Girls’ first match goes swimmingly

Laguna Beach downs Brea-Olinda, 17-2, to open what should be a strong season.The Laguna Beach High girls’ water polo team got off to a quick start in its season opener Tuesday against visiting Brea-Olinda, and the Breakers rode it to a 17-2 nonleague victory.

Laguna led, 4-0, after one quarter and extended its lead to 12-1 at the half.

Erin Reid powered the Breakers’ offense with seven goals, followed by Jessica McKee with five.

Breanna Duplisea, Annika Dries, Taylor Dodson, Brittany Forrest and Amanda Armestead all scored once. Celia Huling had five saves in goal.

Laguna is coming off a 21-9 season in which it advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division II championship match at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach, finishing runner-up to Corona del Mar.

Laguna also was second in the Pacific Coast League to the Sea Kings and has plenty of returning and incoming talent. It should challenge for a title again.

“Balanced leadership is going to be the key to success for us this year,” coach Rick McKee said. “We are a young yet a very experienced team, especially at playing in the big game. We know what it takes to get there.

“However, we do have three freshmen that will make an immediate impact on the varsity team that don’t have that experience. So we will need a great deal of that balanced leadership to get us there again this year.”

Returning from last year’s squad are junior attackers Duplisea and McKee, junior goalie Huling, senior attackers Armestead and Forrest, senior center Shauna Badheka and sophomore attacker Reid.

Newcomers expecting to make an impact are a trio of freshmen in Dries, a center, and attackers Dodson and Natasha Schulman.

Laguna, which plays a tough nonleague schedule before entering Pacific Coast League action on Jan. 11, returns to the pool today to host Santa Margarita at 4 p.m.

Other upcoming games for the Breakers include perennial power Santa Barbara on Dec. 9 and El Dorado on Dec. 15.20051202iqsnxpknDON LEACH / COASTLINE PILOT(LA)Laguna’s Jessica McKee prepares to fire into the net past the Brea-Olinda goalie. The Breakers scored an easy 17-2 win.