A dozen Hollywood screenwriters locked together in a room for a month could not have come up
with a more dramatic, emotional and awe-inspiring ending to the story of this team. With the very
last kick, in the very last minute, Harvard-Westlake junior Joanna Korshak came off the bench to
hit a 30-yard volley over the reach of a helpless Surf goalkeeper and seal an incredible Breakers
victory.
Until Korshak’s arcing shot caught the net, both teams had fought valiantly for 90 minutes at the
National Soccer Center in Lancaster while 20+ mph winds steadily swept across the field
throughout the match. The killer goal landed like the knockout punch in the last round of a Rocky
movie, setting off a jubilant celebration on the Breakers side of the field, fitting testimony to years
of passion, training and perseverance by which underdogs sometimes become champions in real
life, too.
The Breakers girls made their way steadily to the finals without allowing any goals while winning
all six of their State Cup games despite playing one game with only ten players and a couple of
others with just one or two subs. Teams from the Real So Cal, Cypress Elite and FC Heat soccer
clubs proved no match for the Breakers and, in the knockout rounds, a healthier team led by the
Breakers top scorer, forward and Marymount senior Daryn Towle, made sure the Breakers would
have a place in the Championship game. With their 100% defensive record, the Breakers proved
once more that goals might win soccer games, but defense wins championships.
The State title, the delirious celebrations and tears that followed brought a perfect ending to the
storied history of this Breakers team. The Westside Breakers ‘87 side was one of three founding
teams of the Westside Breakers Soccer Club, which began competing in the Coast Soccer
League in 1998. The ’87 team showed early promise, gradually making its way up the Coast
Soccer League ladder to the Under-16 Gold level of play by its 2003 season.
Consistency of coaching had hindered the group with too frequent changes in personnel at the
helm. At the beginning of its U14 Silver Elite season the team brought on its present coach,
Jason Kelly, who had built a reputation as a successful boys coach in West L.A. soccer. Over the
next six years, Coach Kelly’s guidance became a force to be reckoned with in Southern California
youth soccer. Recent highlights of the team’s history include winning the U19 Gold Division with a
perfect 12-0-0 record in 2005 and finishing 2006 Gold competition as runner-up to the 2006 State
Cup champions, Simi Valley Eclipse. In tournament competition, the Breakers outplayed rivals in
many high profile tournaments, winning the Under-19 Premier Division in the prestigious Nomads
2006 College Coaches Showcase.
The team has a long list of Alumni players who are already making major impact in NCAA Women’s College Soccer:
- Ali Riley, a freshman starter at Stanford University has helped guide the New Zealand
Women’s National Team to their first World Cup berth.
- Tammy Lenham became an Olympic Development Regional player as a member of the
87’s and now plies her trade as a keeper at UCSB.
- Caryn Rosoff, a first-team all-University Athletic Association (UAA) selection and the 2006
UAA Rookie of the Year, for Washington University, St. Louis. UAA Athlete of the Week
honor on two occasions and named to the 2006 Jewish Sports Review College All-
America Team
- Alex Michael, former Breakers captain plays in midfield for Brown University where she will
be joined by graduating senior Michela Fitten from Santa Monica High.
- Nicole Yumori, another former Breakers captain plays in defense for UC Riverside
- Lucy Miller continues to score goals as a freshman at Western Washington University
The formidable defense for the current State Cup Championship team includes: Keeper Jaclyn
Collins (Mira Costa), Kelly Lazor (captain, Marymount), Kelly McCarthy (Brentwood), Sarah
McNees (Palisades High), Lizzy Danhakl (Harvard-Westlake) and Danielle Duarte (Santa
Monica). The midfield engine of the team includes Jenna Marine (Harvard-Westlake), Mallory Beck (Mira
Costa), Daniela Dacosta (Santa Monica), Lauren Mills (Brentwood), Shannon Hart (Harvard-
Westlake), Carter Shaw (Harvard-Westlake) and Alex Jaime (Hawthorne). The Breakers forwards are Daryn Towle (Captain, Marymount), Martina White (Pacific Hills) and Joanna Korshak (Harvard-Westlake). Due to college trips and injury, Michela Fitten (Santa Monica) and Allison Griffin (Harvard-Westlake) were unable to participate in the tournament.
The picture says it all…The Westside Breakers ’87 Team State Cup champions.
