Breakers’ soccer goes 1 for 2 in CIF playoffs
A trip to the quarterfinal round of the CIF Southern Section soccer playoffs was what the Laguna Beach girls’ and boys’ soccer teams set their sights on. One team got there, and the other was close to reaching that destination before being denied.
The Laguna girls’ team put a big victory into the win column Tuesday by knocking off No. 2-seed Hemet in the Division 5A playoffs. The Breakers scored twice in the second half to come away with a 2-0 victory over the visiting Bulldogs at Guyer Field.
The win advanced Laguna to a quarterfinal match Thursday against No. 3-seed Chatsworth Sierra Canyon. The score wasn’t available at press time. The winner of Thursday’s match advances to play a semifinal match next Tuesday.
The Trailblazers, who won the Gold Coast League title, had rolled to victories by a combined 9-0 in their first two playoff games.
Laguna broke away from a scoreless match with Hemet with two second-half goals to eliminate the Bulldogs (21-4). Audrey Pillsbury scored off an assist from Renee Thomas in the 50th minute, and Thomas scored in the 80th minute off an assist from Alden Kramer.
Senior goalie Kylie George had five saves as the Breakers, the second-place team from the Orange Coast League, improved to 11-5-6.
Laguna Coach Bill Rolfing call the win a “landmark match” for his team.
Hemet is the champion of the Mountain Pass League. The Bulldogs defeated Cathedral City, 1-0, in a first-round game Feb. 19.
“Really came to play and exerted a lot of pressure,” Rolfing said. “From the start, (we) knew high-pressure offense was the key to take Hemet off their game. It worked wonderfully as Paige Vitolo, Audrey Pillsbury and Renee Thomas combined to keep the attack fluid on the Hemet goal. Regan Caraher, Alyssa Pellow, Christine Johnson and hard-working Alden Kramer, held strong in midfield to disallow the heralded Hemet midfield from getting any rhythm.”
The Breakers also turned in what Rolfing termed a “stellar” defensive performance. Led by Amy Hewlett, Summer Stanaland, Chiara Noppenberger, Janie Crawford and George, a four-year goalie, the Breakers were able to post their seventh shutout in their last eight matches. They’ve allowed only one goal during that span.
Laguna shut out its first two playoff opponents. On Feb. 19, the Breakers went to Segerstrom and pinned a 3-0 first-round defeat on the host Jaguars (11-4-3, Golden West League No. 2). Pillsbury opened the game’s scoring and Thomas scored twice. George had three saves.
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Fresh from an opening road victory at La Mirada, the Laguna boys’ team also advanced to the second round of the playoffs and took on the top-seed in Division 4, Newhall Hart, Wednesday. The Breakers battled the Indians on even terms through regulation, but Hart (Foothill League champion) was able to come away from Guyer Field with a 3-1 victory decided on penalty kicks.
“I’m unbelievably proud of the boys, not just for tonight’s game, but for what they have achieved this entire season,” Laguna Coach Dan Richards said. “Obviously, losing in a shootout is a tough way to get eliminated, however, the fact that the No. 1 seed couldn’t break us down for 80 minutes of regulation time and 20 minutes of overtime, shows how strong we were and the players should definitely hold their heads up high.
“The game itself was very competitive, we came at them strong in the beginning and really put them on the back foot for the first 30 minutes, created some good chances, and got in behind. As the game progressed it got more and more scrappy which suited them a lot better, and they started to cause us some issues.”
Laguna, the second-place team from the Orange Coast League, concludes the year 10-8-4.
“All our players played as hard as they could and I don’t think could have given any more. Tobie (Grierson) was first class tonight and did everything you would expect from a senior in a game like this. He was organizing, putting his body on the line and showed how much he wanted to win for the team. Having seen him play all four years at the high school level, I can very easily say this was the best he has ever played.
“There was a great turnout from the school and community to support the team, which made it feel like a real occasion for the team and gave it that big game atmosphere which is very rare for soccer in Laguna Beach.”
Laguna opened playoff action Feb. 20 and took a 1-0 victory from host La Mirada (Suburban League No. 2). Bruce Knill’s goal in the second half sent the Breakers on to Wednesday’s match against Hart.
“This was a great game, very competitive and fair all the way to the very end,” Richards said. “La Mirada had some talented players and showed why they have had such a good campaign this season.”
Knill scored at around the 10-minute mark of the second half, and that goal stood and put the Breakers into Round 2 of the playoffs.
“Bruce was in the right place at the right time to convert after some good work from Dexter (Russo) down the left-hand side,” Richards said. “Dexter had a great game overall, and has continually improved through the course of the season.
“Our back line was strong and well organized as they have been the majority of the season with Bobby (Briggs) doing a great job breaking up the play in front of them. When we moved Carson (Cushing) into the midfield, he started to have a bigger impact on the game and began finding those little pockets of space so he could start threading passes in behind the La Mirada defense.”
Laguna finished second to Godinez in the Orange Coast League. The Grizzlies, who defeated Baldwin Park Sierra Vista, 3-0, Wednesday, are one of eight teams left in contention for the division championship.
“At the start of every year, we set ourselves team goals and I’m sure a lot of people, including some of our own players, even, are a little unsure as to whether we can truly compete,” Richards said. “The way the team bought into what we wanted to do and played for each other was great to see, and the reason we could overcome a lot of hurdles.”
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Twitter: @MikeSciacca