Girls’ team needs one win for playoffs

A win away from postseason play.

That was the distance the Laguna Beach girls’ soccer team faced between Tuesday and Thursday as the Orange Coast League race and the regular season came to an end.

Laguna, which was edged 2-1 by Costa Mesa on Tuesday, had its CIF Southern Section playoff hopes hang in the balance when it took on host Estancia Thursday.

That score wasn’t available at press time.

A win by the Breakers would secure a second-place league finish and give the program its first playoff berth in eight years, Coach Bill Rofling said.

Laguna, which is one of two teams to beat Costa Mesa in league play over the last six years, again played the Mustangs tough Tuesday. The teams went into the half scoreless, but Laguna’s Courtney Capobianco scored on a penalty kick at the 35th minute of the second half.

The Mustangs countered by scoring on a pair of crossing plays in front of the Laguna goal to pull out the win.

Rolfing said Laguna’s pervious league match, a Jan. 31 game against Calvary Chapel, also was “frustrating” although his Breakers did emerge with a 2-1 win. It was Laguna’s second win over the Eagles this year.

“Taking two out of three was important against always energetic Calvary Chapel,” Rolfing said. “We outshot Calvary but like the first match, two [shots] went off the woodwork and four close-in shots directly into their keeper’s grip.”

Laguna scored its first goal at the 12-minute mark of the first half. Tasha Cherpas’ sent a long diagonal delivery to a waiting Capobianco and then the Breakers’ leading scorer, “deftly beat a defender and the keeper,” Rolfing said, to net the goal.

Calvary Chapel tied the score (1-1) after catching the Breakers “off-guard with their patented ‘dummy’ corner kick, he said, at the 20-minute mark.

Following what Rolfing said was a crucial substitution at the 29-minute mark, Laguna’s Ali Terwilliger came in to spark the Breakers offense.

Jackie Csira threaded a pinpoint pass to a streaking Terwilliger who sent a 20-yard shot off the inside of the upright to give Laguna a 2-1 halftime lead.

In the second half, the game became an end-to-end match. The Breakers kept the upper hand on shots due to strong contributions at midfield from Christina Gardilcic, Claire Rubel and Laura Renault.

Lura Hills suffered an injury early in the game but made what Rolfing described as a “heroic performance” to get the shutout on Calvary in the second half to preserve the lead.

It was a big week for the girls’ soccer program. In addition to the varsity being in the battle for a playoff berth, both the Breakers junior varsity and frosh/soph teams won Orange Coast League championships.