Indianapolis, Ind. -- After the tough defeat against UNOH, the Vanguard women's soccer team headed west to face #4 Marian. The Lions found themselves down at the half but the team rallied again to draw even with the Knights. The Lions put up a quality fight in the second half but the Knights snuck in two goals late in the game to win 3-1. VU will return to California with an 0-2-1 record overall.
What Happened? The first half saw Marian get the opening shot and corner kick, but Jayleen Casillas (SO/Victorville, CA) was not forced to make a save. Allie Griffith (SR/Aliso Viejo, CA) put the first Vanguard corner kick into the box for Emily Miramontes (SR/Fullerton, CA), but the header just went wide of the net. Eventually, though, the Knights started to take control, pinning VU in their own end. Griffith got another shot away in the 21st minute, but MU keeper Noelle Rolfsen made the save. A few minutes later, the Knights opened up the VU backline and Jacelyn Smith drove home the opening goal from just inside the box.
The defense did enough to keep MU at bay the rest of the first half and VU went to the locker room down 1-0. The Knights had a 7-2 shot advantage in the first 45, with Casillas making two saves, but Vanguard did have a 3-1 edge in corner kicks.
Coming out of halftime, the Blue and Gold were the hungrier team, owning possession and coming up with some good offensive opportunities. The Lions had three corner kicks around the 50th minute, with Miramontes again getting a ball towards the goal, but a Marian player slid in to block it. The Knights cleared the final corner kick attempt, but VU intercepted the outlet and Bethany Urrabazo (FR/Gilroy, CA) sent a pass to Kelsey Bryant (SR/Apple Valley, CA), who fired it in to tie the game at 1-1 in the 56th minute. Rolfsen made another stop on a good strike from Miramontes just past the 60th minute and again stopped #10 in the 66th minute off a header.
Unfortunately, Marian weathered the assault and soon started to get forward again. With 14 minutes on the clock, the Knights put in what would have been the go-ahead goal on a nice passing play, but the referee flagged it as offside. However, the relief was short-lived, as another through-ball sprung Smith, who deposited the ball into the back of the net to put MU up 2-1 in the 79th minute. With just under five minutes to go, the backline was exposed again, and the Knights added their third goal of the game from Madison Deckard.
The Lions were outshot 18-9 at the end of the match, though they held a 6-4 edge in the corner kick department. Casillas made six saves on the day. Miramontes led the team with four shots, two on goal, while both Bryant and Griffith added two each.
What they said: "Today was our toughest test yet and we were right there, in it, for the majority of the game. I'm proud of the strides we made on the trip and although our results weren't what we wanted, we feel ready for the next leg of our season," - Head Coach Lauren Mascaro
Why it's important? The all-time series is now all level at 1-1-1. VU won the first meeting in 2018 and came away with a 2-2 draw in 2019.
What's next: The Lions will fly home and regroup for another match on Monday, September 6, at 11:00 a.m. The Trojans of Trinity International will be the opponent for VU, who they last beat in 2010. The Trojans will be fresh off of playing Saturday against San Diego Christian at VU.
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