Girls Soccer: Turners aid Laguna
Get the ball to the Turner sisters in space, and just watch what happens.
That seemed to be a winning strategy for the Laguna Beach High girls’ soccer team Thursday night in a first-place showdown at Estancia.
Sophomore Blake Turner accounted for all of her teams goals, scoring twice and also assisting her freshman sister Reilyn. The two-time defending league champion Eagles did not have the answers to slow the Turners down.
The result, a 3-1 upset win for the Breakers, put Laguna Beach alone in first place with one match remaining in the first round of Orange Coast League play.
Laguna Beach, ranked No. 8 in CIF Southern Section Division 4, improved to 12-3-2, 4-0 in league. No. 5-ranked Estancia, which had a five-match winning streak snapped, is now 8-4-2, 3-1 in league.
There’s a long way to go, but the Breakers now have a leg up as they try to win their first Orange Coast League title since 2014.
“The important thing was that we took over the momentum playing pretty good defense, especially in the second half,” Laguna Coach Bill Rolfing said. “I was expecting Estancia to put more pressure on us, but our defense did stand up. We’ve got a nice goalkeeper in [freshman] Cameron Russo, and I think the important thing is that we’re gelling. We’re looking for more continuity on the field, and I think we’re going to be working on that the next couple of days in practice.”
Estancia took the early lead in the ninth minute on a goal from senior Karla Rodriguez, but Laguna Beach kept working. Blake Turner scored her first goal in the 24th minute. Five minutes later, Reilyn lofted a shot that Estancia junior keeper Monique Mendoza (four saves) was able to bat down. But Blake was there for the rebound goal.
“It was really fun,” Blake Turner said. “I’ve never played on the same team as [Reilyn], she’s always been a year younger than me or sometimes two. I’ve been excited to get to play with her this year.”
Estancia’s Isabelle Cruz and Desiree Mendoza put pressure on the Laguna defense early in the second half, but the Eagles were unable to score. On the other end, the Breakers then added their third goal on a nice sequence in the 49th minute.
Shea Skenderian gained possession near the Estancia sideline and crossed the ball to Blake Turner, who touched it to her younger sister. Reilyn beat two defenders near the top of the box to score, giving the Breakers their final goal.
“It turned into a back-and-forth battle, and they were going to win it if we played like that,” Estancia Coach Josh Juarez said. “They have those two girls up top who are hard to deal with, and we’re more of a team that dicates the pace of the game and holds the ball. We didn’t make good decisions with the ball, and we turned it into a 50-50 match as far as possession. If we play back and forth with a team like that, when those girls have opportunities to run onto balls in space, they’re hard to manage for that many possessions.”
Russo made six saves to anchor the Laguna defense that also included players like senior center back Emily Addis, senior Brynn Anderson and sophomore Kerin Onodera.
“We were able to stay organized really well,” Addis said. “Cameron is really good back there, and that helps us a lot, but it was mostly just the communication and organization that helped us back there tonight.
“It feels pretty good [to be 4-0 in league]. I think we’re trying not to be too overconfident, but definitely our team camaraderie is really great this year. We always have people who play other sports come up to us and say, ‘I wish our team was like your team.’ We hang out all the time off the field, and it’s really great.”
Both teams conclude the first round of Orange Coast League play on Tuesday. Estancia is at rival Costa Mesa, while Laguna Beach plays host to Saddleback.
