The Irvine Valley men's soccer team played one of the toughest schedules in the state, finished tied for third in one of the top conferences and reached the California Community College Athletic Association So. Cal. Regional Playoffs.
The Lasers, who finished with a record of 9-10-3 overall, were rewarded when it came to all-Orange Empire Conference selections.
Freshman forward Ivan Lopez was named co-MVP after an impressive season.
Sophomore defender and captain Garrett Hayes, sophomore midfielder and captain Victor Onofre and freshman midfielder Marco Ronchini were picked as first team all-OEC.
Irvine Valley also had freshman defender Domenyk Jara and freshman defender Steven Osuna named second team all-conference.
Lopez, a freshman forward from Godinez High ended the year with eight goals and seven assists for 23 points. He was especially good on free kicks for the Lasers.
Lopez ranked second in the conference in goals, tied for second in assists and second in points on the year.
Hayes, a leader for the Lasers, wrapped up his IVC career with another solid season.
The former El Toro High standout is in his second year, playing for the Lasers, but third at the school. The 2020 season when he was set to be a sophomore athletically, was cancelled due to COVID.
As a freshman in 2019, he was a key starter on the back line and helped Irvine Valley reach the So. Cal. Regional Playoffs.
This year, Hayes led the defense and also finished with one goal and four assists.
Onofre, from Long Beach Wilson High, was second for IVC in scoring. He finished with seven goals and one assist for 15 points. His seven goals ranked tied for fifth in the conference and his 15 points ranked him ninth in the OEC.
He had three game-winning goals on the year, including the only one and decider on Nov. 9, which helped IVC defeat Santa Ana, 1-0, and get the Lasers into the playoffs.
IVC coach Martin McGrogan called Ronchini one of the top players on the IVC squad, providing the consistency, playmaking and defending that helped the team compete with the top teams in the state.
