Breakers win three in polo action

Mike Sciacca

The Laguna Beach High girls’ water polo team won all three matches it

played last week in a stretch that saw the Breakers play all three --

including two on the road -- in a three day period.

Laguna Beach 11, Northwood 3

Laguna rolled from the opening minute, taking a 9-1 halftime

advantage before finishing off the host Timberwolves in the Pacific

Coast League opener for both schools.

Addison Doud dominated on the offensive end with six goals.

“However, it was on the defensive side that the game was truly

won,” McKee said. “While not getting much press, Brenna Duplesia is

perhaps the most dominate two-meter defender in the county. She had

an outstanding game against Northwood, stopping their two-meter girl

by holding her to only one goal.”

Laguna Beach 13, El Dorado 6

A day after defeating Tesoro, Laguna Beach traveled to Placentia

and defeated a team that it beat in last year’s quarterfinal round of

the playoffs.

Like its outing at Tesoro, the Breakers again got off to a hot

start and held a commanding, 7-0 halftime lead.

Doud again led the team in scoring with five goals, with Jessica

McKee closely behind with four goals.

Laguna’s defense, led by Duplisea and Kat Gordon, again dominated

play.

“It was a very strong, overall team win and a good one to build

momentum on for the rest of the season,” Rick McKee said.

Laguna Beach 9, Tustin 4

Playing its third game in a row and first at home this season,

Laguna Beach steadily pulled away from the Tillers in nonleague play.

“Tustin gave us a very strong game last year, and we expected them

to do the same this year,” McKee said.

The end of the first quarter found the Breakers up by two, 3-1,

but they gained momentum in the second period and opened up a 6-2

lead at the break.

For the third straight day, Doud led the scoring barrage with five

goals. McKee, Duplisea, Allison Wallis and Erin Reid each scored

once.

“I believe very strongly that championships are won by the

defense,” Rick McKee said. “However, this is a part of the game that

is often overlooked and not given much publicity. Our defense is

playing extremely well and all of our girls are animals when it comes

to this part of the game, and it is being lead by sophomore Brenna

Duplisea. She has had to sacrifice scoring a lot of goals this season

in order to play this role, and she has done it unselfishly. To date,

Breanna has some 65 steals and continues to work hard at being even a

stronger defensive player.”

In boys’ soccer, a 21-day layoff certainly hurt the Laguna Beach

High boys’ soccer team in its return to the playing field.

Having last played on Dec. 21, Laguna Beach opened its Pacific

Coast League schedule on Jan. 12 against Calvary Chapel but judging

by the way the Breakers played, Coach Giovanni Vlahos said, they

appeared to still be on a holiday break.

“The boys just didn’t show up mentally, or physically,” Vlahos

said after Calvary Chapel shaded Laguna Beach, 2-1, at Orange Coast

College. “Who knows if the 21-day layoff from Christmas break caused

this, but I know that we are a much better squad than this.”

Adam Turbi scored for Laguna, and keeper Simon Kardos had six

saves.

Two days after falling to Calvary Chapel, Laguna was home hosting

Tesoro.

The Breakers had a 1-0 lead, but Tesoro scored on a corner kick in

the final two minutes, and the match ended in a 1-1 tie.

Clark Olson scored Laguna’s lone goal, and Erik Haug had 12 saves.

“We had those three points that we needed right there in our grasp

but we let them tie us up,” Vlahos said. “Now, we only got one point

out of this match.

“I tell my team all the time that you have to play for 80 minutes

each game. Not 75, not 79, exactly 80. We played for 78 this game and

let them snag those three points out of our mouths. The only good

thing about this whole match was that the boys actually showed up to

play. It was complete opposite from the Calvary Chapel game.”

On Saturday morning, Laguna hosted Northwood in a 9 a.m. match,

one that was rescheduled as a Jan. 7 scheduled match between the

teams was rained out.

Laguna fell to the Timberwolves, 4-1.

“We’ve dug ourselves a massive hole now, being three games into

the PCL race and only coming away with a single point,” Vlahos said

of Laguna’s 0-2-1 showing in its last three matches.

The Breakers’ record fell to 6-3-2, heading into this week’s

action.

In girls’ soccer, a young Laguna Beach squad played University

tough Tuesday, but the visiting Trojans pulled away in the second

half to post a 4-0 PCL win at Guyer Field.

The teams were deadlocked at 0-0 at halftime.

“We played well in the first half but couldn’t sustain that

momentum the entire 80 minutes,” Laguna coach Bill Rolfing said. “The

girls played very stubborn and I told them after the match that they

played tough and that we impressed the other team. Uni has a very

good team.”

The University outcome was much the same story for Laguna in its

previous league outing, which ended with visiting Tesoro pulling away

to a 3-0 victory.

The teams were locked in a scoreless tie at halftime.

Laguna keeper Annie Olson had 12 saves.

The Breakers were out for their first league victory Thursday

when they played at Corona del Mar.