Krause Resigns as El Toro Soccer Coach : High schools: He guided girls’ teams to three playoff appearances in his four seasons with Chargers.

El Toro High’s Kerry Krause, who coached the girls’ soccer team to three consecutive Southern Section Division 4-A appearances, has resigned to devote more time to family and business.

Krause had contemplated resigning for several years and hinted to players during the season that this would be his last at El Toro.

“Some of the girls started to ask, and I told them this would probably be my last year,” said Krause, who formally announced his decision at the team’s awards banquet Tuesday night.

In his 11-season career, Krause’s teams won eight league championships--four in seven years at Laguna Hills and four in as many seasons at El Toro, where he compiled a 71-6-7 record.

“I had a good run,” Krause said. “This was a natural time. I had some fine athletes that made my job easy.”

Krause had 13 seniors--four received college scholarships--on his 1992-93 team, which made it to the Division I section semifinals, where it lost to eventual co-champion Marina. From 1990-92, the Chargers won back-to-back section titles and lost in the final of another.

Krause told El Toro Athletic Administrator Ed Adams two weeks ago of his decision to spend more time with his daughter, who graduated from college and lives in Northern California. But he didn’t make the announcement until Tuesday’s team gathering.

“Guess I can’t back out now,” he said, laughing. “Now I have the opportunity to go see (my daughter). It’s hard to do that when you’re tied down from November to March.”

El Toro begins the search for Krause’s replacement, and Adams will accept applications for possibly as long as a month, or until he has a good pool of applicants.

“We thank Kerry for everything he’s done,” Edwards said. “He’s brought a lot of good things to the program. He had a lot of good student/athletes.”

Krause didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to El Toro, but said he would take at least a year off.

“I might help out with goalkeepers, I just won’t coach,” he said. I’ll miss the kids more than anything else.”

Krause still has one high school game to coach. He will direct the South in the Orange County Coaches’ Assn. All-Star game April 24.

“I still haven’t won that,” he said.