(Pictured above) Newport Harbor’s Kennedy Fahey (13) tries to pass with pressure by San Marcos’ Shea Estabrook (7) during the semifinals of the Newport Invitational on Saturday. (James Carbone)

Read Full Article here: https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/sports/story/2026-01-26/newport-harbor-girls-water-polo-storms-to-title-at-newport-invite

By Matt Szabo - Staff Writer:

The Newport Harbor High girls’ water polo team came out ready to go in the finals of the Newport Invitational on Saturday.

In fact, that’s probably a bit of an understatement.

A stunning start powered the Sailors to an early five-goal lead against top-ranked Mater Dei. Defense then took over in the second half, and Newport Harbor earned a big 12-6 victory at its home pool.

Newport Harbor’s Sophia Verdugo (9) looks for a pass against San Marcos on Saturday. (James Carbone)

The Sailors won the Newport Invite for the first time since 2022. They appear to have plenty of momentum headed into the CIF Southern Section playoffs, which begin next week.

“We’ve just been working really hard at practice,” senior attacker Kylie Robison said. “We know what we can do, and I think this was just us wanting to prove that we can be one of the top teams. We have this really big opportunity in front of us.”

Junior attacker Emerson Mulvey led Newport Harbor (23-3) with four goals in the tournament final. The Sailors led 6-1 after the first quarter.

Mater Dei closed to within 7-4 late in the first half, but a key power-play goal by Sailors junior Madison Mack pushed the lead to four goals at the break. Robison then assisted a pair of goals early in the third quarter — one by Mulvey and one by junior Kennedy Fahey — as the Sailors established a 10-4 lead.

Newport Harbor goalie Sunny Brown (1) makes a save against San Marcos on Saturday. (James Carbone)

They blanked the Monarchs in the third quarter and won the game going away.

Fahey’s goal was a quick strike out of center, but Sailors coach Ross Sinclair also highlighted the center defense played by her and sophomore Olivia Bryant.

“For me, it’s just trying not to get in my head as much,” Fahey said. “I’ve played with [Mater Dei sophomore center] Paige [Segesman] a lot, and I know some of her tendencies, but it’s just going in and thinking ‘This is just another center,’ instead of putting her on a pedestal. [I was] just trying to stay in the game more.”

Newport Harbor’s Madison Mack (8) shoots to the goal surrounded by San Marcos players on Saturday. (James Carbone)

Fahey and sophomore attacker Addison Ting scored a pair of goals for the Sailors in the final, with Bryant and the Verdugo sisters, senior Sophia and her junior sister Valery, tallying one goal each. Senior goalkeeper Sunny Brown made six saves.

Robison and Ting had a pair of assists. Junior center Gabby Alexson drew four exclusions, as well as a penalty shot on the Sailors’ first possession.

“She did a really good job of staying engaged as a center, even though the ball maybe wasn’t being served to her as much as she would like,” Sinclair said. “That’s what happens when you’re a good center, you’re going to have teams try to take that away from us. I thought she got really good, deep position a lot, which makes it really difficult for the zone defense.”

Newport Harbor’s Lily Tomalas (14) shoots to the goal against San Marcos on Saturday. (James Carbone)

Mater Dei (22-2), which has won the Bill Barnett Holiday Cup and Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions each of the past two years, was also trying to repeat as Newport Invitational champion. Maggie Ryan paced the Monarchs with three goals.

A productive weekend for Newport Harbor included a 12-11 win over Oaks Christian on Friday night, to finish first in its group. Mack scored the game-winner on the power play.

The Sailors then topped San Marcos 15-10 in the tournament semifinals Saturday morning, paced by Alexson, Mulvey and sophomore center Caroline Daniel with three goals each. Valery Verdugo had four assists in the match, while Sophia Verdugo and Robison had two each.

Newport Harbor’s Emerson Mulvey (16) shoots to the goal against San Marcos on Saturday. (James Carbone)

“I think there was definitely a lot of growth, and more importantly, a lot of belief,” Sinclair said. “I think the team is even closer together than they were before, which is I think the biggest thing, the belief in each other to be able to have some success.”

Read Full Article here: https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/sports/story/2026-01-26/newport-harbor-girls-water-polo-storms-to-title-at-newport-invite