As expected, Laguna is seeded number one in the 2016 Division 1 playoffs and the Breakers will be seeking their third straight title. Next week the semifinals will be at Irvine High’s Woollett Center on Wednesday, Feb. 24, with the match starting at 5 or 7 p.m. The finals will be at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, also at Woollett.
Last week, Laguna defeated the top Division 2 team, Murrieta Valley, 11-4 at the Laguna Community Pool on Wednesday, Feb. 10. Breakers controlled the tempo but did not score until their fifth possession on a Sophie Leggett goal off a pass by Bella Baldridge at the 2:08 mark in the quarter. Natalie Selin made it 2-0 when she scored off her own shot rebound off the bar in the final seconds of the period. Breakers opened the second period gaining a penalty shot that was taken by Leggett to make it 3-0 and midway through the period Selin made it 4-0 off a long pass by Holly Parker. Haley Evans took a pass from Baldridge to make it 5-0 with about a minute remaining before the half.
In the third period, Laguna added another three goals before Murrieta finally scored when a sun-blinded Holly Parker had trouble stopping a shot. It was senior day and the six active graduating players saw plenty of action in their final regular season contest.
Laguna’s JV took the unofficial OC JV championships at the Newport Harbor Back Bay JV tournament that featured the junior varsity squads from the top 10 OC varsity programs among the 16 participating schools. Laguna defeated Edison 11-2 and Foothill 6-3 on Friday, Feb. 12, at CdM then held off Corona del Mar Saturday morning 5-4 before defeating host Newport Harbor 5-4 in sudden death to revenge their only JV level loss this season. The outcome looked doubtful entering the final period on Saturday, Feb. 13, but Evie Laptin fired two goals in just over a minute to tie the contest with two minutes remaining in regulation and the Breakers almost won at the buzzer off a shot by Danielle Borelli. In overtime, Borelli fed Laptin in a power play opportunity 75 seconds into the OT for the tournament winning “golden goal”. Overall the JV finished 19-2 losing at Newport Harbor JV in December and to La Jolla Varsity, the # 1 San Diego CIF varsity team this season.
