Sports DIGEST : Sherman Oaks Girls Play for Southland AYSO Title

The Sherman Oaks Red Menace, a team made up 10- and 11-year-old girls, travels to Upland today to compete for the Southern California American Youth Soccer Organization championship.

The Red Menace, champions of AYSO’s Section 10, plays for the title at 3:30 p.m. at the Upland AYSO Soccer Park. The team’s opponent will be the winner of an 11:30 a.m. game between teams from Section 1 and Section 11.

The team, 17-0-1 this season, is led by forward Jenny Johnson, whose father is former Olympic decathlon champion Rafer Johnson. Rafer’s wife, Betsy, is an assistant coach on the team.

This is the first time a team from the Sherman Oaks area has advanced to the Southern California title game.

The Red Menace made it this far by first winning Region 58, which is comprised of teams in the Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys areas.

Coach Stu Gunn’s team then represented Area 10C in a five-team round-robin tournament. The Red Menace again emerged victorious and advanced to the Section 10 championships in Bakersfield at the beginning of March.

Two victories in Bakersfield made the Red Menace champions of Section 10, which covers the state from Burbank up to Fresno.

Las Virgenes Girls Win State Title

The Las Virgenes Angels Soccer Club won the State Cup Soccer Championship in the girl’s under-12 division finals at Cal Poly Pomona. The Angels beat the Fountain Valley Sting, 3-0, in the single elimination tournament.

Lauren Goldstine scored 10 minutes into the first half, then Stephanie Stone followed up with a direct kick goal after a pushing penalty. Sunday Dizazzo completed the scoring in the second half.

Laufenberg Re-Signs With Redskins

Babe Laufenberg, a former All-Southern Section quarterback at Crespi High, signed a one-year contract Friday with the Washington Redskins.

Laufenberg, who set passing records at Pierce College and Indiana University, will begin his third season as the Redskins’ backup to Joe Theismann. The former All-Del Rey League player was a sixth-round draft pick of Washington in 1983.