IRVINE, Calif. – Forward Robert Ronco (FR/San Diego, CA) scored in the 13th minute – his third straight game with a goal – to help the Vanguard men's soccer team defeat Hope International, 1-0, on Saturday at the OC Great Park.

The win was VU's second straight and fourth in the last five games, upping their record to 8-3-3 overall and 6-2-1 in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Royals fell to 11-2-4 overall and 6-1-2 in conference play.

VU is the No. 3 seed in the GSAC Tournament, which begins next Saturday. The Lions will host sixth-seeded Menlo at 11:00 a.m. on the VU Soccer Field.

The Lions outshot HIU 16-8 with nine coming from forward Stewart Alvayero (SR/Los Angeles, CA). Ronco took just one shot, but made it count as he connected with Lucah Flores (SO/Frisco, TX). It was Rocco's team-leading sixth goal of the year.

VU played a complete game as the defense clamped down and cleared out dangerous chances when they occurred, and Edwin Monterrosa (FR/Los Angeles, CA) made three saves to preserve his fifth shutout.

What Happened?: Flores got open down the right side and hit a cross into the box, finding Ronco who beat HIU goalkeeper Milton Herrera at the 12:28 mark. The play began when Markus Garcia broke free from a Royal defender and slid a pass out wide to Flores. The cross from Flores hit Ronco in stride and he half slid to volley his shot home to the near post.

The Lions held a 9-3 shots advantage at half. Herrera made two late saves on Alvayero and Jesse Gonzalez (SR/Fullerton, CA) before the teams went into intermission with VU leading 1-0.

The Royals changed goalies at the break and inserted Oscar Sierra into the game. Alvayero tested him immediately and followed with another attempt in the 57th minute, forcing Sierra into his first save.

HIU had a couple of chances to tie the score, including in the 49th minute when a header from Dario Robles was knocked away. In the 84th minute, Giovani Passarelli's attempt was cleared out by VU defender Zachary Miramontes (SO/Fullerton, CA).

VU's defense stiffened for the most part, allowing the Royals just two shots over the last 38 minutes.

Why Is It Important?: The Lions have great momentum heading into the tournament and are 3-1-1 against teams in the field.

What Was Said?: "We battled for 90 minutes against a very good team," said Head Coach Jesus Miramontes. "Our guys fought hard and ended up one point short of winning another GSAC championship. This team is hungry to repeat as tourney champs and I think we are up for the challenge."

What's Next?: VU will play in front of its fans against Menlo in the first game of a doubleheader with the women next Saturday. The men kickoff at 11:00 a.m. at VU Soccer Field.