COSTA MESA – Stewart Alvayero (JR/Los Angeles, CA) netted a goal for the fifth straight match and Vanguard's stingy defense held strong in a 2-0 victory against Hope International on the home pitch Thursday afternoon.
The Lions won their seventh consecutive match, including their fifth straight via shutout, and claimed the outright regular season Golden State Athletic Conference title. VU moved to 12-3-1 overall and finished conference play at 7-1 with 21 points. It is Vanguard's third GSAC regular season title in the last five seasons and the fifth under head coach Randy Dodge since he took over the reins of the program in 2002.
Nathaniel Gomez (SO/Dominguez, CA) also notched his second goal of the year as Vanguard has scored multiple goals six times during its current win streak. Over the last five matches, the Lions have outscored their opponents 12-0.
What Happened?: Andrew Robles (SR/Tustin, CA) tried to give Vanguard a lead in the 12th minute as his dangerous free kick was destined for the net until a Royal defender headed it over the crossbar.
The Lions would wait until the 27th minute to strike. Alvayero and Markus Garcia (SO/Corona, CA) played a game of give-and-go. After collecting the ball from Oscar Salas (SR/Santa Ana, CA), Alvayero threaded a pass out to the right flank for Garcia. Garcia hustled past his defender and latched onto the pass, then hit a bouncing cross that bounded across the box until Alvayero tucked a hard line drive into the left side of the net.
In giving VU the 1-0 lead, Alvayero scored his 11th goal, which is tied for 12th on the school's single-season list.
Alvayero nearly secured the brace when his drive sailed over the crossbar in the 46th minute.
Vanguard got an important insurance goal in the 62nd minute thanks to a clever move from Marc Trejo (SR/Santa Ana, CA). Near the right corner, Trejo juked his defender and freed himself for a run along the touchline. He deftly slotted a pass back to Gomez, who rolled his shot to the lower left corner for the 2-0 Lion advantage.
Hope International became more assertive on offense facing the two-goal deficit, but Lion goalkeeper James Choi (SR/Irvine, CA) was up to the task.
Choi made several impressive saves during the match. In the 25th minute, Choi deflected an Angel Flores shot out of harm's way with his right knee.
On a corner kick from HIU's Sean Palena in the 64th minute, Juan Vargas headed a ball toward goal that Choi parried away for another save. On the previous play, Choi got an assist from Robles, who used his closing speed to come out of nowhere and slide into a point blank shot by Angel Flores, deflecting the ball out of bounds.
Later in the half, Choi leaped to paw away a Miguel Flores offering that was postmarked for the top shelf.
Choi finished with a season-high tying five saves while lowering his goals against average to 0.43. He also recorded his sixth shutout in 2021.
Frustration began to set in for the Royals from there. At the 84:03 mark, Angel Flores was issued a red card as the Royals played the rest of the match with 10 men.
Why Is It Important?: The Lions continue to be one of the nation's best defensive clubs. They've allowed just six goals all season – tied with Central Methodist for the second-fewest in the country. Central Methodist has been ranked No. 1 in the NAIA poll for five consecutive weeks.
What Was Said?: "What a signature win today! Playing against a very good Hope team and to get our fifth straight shutout is incredible," said Dodge. "Our back line of Andrew Robles, Harold Aguirre (JR/Long Beach, CA), JoJo (Hernandez), Oscar Salas and Christopher Sanchez (FR/Santa Ana, CA) has done a solid job in front of great goalkeeping by Jimmy (Choi) and Jackson (Swindle). These guys have really bought into each other and the program and it shows on the field! So proud to be a part of their journey!"
What's Next?: Vanguard has 13 days off to prepare for its first match in the GSAC Tournament. The Lions are the tournament's No. 1 seed and the host of the semifinal and championship rounds. VU will play on Thursday, Nov. 11 at 1:30 p.m. against an opponent yet to be determined. First round games featuring the No. 3 vs. No. 6 and No. 4 vs. No. 5 seeds will be played at campus sites on Saturday, Nov. 6.
