Boys’ soccer team scores upset

Breakers’ team effort pays off in 3-2 win over highly ranked Northwood.A year ago, the Laguna Beach High boys’ soccer team suffered a 13-0 defeat to Northwood, which went on to win the Pacific Coast League championship. On Monday, Northwood was expected to put another notch in its league win column when it played at Laguna.

This time, the Timberwolves, ranked No. 8 in the CIF-Southern Section Division II poll, were in for a rude awakening.

Unranked Laguna jumped out to an early two-goal lead, then hung on to record a 3-2 upset at Guyer Field.

“Northwood was supposed to sweep the PCL without even giving up a loss,” said Laguna coach Giovanni Vlahos. “But my boys proved that there always has to be a ‘David’ for every ‘Goliath.’”

“Last year they spanked us 13-0 when we were without players through injury and such,” Vlahos added, “and my boys remembered that coming into this year. And if they didn’t remember it, I surely reminded them each and every day since we started our season this year. Karma has a way of coming back to you.”

Displaying intensity throughout the match, Laguna took a 1-0 halftime lead on the strength of a penalty kick by senior captain Derek LeBon.

The Breakers increased their lead to 2-0 on a left-footed shot into the side netting by senior Brenden Hexberg. The assist on the play came from Behrang Ziaeian, whose unselfish play, Vlahos said, saw the senior pass up a shot to set up Hexberg.

Northwood cut the lead to 2-1, following a Laguna error during a corner kick.

“But what made me proud was that my boys had a sort of mischievous grins on their faces after that goal,” Vlahos said. “They didn’t point fingers at each other -- nothing. That grin was a way of saying, ‘We’ll give you that one, but we still have something to give you guys.’”

The Breakers extended their advantage to 3-1 on another conversion of a penalty kick by LeBon. In the final 10 minutes, Northwood scored again on a corner kick to pull to within a goal, but the Timberwolves could get no closer.

Junior goalie Erik Haugh came up with nine saves in the match, two of which Vlahos described as “brilliant.”

“Those two could have easily have gone in if not for him. The whole complexity of the match would have changed,” Vlahos said. “Also, every player on this squad did their job.”

Vlahos told his team that knocking off highly ranked Northwood would be “for nothing” if it let Wednesday’s match against league foe Calvary Chapel slip away. The Breakers responded by overcoming a sloppy performance to pull away from a scoreless halftime to post a 2-0 victory.

Laguna took control by scoring twice within the span of one minute in the second half. The first goal was scored when senior Michael Reyes sent a perfect pass to Ziaeian, who scored his first goal of the season. The Breakers’ familiar combination of Hexberg and LeBon resulted in Hexberg hitting LeBon in stride to set up the second goal.

The win puts the Breakers at 3-0 in league and 8-2-1 overall heading into today’s match at University.

In girls’ soccer:

Laguna played top-ranked Northwood (Division II) on even terms during Monday’s league match, but the host Timberwolves scored in the 60th minute to escape with a 1-0 victory.

Despite being pressured throughout the first half, Laguna managed four shots on goal, but the teams ended the half scoreless.

On Wednesday, at Orange Coast College, sophomore forward Courtney Capobianco scored the lone goal of the match in the 70th minute to lift Laguna (2-1 in league) past visiting Calvary Chapel, 1-0. A breakaway from midfield led to a three-way collision at the 18-yard line between Capobianco, a Calvary Chapel sweeper and the Eagle’s goalie. Capobianco came up with the loose ball and completed the scoring play with a strong 15-yard shot into the corner of the goal. DON LEACH / COASTLINE PILOT20060113isy8lhnc(LA)Laguna’s Michael Reyes keeps his eyes on the ball and wards off would be Northwood defender near the goal in first half.