COSTA MESA, Calif. - The second campaign of Vanguard STUNT is quickly gaining steam as the Lions (8-4) went a perfect 4-0 in the weekend tournament hosted in The Pit. Vanguard went 0-2 at home last season, but this year's team has a different level they can achieve on the mat. After beating Arizona State University three times, all eyes were on the showdown between VU and CUI for supremacy in the region. 

Vanguard 17, Arizona State 2

The Blue and Gold took on the Sun Devils for the third time in less than 24 hours, earning their third straight win by a combined score of 54-5 against the newly minted program from the Valley of the Sun. Vanguard took a 4-1 edge after the first quarter, and maintained a 7-1 advantage heading into the intermission. In the third frame, the Lions were awarded all four points and ended the game with a 15 point margin.

Vanguard 14, Concordia 13 (3OT)

Due to the close proximity between the two campuses, a distinct rivalry has surfaced between the Lions and Eagles in only the second year of Vanguard STUNT. After initially losing their first four matches against CUI, the Lions fired back with a 14-13 overtime victory in Riverside early this season. Today's matchup in The Pit was every bit as dramatic, going down as the number one contests in the program's brief existence.

The Blue and Gold started the game off with a 3-2 edge, but all the momentum switched in the second period as Concordia stormed back to take a 6-4 lead into the halftime break. Both teams brought their A-game today, knowing they would need to nail the higher level routines to become victorious. The third quarter was a back and forth affair with the Eagles clinging to a 7-6 advantage entering the final quarter. 

Vanguard got just the right amount of points in the fourth period, forcing an overtime period with the scoreboard reading 11-11. But, the initially OT period couldn't decide a winner. Neither could the second overtime for that matter. Then, after a length deliberation by the judges and the scoreboard reading 13-13, the referee signaled towards the Vanguard bench which leaped in celebration. 

Next Match: Friday, April 5th against UC Berkeley at 5:00 p.m. and Sonoma State at 7:00 p.m.

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