FALL PREVIEW ?LAGUNA BEACH HIGH GIRLS’ GOLF: Laguna’s newcomers will have to step up

The Laguna Beach girls’ golf team begins a new season on top.

For the first time in school history, that’s the spot “” first place “” where the Breakers finished the 2007 season in league play. They are coming off an 11-1 campaign that saw the team post a 10-0 record in the Golden West League in Val Quigley’s first year as head coach.

Laguna capped its perfect league run with a stirring, 221-223 victory over Estancia that secured the league title.

There was no league tournament last year due to the wildfires that raged in Orange County.

Senior Karina Shaw, one of two players to earn all-league honors last year, returns in 2008.

Shaw was a first-team all-league pick and also advanced to the CIF Southern California Regional tournament. She was medalist in 10 of 12 matches the Breakers played last year. Her average score was 43.

The other returning letter winner from last year is senior Emily Marcus.

Gone from last year’s team are all-league performers Lexy Altman, Caitlin Barretto and Grace Stewart.

Newcomers to the varsity include senior Austen Grossman (who moves up from the junior varsity level where she was a two-time medalist last year), junior Jennifer Coury (who was captain and MVP on the junior varsity last year and was a three-time medalist), sophomore Christianne Kinder (who also moves up from the JV team where last year she had the second-best scoring average) and junior Grace Komoroczy (a transfer student from Torrey Pines High in San Diego).

Quigley said Komoroczy played varsity as both a freshman and sophomore at Torrey Pines and has the talent to shoot par on “any given day.”

“She is a very accomplished golfer who will likely be our No. 1 player this year,” Quigley said of Komoroczy, who advanced last year to the Southern California Regional finals.

Quigley, who will be assisted by husband Sean Quigley, said that what this year’s talented team is lacking is varsity experience.

“We lost five girls from last year’s team and all of them had several years experience on varsity,” Val Quigley said.

“So, as a team this year, we will be short on varsity experience. However, Karina Shaw was first team all-league last year and she is returning and with the addition of Grace Komoroczy, we will have two of the best players in the league on our team. This will likely put us right back into the league championship race.”

Quigley said the Breakers have what it takes to reach the top again in 2008.

It could boil down to another Laguna-Estancia battle for the league crown.

“This year’s team has the potential to repeat as league champions,” she said. “The key is going to be how the new girls respond to varsity level play, and if they can improve their scores throughout the year. The new girls will have to do well for us to win the league championship again this year.”

The Schedule

Sept. 4: vs. Aliso Niguel

(at Aliso Viejo GC)

Sept. 8: vs. St. Margaret’s

(at San Juan Hills GC)

Sept. 9: vs. Tesoro

(at Casta Del Sol GC)

Sept. 10: vs. Santa Margarita

(at Aliso Creek GC)

Sept. 11: vs. Capo Valley Christian, TBA

Sept. 15: vs. San Juan Hills, TBA

Sept. 16: vs. St. Margaret’s, Santa Margarita

(at Marbella GC)

Sept. 17: vs. Aliso Niguel

(at Aliso Creek GC)

Sept. 23: vs. Costa Mesa*

(at Mesa Linda GC)

Sept. 24: Orange*

(at San Clemente GC)

Sept. 30: vs. Ocean View*

(at Meadowlark GC)

Oct. 1: Estancia*

(at San Clemente GC)

Oct. 6: Westminster*

(at San Clemente GC)

Oct. 8: Costa Mesa*

(at San Clemente GC)

Oct. 14: vs. Orange*

(at Riverview GC)

Oct. 15: Ocean View*

(at San Clemente GC)

Oct. 21: Estancia*

(at Mesa Linda GC)

Oct. 23: vs. Westminster*

(at David Baker GC)

Oct. 27-28: League tournament, TBA

Nov. 3: Individual regionals, TBA

Nov. 10-11: Team divisionals, TBA

Nov. 14: Team CIF finals

Nov. 17: CIF State championships

(*denotes league match)

MIKE SCIACCA covers sports. He can be reached at (949) 494-4321 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.