PREP : Girls’ Soccer Playoffs : Laguna Hills Gets Wish: a Rematch With Alemany

Kerry Krause, Laguna Hills High School girls’ soccer coach, said two weeks ago he hoped his team would meet Alemany in the Southern Section 3-A quarterfinals.

Last season, Alemany, the 1987 Southern Section runner-up, eliminated Laguna Hills, 3-0, in the quarterfinals at Alemany in Mission Hills.

Krause said several times this season his team wanted a rematch--on one condition. That Alemany be the one to travel the 95 miles between the schools.

Well, Laguna Hills will meet Alemany in a quarterfinal match at 3 today, but it won’t be playing at home. The Hawks are on the road--to Alemany--again.

“All I ask is for a short ride home after the match,” Krause said. “The ride home last year must’ve been the longest bus ride in history.”

The loss to Alemany last season was Laguna Hills’ only defeat. The Hawks, top-ranked all season, finished 21-1-4.

This season, Laguna Hills (18-5-1) is the fourth-seeded team.

Alemany (20-3-2), a fast, physical team, was ranked fourth by a vote of 3-A coaches in a poll taken Feb. 15. Laguna Hills, a defense-oriented team that has recorded 18 shutouts, was ranked fifth.

“We’re playing much better than we were at this time last year,” Krause said. “Now we really want to go back to the scene of the crime to settle matters.”

Esperanza (22-1-2), seeded second, plays host to Kennedy (17-5) today.

Kennedy and Esperanza tied, 1-1, in a preseason scrimmage Nov. 24.

Cheryl Hand and Tracy Van Herk lead the seventh-ranked Fighting Irish, the Garden Grove League champions.

Esperanza has shut out 20 opponents this season. Its only loss was to Corona del Mar in the Ocean View tournament in December.

The Aztecs are led by Linda Lunceford and Maria De La Torre who have 14 goals each, and Chrissy Coppage, who has 18 assists.

Colleen Gamblin, a senior sweeper, leads the Esperanza defense.