COSTA MESA, Calif. – Vanguard University (3-3,1-3), who is currently ranked 19th in the nation, hosting GSAC rival Westmont College. The sixth ranked Warriors (3-2,3-0) scored first via penalty pick and held on for a 2-1 victory.
What Happened? Just 28 seconds into the game, a foul was called on the Blue and Gold for a tackle in the box, leading to Westmont being awarded a penalty kick. Teagan Matye found the back of the net to give the Warriors a lead that they would not relinquish. The score remained the same through the end of the first period with WC lead 11-2 in shots, but the Lions had a 3-0 edge in corner kicks. In the second period, at the 51:50 mark, Matye sank her second goal of the game which would prove to be the game winner. Nearly seven minutes later, Kelsey Bryant (JR/Apple Valley, CA) scored for the Blue and Gold to narrow the gap to a one goal difference. Marielisa Hallam (JR/Corona, CA) took the corner kick and after it bounced around in the box, Bryant placed her shot under the cross bar. On a swift counterattack, Westmont was heading towards the goal one on one with the keeper when Faith Hunt (FR/Yorba Linda, CA) hustled back and poked the ball away to keep it within one score. Then, Haley Magana (SR/Los Alamitos, CA) made a fantastic save with just over five minutes to go which kept hope alive for the Pride, however they could not find the equalizer before time expired.
Why It's Important? With three straight conference games at home in the books, the Lions will play the rest of the season away from home territory. Their run of four straight GSAC Championships has come to a close, as they were mathematically eliminated from contention with Westmont winning twice over Vanguard.
Notable Performers: Bryant took two of the teams five shots and was the only one to put it on target. Allie Griffith, Lorryn Carter (SO/Bakersfield, CA), and Hallam were the other three to record an attempt in the contest. Magana faced eight shots on goal and blocked six total – three in each half. Despite being outshot 18-5, the Pride stayed in the game by generating three times as many corner kick attempts.
What They Said: Head Coach Lauren Mascaro – "I am proud of our team for continuing to fight after falling down early once again. With some key players sidelines and putting new players in different spots, there was a learning curve today. Now, we turn our attention forward to our final regular season contests."
What's Next? Monday, March 22nd at Azusa Pacific University for an exhibition match
#ClawsUp
