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Girls’ Water Polo Preview: Newport Harbor vs. Foothill

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CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinal

No. 2 Foothill (25-4) vs. No. 3 Newport Harbor (23-6)

When/where: Wednesday, 5 p.m. at Woollett Aquatics Center in Irvine

Key Knights: Sr. attacker Julia Sellers (62 goals); Sr. center Cana Manzella (40 goals); Fr. center Noelle Wijnbelt (41 goals); Jr. attacker Brooke Maxson (33 goals); Jr. goalie Kenzi Snyder (203 saves).

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Key Sailors: Sr. goalie Carlee Kapana (301 saves, 28 steals); Sr. defender Rachel Whitelegge (42 goals, team-best 46 steals, 17 assists); Sr. utility Kate Pipkin (52 goals, 36 steals, team-best 27 assists); Sr. center Chanel Schilling (team-best 53 goals, 19 steals, 11 assists); Sr. attacker Ellie Reid (40 goals, 23 assists, 13 steals).

Breakdown: Newport Harbor Coach Bill Barnett (hip surgery), who missed Saturday’s quarterfinal win over San Marcos, attended practice Tuesday and will be at the semifinal game Wednesday, assistant coach Brian Melstrom said … Melstrom said Barnett, who will retire following this season after 49 years, was released from the hospital on Monday afternoon … Foothill is 3-0 against Newport Harbor this season … The Knights defeated the Sailors in a nonleague game Dec. 12 (4-2), in the semifinals of the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions (6-2) and in the semifinals of the Irvine Southern California Championships (6-3) … Foothill has been ranked No. 2 in Division 1 all season, and the Knights’ four losses have all come to top-ranked Laguna Beach … Both the Knights and the Sailors have a varied attack, with no player averaging more than two goals per game … A matchup to watch is the UC Irvine-bound center Manzella against the UCLA-bound center defender Whitelegge … Manzella scored three goals against Newport in the teams’ most recent meeting, though the Knights were shut out in the second half … Newport Harbor is trying to make its fourth straight Division 1 title match, and fifth in six years … Foothill has six Division 1 titles, one more than the Sailors, but has not made the title match since 2011.

Prediction: Newport Harbor 7, Foothill 6 (OT)

— Matt Szabo

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