COSTA MESA, Calif. - The Vanguard University Men's Soccer team (3-2, 1-2) lost a closely contested game that featured nine yellow cards and one red card to Hope International University (2-2, 1-2). The Royals were able to get on the board in the 17th minute and held fast the rest of the way to earn a 1-0 victory.
What Happened? It appeared that the Lions were well on their way to the first goal of the contest in the 11th minute as Marc Trejo found Andrew Robles who had a ton of daylight to work with. Unfortunately, Robles was a hair offside and the play was called back. Six minutes later, John Mejia stepped up to take a set-piece after a foul was called outside of the box. His ball would find Baidy Ba as he rose above the pack and directed the ball into the back of the net to give the Royals a 1-0 lead.
The Lions were fortunate not to go down two goals as HIU's Arturo Gutierrez shot bent just wide and slammed off the post and away from danger in the 35th minute. The Royals would go into the break with a 7-5 advantage in shots, while the Lions held a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks. The best chance for the Lions came in the 73rd minute as Stewart Alvayero leaped for a cross and directed the ball towards the net. The ball struck the post much to the dismay of Alvayero and his teammates. Tempers flared and seven yellow cards and one red card were issued in the final 45 minutes as the Royals came away with the win.
Why It's Important? The Lions will look to keep pace in a very competitive GSAC West Conference as they currently sit 1.5 games back of first place. Vanguard's all-time record falls to 25-6 against Hope International.
What They Said: "We played very well when we stuck to our game plan and what will make us successful," said Head Coach Randy Dodge. "I am tired of the fact that we get drawn into chippy battles when we are better than that. We played great when we went down a player and created some chances but unfortunately, it was not our day."
What's Next: Thursday, March 18th against the 12th-ranked Westmont College Warriors at 4:00 p.m.
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