Laguna Beach boys' soccer edges past Long Beach Poly in CIF quarterfinals
The senior midfielder approached Laguna Beach boys' soccer coach Andy Thomas, lifted him in the air, and exclaimed where the team was headed.
That destination is the semifinals after the visiting Breakers held on for dear life in the second half of a 2-1 win over the Jackrabbits in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs.
'They bombarded us a little bit the last 10 minutes,' Thomas said. 'They bombarded us.'
Laguna Beach (14-5-5) went unscathed, despite Long Beach Poly (10-8-6) pulling numbers forward and even sending its goalkeeper into the box for successive free kicks in the closing seconds.
Breakers goalkeeper Cole Anderson made a point-blank save on Roger Juarez, who was left alone for a header in the box in the 63rd minute. Anderson absorbed the initial pace of the shot and caught the ball on a bobble.
Another close call came in the 49th minute. Roberto Bermudez fed in a shallow cross from the left wing. Anderson sold out on a dive off his line to stop its progress across the goal. The ball laid precariously out of the reach of Anderson, and Guzman was there to clear it away with the Jackrabbits crashing the net.
'We just played more conservatively,' Guzman said. 'We didn't take any chances. We just played our game. Both of our center backs are pretty solid back there, and with me dropping in and playing conservatively, they really have no chance.'
Julian Reichel opened the scoring, all of which occurred in the first half, when he settled down a ball played in behind the defense by left back Jackson Arrasin.
'I tried to get onside initially because I thought I was off, so I tried taking a few steps back, saw the ball go over,' Reichel said. 'I knew I had a chance. I didn't think there was a guy too close to me on my back. I saw the ball bouncing, I checked the goal quickly, and the keeper was on his line, not even close to coming out, so I knew I could take my time.'
Poly equalized in the 24th minute on a pretty passing play. Kaya Paz, a driver of possession for the Jackrabbits in the midfield, forced a turnover deep in the attacking third and found Joshua Martinez in the center of the box for the goal.
Laguna Beach, the Pacific Coast League champion, answered back via a set piece in the 38th minute. Center back Luke Singer served the ball up to the back post from the right corner flag, and Guzman headed it back across the goal and inside the post for a 2-1 lead.
'It means everything for me, and I think for the team, as well,' Guzman said of the playoff run continuing. 'We set a goal at the beginning of the season to win CIF. We've been building our team up for four years, and I think it's just time. It's really nice to see it all come through at the end of the year, and I'm glad we're here. I'm ready for semifinals.'
Nayan Martlin narrowly missed giving the Breakers some breathing room, as his shot hit the left post squarely and stayed out in the 62nd minute.
If the celebratory mood of the Breakers was something to behold after advancing to a semifinal date at home against Empire League champion Santa Ana (13-6-2) on Saturday night at 6 p.m., Thomas said it was a scene of pure jubilation in the second round at San Bernardino Indian Springs.
Laguna Beach trailed 2-0 in the final five minutes of the game, before Tom Schmidt and Reichel scored to send the game to extra time. Martlin supplied the winner in double overtime.
'It's a bit of a turning point, isn't it?' Thomas said. 'If you know you can come back 2-0 down with five minutes to go, then you know you can do it, don't you? It's a bit of belief.'
Singer weighed in on the second-round comeback, too.
'That game was insane,' he said. 'Maybe four minutes left, and we scored both of them off set pieces, so that was a really good win for us.'
Also in the CIF Southern Section boys' soccer playoffs:
Edison 3, Anaheim Canyon 2: Micah Novak had a goal and an assist for the visiting Chargers on Wednesday in a Division 2 quarterfinal game.
Edison (15-4-1), the Sunset League champion, got three unanswered goals — from Novak, Ben Hickman and Oliver Worster — after falling behind 1-0 in the contest.
Andrew Mosham made a save in the final minute to preserve the win for Edison, which plays host to Studio City Harvard-Westlake (12-5-2) in a semifinal on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Los Amigos 3, Norwalk 3 (LA advances 5-4 on PKs): Erubey Bermudez had two goals and an assist on Wednesday in a Division 5 quarterfinal that could not be decided in regulation or extra time.
Jose Vargas also had a goal and an assist for top-seeded Los Amigos (11-5-3), which will travel to take on Compton Dominguez (14-2-2) in the semifinals on Saturday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nottingham Forest 3-1 Brentford - the fans' verdict
We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Nottingham Forest and Brentford. Here are some of your comments: Nottingham Forest fans Peter: Some of our play in the first half was the most fluid I've seen since we've been in this league. Brentford had no idea what was happening. Better late than never. Our new signings and those we've been linked to should address the issues that ultimately undid our bid for the top five last season. Mark: Forest played some magnificent football in the first half. Every player we had on the pitch looked class. Gibbs-White and Anderson in particular were superb. The passes for goals two and three were top drawer. And there is more to come! I expect a higher finish in the league than last season. Simon: Looks like Forest have the players to be more tactically flexible this season. Towards the end of last season teams were learning how to play them (and Forest players were getting tired). It now looks like they have more than one way to play and recruitment has been excellent. Brentford fans Will: A bit shocked that we let three in. Honestly, we looked half asleep in the first period. We were better in the second - it helped having Schade and then Henderson in. Should start them, and with Damsgaard back we will get needed creativity. Very much need more in the final third. Didn't see a visible strategy to deal with Forest's potent attack. Hope Andrews can learn and adjust as we move on. I hate to say it, but he looked kind of dazed. Sam: A sloppy performance in which we were a shadow of our past selves. Defence and midfield was nowhere to be seen at times so when we lost the ball, Forest carved us open. Some positives - like Schade coming on and seeing Rico Henry back - but, overall, not pleased at all. Richard: There were some positives but not many. We were outplayed by an in-form team. We have a lot of new players who in time will learn from this and improve. We go on to the next game with more information on where we need to improve. Come on, you Bees!
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Laguna Beach installs $1.165-million athletic turf at Guyer Field
The Laguna Beach Unified School District has completed a $1.165-million athletic facility renovation, installing a new turf track and field at Laguna Beach High just in time for the fall sports season. Guyer Field, as the high school's stadium is called, has long held a spot among the top places to take in a sporting event at the prep level, the venue's elevated stands possessing an unparalleled view of the Pacific Ocean from atop its perch off Park Avenue. In addition to the action on the field and the sweeping ocean view beyond, spectators will be able to enjoy the silhouette of a wave spanning the 100 yards between the end zones. The center logo features the initials 'LB' in red and outlined in gray. 'Laguna' is inscribed in the east end zone, with 'Beach' appearing in the opposite end zone. 'As one of the few shared-use playing fields in the city, this stadium is an important resource for school and community athletics,' Ryan Zajda, the district's director of facilities and sustainability, said in a statement. 'Because it hosts activity nearly every day of the year, we worked to schedule the replacement in a way that minimized disruption. 'We appreciate the patience and flexibility of our regular community users throughout the process, and we're excited for everyone to enjoy the improved playing surface for years to come.' The new playing surface replaces a 10-year-old turf field and track at a cost of approximately $760,000 to lay down new turf and $405,000 for the track surface overlay. District officials noted the environmentally responsible features of the turf, chiefly the use of Geofill, a natural infill consisting of 80% coconut husks and 20% sand. The petroleum-free material cools during hot weather, and it reduces the need for maintenance when compared to natural grass. A district spokesperson also said the field is free of fluorinated chemicals (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that are commonly referred to as PFAs. The Shaw Sports Turf field was installed over a period of four weeks, and the track was resurfaced by Beynon. Laguna Beach classes resume on Thursday, Aug. 21, with the Breakers hosting Santa Monica on Friday, Aug. 29 for the first football game on the new field. 'We are excited to share this state-of-the-art facility with the greater community and will hold a brief ceremony at the 50-yard line to mark the occasion,' said Laguna Beach Principal Jason Allemann, referring to the home opener. 'We are grateful to our community and the board of education for their support in making this project possible.' The football team, which had been practicing on the baseball field, got onto the new turf at Guyer Field for the first time this week. 'For us, we always had that reputation of having a slick field before — and it was a slick field — because we have that issue where we really need to take care of the environment and make sure we don't get a bunch of runoff into the ocean with bad stuff,' Laguna Beach football coach John Shanahan said. 'This new field is much tackier and stickier, and I think our opponents are going to like it a lot better, which is good. I'm glad. It's a great-looking field and a great playing field.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Misiorowski's return highlights bevy of roster moves
The Brewers have made several roster moves ahead of tonight's game with the Cincinnati Reds: The most notable item is the return of Jacob Misiorowski. For those who read the tea leaves, this wasn't a major surprise: it was known that he'd pitch somewhere today, and when reports surfaced that he traveled to Cincinnati with the team and they still hadn't named a starter, it looked increasingly likely that Miz would be the guy. According to Adam McCalvy, tonight's start will be a short one (and DL Hall looks like the likely piggybacker). To make room for Misiorowski, it's Grant Anderson who has been optioned to Triple-A Nashville—not Tobias Myers, who would've been the guess of some. The rest of the moves revolve around two temporary absences: Isaac Collins, who has been placed on the paternity list (congrats, Isaac) and Blake Perkins, who was been placed on the bereavement list (condolences, Blake). In their place the Brewers brought up Tyler Black and newcomer Steward Berroa from Triple-A Nashville. Black and Berroa are the only two players who were on Nashville's roster who both can play the outfield and were already on the 40-man roster (so no move is necessary there), so it makes sense that the two of them would get the call. Expect to see a lot of Brandon Lockridge this weekend, too, and probably some Christian Yelich in left field.
