St. Margaret's boys soccer program battled for a crucial league win Tuesday, downing Laguna Beach 3-1 on Tartan Field. With the win, the Tartans sit at 2-1-2 in league competition.

The Tartans knew they had a hill to climb, facing 2025 CIF Champions Laguna Beach in a league tilt on the home pitch. St. Margaret's entered the match fired up after dropping points to Irvine before the holiday break, so starting the match on the right foot and generating early chances was critical to the Tartans' success.

Angel Cruz-Sanchez opened the scoring for St. Margaret's, burying a right-footed strike into the side of the net to give the Tartans an early 1-0 lead. The Breakers clawed one back, finding the net before halftime and knotting it 1-1 at the break.

The second half saw a more fluid back-and-forth between the two teams, but the Tartans appeared to have the edge. St. Margaret's dominated the free balls and stifled Laguna's offensive magic. Cruz-Sanchez came through with two more scores, including a header that finessed the Breakers' goalkeeper to notch his first three-goal game of the season.

"The positive takeaway tonight was that our boys were ready. We were prepared, had a clear game plan, and executed it well," said head coach Pete Carey. "We came out strong and dominated from the opening whistle, creating several chances within the first 10 minutes. We did a great job maintaining pressure and control for most of the first half, keeping Laguna on their heels and limiting them to very few opportunities."

The Tartans will next take on Northwood High in a Friday night league home game that figures to be an exciting contest.