeaways and five ground balls in front of senior goalie Hannah Sanders, who had five saves (63%). In the midfield, senior captain Rylie Siegfried snagged three draw controls, ripped three goals, and made an assist; junior captain Katie Hendrix dug up a game-high eight ground balls and scored twice. Sophomore Adena Rothbard netted two, assisted one, and scooped three. Also on the board: Darby O’Mahony (3 GB, 1G), Heather Roberts (2GB and 2A in her first varsity game). Caitlin Dwyer scored six seconds into her first shift, while junior Jessica Woodruff and sophomore Lysie Kenney each christened their varsity debut with a goal.
Next up: Mission Viejo travels to Santa Margarita on Thursday, and Newport Harbor goes to Foothill on Friday.
