Costa Mesa – Bethany Urrabazo (FR/Gilroy, CA), Payton Siurek (JR/Temecula, CA) and Kelsey Bryant (SR/Apple Valley, CA) each scored a goal to power the Vanguard women's soccer team to a 3-1 home victory over Marymount-California.
The Lions won their second straight to improve to 2-3-1 on the year, while the Mariners fell to 0-6-1.
What Happened?: Vanguard wasted no time getting into the scoring column as Bethany Urrabazo notched her first collegiate goal in the fifth minute. Urrabazo took a pass from Ayanna Suarez (SR/Indio, CA) and deposited it into the goal for the 1-0 lead. The Lions executed on a corner kick opportunity for their second score less than 12 minutes later. Allie Griffith (SR/Aliso Viejo, CA) served up a ball into the box, with the initial header by Emily Miramontes (SR/Fullerton, CA) finding Payton Siurek, who slipped the ball past the Mariner goalkeeper and into the right side of the net.
The Lions took the 2-0 lead into halftime, enjoying an 8-1 advantage in shots. Seven different Lions accounted for the eight shots in a balanced offensive attack.
In the second half, Suarez set up another opportunity for the third Lions goal. Beating her defender one-on-one deep on the Mariner side of the field, Suarez lofted a cross in front of the goal mouth. The ball bounced around before Kelsey Bryant seized her opportunity and poked it through the scrum for her third goal of the season. For Suarez, it was her first career multi-assist game.
Goalkeeper Ashley Levi (FR/Brentwood, CA) had her second consecutive shutout within grasp, but the Mariners got on the board at the 86:29 mark as Elise Padilla slotted one in to make it a 3-1 game.
Vanguard finished the match outshooting Marymount-California 16-8. The Lions also held a 6-2 edge in corner kicks. Thirteen Lions contributed in the shots column while Levi stopped three shots in goal. Luz Lopez made five saves for the Mariners.
What Was Said?: "Marymount always brings their 'A' game when they come here, but we felt confident in our game plan today and the team did a fantastic job in executing on it," said Head Coach Lauren Mascaro. "We've been so close all year so it's great to finally be getting the goals and the results we've been striving for. Huge shout out to Bethany Urrabazo on her first collegiate goal – and a beautiful one at that!"
Why It's Important?: Vanguard improved to 10-0 all-time against the Mariners, outscoring them 41-5 in the series.
What's Next: The Lions have one more non-conference match on tap, hosting Antelope Valley on Thursday, September 23 at 1:00 p.m.
