Soccer Game Preview: Irvine vs. Laguna Beach

The Irvine Vaqueros will head out to take on the Laguna Beach Breakers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Irvine's last five matches have been decided by no more than a goal, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Irvine is likely headed into the game with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Woodbridge on Tuesday. Irvine fell just short of Woodbridge by a score of 2-1. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Vaqueros came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' California soccer rankings (they are ranked 218th, while the Warriors are ranked 797th).

Meanwhile, after failing to score in their last matchup, Laguna Beach made sure to put some goals up on the board against Portola on Tuesday. They blew past the Bulldogs 4-0. That four goal margin sets a new team best for the Breakers this season.

They hit Portola with a four-pronged attack, as the team got scores from Ty Tranbarger, Dakota Guzman, Grant Regal, and Dylan Petrie-Norris.

Irvine's defeat dropped their record down to 6-3-1. As for Laguna Beach, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which provided a massive bump to their 6-4-2 record this season.

Irvine was able to grind out a solid victory over Laguna Beach in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, winning 2-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Irvine since the team won't have the home-pitch advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.