Costa Mesa – Stewart Alvayero (JR/Los Angeles, CA) scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season and Andrew Robles (SR/Tustin, CA) recorded his third career brace as Vanguard men's soccer romped to a 3-0 shutout of previously unbeaten Arizona Christian in Golden State Athletic Conference action on Saturday.
The Lions picked up their third straight victory to move to 7-3-1 on the year while the Firestorm dropped to 9-1-1 overall. Vanguard also forged a tie for first place with Arizona Christian in the GSAC as both teams are now 3-1.
VU outscored the two Arizona schools 5-1 this week, defeating No. 19 OUAZ (2-1) on Thursday before its fourth win by shutout against ACU, which is receiving votes in the latest NAIA poll.
What Happened?: Alvayero and Robles entered the game having combined for 30 career goals, and the two accounted for all three tallies against the Firestorm. Alvayero got the scoring started in the eighth minute. Oscar Salas (SR/Santa Ana, CA) outdueled an ACU defender for the ball and dropped it off for Alvayero. The forward took a couple of touches to his left, wound up and unleashed a bomb to the upper left corner for a 1-0 VU lead.
The Lions earned a corner kick to set up their second goal. Mario Gonzalez (JR/Anaheim, CA) linked up with Robles, lofting a high ball to the far post. Robles headed the pass downward, and the ball trickled across the line to give the Lions a 2-0 lead at 39:44. Robles notched his second goal of the season while Gonzalez posted his second assist.
Vanguard outshot Arizona Christian 7-3 in the first half and held a 2-1 edge in corner kicks.
Control of possession was in VU's favor throughout the game – and just as the Lions did in Thursday's triumph over No. 18 OUAZ – their depth wore down the Firestorm in the second half. And that eventually led to the final dagger.
Arizona Christian attempted to clear out a ball deep in its end, but Harold Aguirre (JR/Long Beach, CA) responded with a long service from beyond midfield into the box. Kade Mikkelsen (SO/Fullerton, CA) and ACU goalie Andres Arce collided going for the ball. As Arce corralled the ball, his elbow came down on Mikkelsen's head, resulting in a foul and a penalty kick. Robles stepped up to the spot, and his attempt found the lower right corner of the net as Arce guessed incorrectly and dove the opposite direction.
The successful PK represented the 20th career goal for Robles, who moved into a tie for ninth on the Vanguard all-time list with Armando Ortiz (2001-04).
ACU was whistled for four yellow cards, while VU had two. The Lions finished the match with a 15-7 advantage in shots. The Firestorm had 18 fouls to VU's 14.
Goalkeeper Jimmy Choi notched his fourth clean sheet after making a pair of saves.
Why Is It Important?: In getting to 3-1 in GSAC play, all three wins have come against teams (Westmont, OUAZ, Arizona Christian) in the upper echelon of the conference. The Lions have put themselves in excellent position to earn a potential bid into the six-team field of the GSAC Tournament, which begins on Nov. 6.
What Was Said?: "It's big. We talked about today being a moving day. You can move up in the standings or move down. Again, we had over 20 guys be a part of this. If it wasn't for our depth, we would not have had a chance," said head coach Randy Dodge. "Stewie scored a great goal. He's been on fire the whole year and his goal was world class. Andrew scored on a no-angle corner kick and then obviously gets the PK. Those things were all a byproduct of having the ball the whole time. You're talking about a team (Arizona Christian) that has been undefeated. Super pleased with the boys that we were able to take care of the Arizona schools."
What's Next: The Lions hit the road for a pair of games in northern California next week. Vanguard takes on Menlo on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. and then faces William Jessup on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
