COSTA MESA, CA – Stewart Alvayero (JR/Los Angeles, CA) notched his 10th goal of the season, Lucah Flores (FR) added an insurance tally and head coach Randy Dodge earned his 400th career win at Vanguard as the 20th-ranked Lions shutout visiting San Diego Christian on Senior Day Saturday afternoon.
Dodge, in his 20th season as the men's head coach, also spearheaded the women's program from 2006-18. He is 400-178-48 overall between the two programs, with 225 of those victories coming with the men.
The Lions improved to 11-3-1 overall and 6-1 in the GSAC while recording their fourth consecutive shutout victory and sixth straight win overall. With 18 points in conference action, Vanguard is assured of no worse than a regular season co-championship with one game left to play. Menlo is the only other team that can reach the 18-point threshold. However, by virtue of Vanguard's 1-0 win at Menlo on Oct. 14, the Lions have wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the upcoming GSAC Tournament based on the head-to-head tiebreaker. Both semifinal contests and the championship match will be played at Vanguard. VU's semifinal opponent is yet to be determined.
What Happened?: The Lions looked to put their opponent in an early hole as Harold Aguirre (JR/Long Beach, CA)'s offering from close range was blocked by a San Diego Christian defender. Jackson Swindle (JR/Brea, CA), who earned the start in goal for Vanguard, pushed a shot aside from Antonio Collado in the 24th minute.
San Diego Christian found its most dangerous chance in the 32nd minute when Gabriel Willadsen struck a shot off the left post. Swindle charged off his line to clear a pass out of danger, but the ball rolled to Willadsen and his attempt flew past Swindle as he tried to get back into position.
The game was scoreless at halftime as both teams attempted four shots.
The Lions didn't wait long to tally their first goal when the second half began. Vanguard drew a foul deep in its own territory. Andrew Robles (SR/Tustin, CA) sent a long ball upfield. Austin Tubbs (JR/Long Beach, CA) outraced a charging Hawk goalie Carter Orchulli to the ball and headed it toward the net. Before the ball could be cleared off the goal line, Alvayero swept in and knocked it through for the 1-0 lead at the 47:18 mark.
It was Alvayero's 10th goal of the year and his third game-winner in the last four contests. The forward has scored in four straight games and five of the last six. He is just the eighth player in school history to score at least 10 goals in a season, and the first since Sebastian Cortez in 2018.
Vanguard extended the lead to 2-0 a little over nine minutes later. Zach Miramontes started the sequence getting the ball out wide to Alvayero. After taking a couple of dribbles, Alvayero delivered a beautiful cross to the back post, where Lucah Flores headed it down and across the goal line.
Flores recorded his second goal of the season, while Alvayero logged his first assist.
The Lions dominated the second half, clamping down on the Hawks and outshooting them 13-2 to finish with a 17-6 advantage in the shots department. VU also had seven corner kicks to SDCC's four.
Orchulli made seven saves for the Hawks. James Choi (SR/Irvine, CA) got the win in goal for the Lions after subbing in for Swindle to start the second half. Choi extended his streak of consecutive minutes without allowing a goal to 335.
Why Is It Important?: VU can focus on clinching the GSAC title outright with a tie or win in its next game, or a Menlo tie or loss to Westmont next Thursday. The Lions also won on Senior Day as they celebrated the careers of Oscar Salas, Marc Trejo, Robles, Harold Aguirre and Hugo Lozano.
What Was Said?: "We played against a very good team in SDCC and we knew it was going to be a difficult game," said Dodge. "We found a way to score a couple of really good goals and at the end of the day, we won a conference championship. And to do that at home is a big big deal.
"I've been here 19 years. Besides the fact that I was a student-athlete here, it took 19 years to get 400 wins. I'm super proud of my men as well as the women that I coached for 13 years. Kudos to Chuy (Jesus Miramontes) who has been with me a majority of those wins and all the assistant coaches who have enabled me to be me. At the end of the day, it's about these players and I will give up all of my wins for my boys to win a GSAC championship this year."
What's Next: Vanguard hosts No. 25 Hope International in the regular season finale on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 3:30 p.m. Looking forward to the GSAC Tournament, the Lions will receive a bye in the quarterfinals – which will be played on Saturday, Nov. 6 at campus sites – and will have 13 days to prepare for their semifinal opponent on Nov. 11. VU will face either the No. 4, No. 5 or No. 6 seed.
