Field hockey: Tars advance to finals

Barry Faulkner

GARDEN GROVE - Who is red and Green and willing to be black and

blue all over? Newport Harbor High senior redheaded field hockey player

Sarah Green, whose daredevil defense helped the Sailors capture a 1-0

victory over host Santiago Thursday in the semifinals of the Tournament

of Champions.

The victory, which included a goal by junior Chanelle Sladics in the

28th minute of the 30-minute first half, propelled the Sailors (19-3-1)

into Saturday’s 2 p.m. championship game against Marina at Pleasant View

School in Huntington Beach. It is believed to be Newport’s first

appearance in the championship game of the non-CIF sanctioned sport.

“This game meant a lot,” said Green, whom Newport Coach Sharon Wolfe

said plays with abandon in big games and left it all on the field

Thursday. Green frequently left her feet to bat balls away from Cavalier

attackers and, along with fellow starting defenders Shirin Oskooi,

Allison McKenzie and Athena Vasquez, helped goalie Chloe Cox (three

saves) preserve the Sunset League champions’ 17th shutout.

“(Green) is going to get hurt out there,” said one spectator, with a

clear tinge of admiration.

“I told the girls, if there was any game to get injured in, this was

the one,” said Oskooi, a senior sweeper whose powerful presence came in

handy in the mad scrambles that often broke out in front of the net.

Harbor’s defense helped turn away 11 penalty corners, including nine

in the second half.

“It seemed more like 20 to me,” Wolfe said.

“I was definitely nervous out there,” Oskooi said. “One time, a ball

got by me and I saw three of their players open against our goalie. I

almost started to cry.”

But it was mostly smiles for the Sailors, after Sladics, positioned

near the left goal post, pushed in a ball that squirted away from a pack

of Santiago defenders.

“Once we score, we know the other teams aren’t going to score on us,”

Oskooi said.

It was Harbor’s third win over Santiago (10-4-4). The Tars won the

other two, 3-0.