ROCKLIN, Calif. – Vanguard men's soccer scored three times in the first half and added a second half insurance goal to polish off a commanding 4-0 victory over William Jessup on Saturday at Warrior Field.
The Lions converted their first two shots into goals through their top two scorers in Andrew Robles (SR/Tustin, CA) and Stewart Alvayero (JR/Los Angeles, CA). Nathaniel Gomez (SO/Dominguez, CA) and Lucah Flores (FR) also notched goals as the Lions won via shutout for the third game in a row.
Vanguard also extended its winning streak to five straight and maintained sole possession of first place in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Lions have 15 points at 5-1 in GSAC play and are now 10-3-1 overall. William Jessup fell to 1-11 on the season and 0-5 in conference action.
What Happened?: For the second consecutive contest, Vanguard put its opponent on the defensive with a goal in the second minute.
After a Warrior foul just outside the middle of the 18, Andrew Robles took the ensuing free kick and lifted his shot over the wall and into the upper left corner for the 1-0 lead at 1:52. Robles scored for second time in last three games, and the fourth time this season.
The Lions increased their advantage to 2-0 in the ninth minute when Alvayero latched onto a cross, took one touch, and caromed his shot off the left post for his team-best ninth goal of the season. Alvayero scored a goal for the third straight game and fourth in the last five games.
VU nearly struck again in the 20th minute when a dangerous pass from Alyavero connected with Austin Tubbs (JR/Long Beach, CA), but his shot from point blank range ricocheted off the right post.
The Warriors outshot the Lions 10-9 in the first half, but Vanguard converted its opportunities, and did so again in the 25th minute.
Lucah Flores stripped the ball from a Warrior player. Charging forward, Flores flicked a short pass to his left near the top of the 18. Nathaniel Gomez settled the ball and sent a low drive that squirted past a diving keeper into the bottom left corner for the 3-0 lead.
Jimmy Choi, who played the first 45 minutes before handing goalie duties to Jackson Swindle (JR/Brea, CA) in the second half, made two saves. He thwarted a William Jessup opportunity with a slide and deflection of a Diego Nunez shot in the 32nd minute.
With the 3-0 lead at the break, Vanguard looked for insurance as Alvayero's free kick in the 47th minute went high.
Tubbs got loose in the box and his header went off the hand of a leaping Warrior goalkeeper and over the crossbar in the 52nd minute.
The Lions kept pressuring and found their insurance goal at the 62:54 mark as they were awarded a penalty kick following a foul in the box on Flores.
Flores calmly stepped to the spot and went right as the goalie dove left.
Now up 4-0, Vanguard refused to let up. Andrew Sanchez (FR/Broomfield, CO) forced the Jessup keeper into a diving save off of a free kick in the final minute.
Vanguard finished the match with a 21-18 edge in shots. Both teams had five corner kicks apiece. Fourteen different Lions took at least one shot with Alvayero leading the way with five. The 21 shots tied a season-high initially set on Sept. 14 against Saint Katherine.
Why Is It Important?: Vanguard controls its own destiny to win the GSAC regular season title and earn the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. The Lions assure themselves of hosting duties with wins in their final two contests. Randy Dodge also picked up his 399th career win as the head coach for the Vanguard men's (2002-present) and women's (2006-18) programs. Vanguard also reached the 10-win mark for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. However, the Lions only played a total of eight games in 2020 as the season was shortened due to COVID-19.
What Was Said?: "Finishing off a long road trip the way we did was really good. We are starting to hit our stride as a team," said Dodge. "I can't wait until we get all our players back. The great thing is when one guy goes down another guy steps up and does a great job. Proud of the guys for getting 10 wins! Now we come home for two games and it's exciting for senior day!"
What's Next: Dodge goes for the milestone 400th career win on Senior Day. The Lions host San Diego Christian on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 1:30 p.m.
