Corona del Mar girls’ lacrosse celebrates seniors, secures Battle of the Bay win
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Corona del Mar High senior Meg Vanis woke up knowing Thursday would be a big day for her.
She turned 18 years old, for one thing.
Vanis and the CdM girls’ lacrosse team were hosting rival Newport Harbor on senior night, for another.
“I was super nervous, just because it’s so many things riding on one day,” Vanis admitted. “Birthday, senior day, Battle of the Bay. It’s a bunch, but my teammates helped me calm down a little bit.”
Everything worked out just fine for the Sea Kings.
They blanked the Sailors in the first half on their way to a 15-6 Sunset League win.
Senior Rihanna Quinn led CdM (12-5, 2-0) with four goals. Vanis and Ashley Solarczyk, another senior, each scored twice.
Vanis had scored the game-tying goal late against Huntington Beach in a league opener on Tuesday, the 100th of her CdM career. Her game-winning goal in overtime of that match gave CdM a 10-9 victory.
“I have loved my time here,” said Vanis, who transferred from JSerra as a sophomore. “My 100 goals, I really got the majority of those from my teammates. They made it happen for me. They’re my biggest cheerleaders, and they just make me so excited to be the best player I can be.”
Defense was a story for CdM against Newport Harbor (2-11, 0-2), particularly since the Sailors were successful on many of the draw controls behind the efforts of senior Hailee Devries.
Corona del Mar junior goalkeeper Sofia Petek made 15 saves for the hosts, who led 8-0 at halftime. She said senior Anita Oranghi and junior Gabi Bales were also key in the defensive effort.
Petek, who stands just 5-foot-2, played on the program’s second junior varsity team last year. Coach Jessica Murray said she’s improved a lot and has only been playing goalie for a little more than a year.
“It was a big jump, but it was really exciting,” Petek said. “I have really good teammates.”
Other goal-scorers for CdM included seniors Helena Fratantaro, Annika Soderstrom and Maile Lyle, juniors MK Angeloff, Miley Perisi and Bales and freshman Bijou Luong. Angeloff had a team-best six ground balls.
Senior Casey Sharbrough led Newport Harbor with five goals and six ground balls. First-year Sailors coach Delaney Knipp, an alumna of the program from the class of 2019, called Sharbrough the heart and soul of the team.
“I’m really proud of the girls,” said Knipp, who played NCAA Division I lacrosse at Kent State, rebounding from a torn anterior cruciate ligament as a sophomore to compete three more seasons.
She is the Sailors’ third varsity coach in three years and has another program alumna, Caroline Farley, as the assistant and junior varsity coach.
“It’s been a season of fighting as hard as we can,” Knipp said. “There’s been a little bit of turbulence over the last couple of years, a couple of changes in coaching staffs, but this is a group that really wants to buy into the process. That fight that you saw in the second half [when the Sailors were outscored just 7-6], that’s the team that we’re aspiring to be the whole time.”
Newport Harbor continues league play after spring break next week with a home match against Los Alamitos on April 15.
As for CdM, the Sea Kings are headed toward a possible showdown for the league title at Edison on April 22 in their regular season finale. The Chargers are also 2-0 in league after Thursday’s 6-5 win over Huntington Beach.
First, CdM has to take care of business at Los Alamitos on April 17.
“We’re in the hunt,” said Murray, whose team finished second in league to Edison last year as the Chargers earned their third straight league title.
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