Irvine Valley's men's soccer team found the right time to get hot.
And it means the Lasers will be part of the California Community College Athletic Association South Region playoffs.
Irvine Valley earned the No. 14 seed and will take on Orange Empire Conference champion and rival Fullerton, which was seeded third, in the opening round.
The match is slated for this Saturday at Fullerton at 2 p.m.
Irvine Valley finished the regular season strong, winning four straight matches to move up into the playoff discussion.
The Lasers finished tied for fifth in the Orange Empire Conference standings, but leapfrogged several teams to earn the playoff berth based on its season-long strength of schedule, eight wins and three ties and final power point ranking.
Irvine Valley ended the regular season with a record of 8-9-3 overall and was 5-6-3 in conference.
In the last four matches, Irvine Valley out-scored opponents, 20-5, including beating Santiago Canyon, 3-2, last Friday. Sophomores Mahyar Shabani and Julian Anaya and freshman Gibae Kim each scored goals for IVC.
The Lasers now take on a Fullerton squad that finished the regular season with a record of 16-2-2 overall and 11-1-2 in conference for the title. Like Irvine Valley, Fullerton has also won four matches in a row heading into the postseason.
Fullerton was ranked fourth in the state in the last CCCSIA poll of the regular season on Oct. 30.
