Laguna girls go down fighting

Soccer team falls to University, Corona del Mar by 2-0 scores.The Laguna Beach High girls’ soccer team will be looking to end the week on a high note today when it visits Pacific Coast League foe Tesoro.

The match will be the third of the week for the Breakers, who, despite battling hard, fell to league rivals University and Corona del Mar this week.

Laguna began the week with a 2-0 loss to University. The Trojans scored two early goals, then held off a couple of charges by the Breakers.

Laguna was coming off a pair of spirited efforts, having taken Northwood, the CIF-Southern Section Division II top-ranked team, to the wire in a 1-0 loss before picking up an emotional 1-0 win over Calvary Chapel.

“We faced a strong, fast team in University,” Laguna coach Bill Rolfing said. “We fell back into a defensive posture, as was evident in our Northwood game, and never regained our offensive play that had rewarded us with eight wins this season.”

On Wednesday, the Breakers came up with another strong outing, but the results were the same.

Taking on a solid Corona del Mar squad at Guyer Field, host Laguna gave up two early goals. The team then held its own with the Sea Kings but still lost, 2-0.

Corona del Mar scored both of its goals early in the first half of the match.

“We played them courageously and the play was end-to-end,” Rolfing said. “However, we had a hard time penetrating the tall, fast CdM defense.

“We sorely missed our leading scorer, Anna Hopper, for the third straight game due to illness.”

Rolfing is hopeful to have Hopper back to “initiate our offense” today when the Breakers play at Tesoro.

The Titans, like Corona del Mar and University, are a senior-laden team. They are ranked fourth in Division II.

Laguna is one of the younger teams in the league, with its roster laden with sophomores.

“The future looks bright, but right now we are battling strong, mature talent from these larger schools,” Rolfing added.

“Jessica Heitel, playing sweeper, has been playing superb soccer for us this year. Jamie Hancock, playing stopper, is a real enforcer for us, and the 12th-grader is a great example of hard work for the young players.”

Upcoming games:

Today: at Tesoro, 4:45 p.m.

Wednesday: at Beckman,

3:15 p.m.

Jan. 27: vs. Northwood, 6:15 p.m.20060120itcu7mncDON LEACH / COASTLINE PILOT(LA)Wesley Hamchuck (9) controls the ball for Laguna in a Wednesday match against Corona del Mar.