Harvard-Westlake freshman turns late deficit into TOC field hockey title

Harvard-Westlake field hockey freshman Eleanor Levy scored twice in the fourth quarter to rally her team to a 2-1 victory over host Huntington Beach on Thursday night.

The goals secured the Tournament of Champions title for the Wolverines, who are now back-to-back champions in the event.

Huntington Beach held a 1-0 lead entering the final minutes of the game. Sophomore Grace Moniak gave the Oilers the lead with 8:20 left in the third quarter after weaving through the defense and shooting into the left corner.

Levy broke the deadlock with 10:47 remaining in the match. Senior co-captain Margaux Schlumberger drove the ball toward the net, setting up Levy's deflection goal.

Levy added the winning goal 40 seconds later, assisted by senior co-captain Abigail Ryan. Both goals resulted from short corner deflections, a specific play Levy had practiced throughout the season.

“My jaw is still on the floor,” Levy said after the final buzzer. “We’ve been working all season for that moment. The No. 1 way to do it is believe in yourself. Going into the fourth quarter, I needed to believe.”

The Wolverines finished the season with an 18-3-1 record. Huntington Beach closed out its campaign at 18-3-4. The Oilers were attempting to win their first TOC title since 2022 but fell short despite repeated as Sunset League Southern Division champions.

Huntington Beach coach Theresa Moniak noted that her team maintained offensive pressure following defensive breakdowns. “After all of the years of starting their athletic career here, I thought every individual played awesome,” Moniak said.

Senior defender Natalie Carroll called the final one of the best games her group had played, regardless of the outcome. “Every person put in the work, it just wasn’t our time,” Carroll said. “They’re going to take it another year.”

In the third-place match earlier on Thursday, Edison defeated Newport Harbor 3-2 in overtime. Senior Hayven Medeiros-Schomberg scored the game-winner on a penalty stroke in sudden death. Medeiros-Schomberg also assisted Madison Brown on Edison's first-quarter goal.

Newport Harbor, which finished with an 8-8-2 record, relied on senior midfielder Sadie Takeda, who scored two short corner goals. Sailors coach Amanda Boyer highlighted the defensive contributions of seniors Sophia Peca and Devyn Teter.