COSTA MESA – On a lovely Thursday in Costa Mesa, Vanguard men's soccer tussled with William Jessup in Golden State Athletic Conference play.  The Warriors and the Lions played a very close game, with both sides matching chances in the first half.  But Vanguard had a much better second half and as the game wound down, the Lions got a corner kick.  Robert Ronco (FR/San Diego, CA) got to play the hero, as he put a header in off a number of deflections to give the Lions a 1-0 victory.  VU improves to 4-1-2 overall and 2-0 in GSAC play, while the Warriors drop to 4-4-2 and 1-2 in conference play.

What Happened?

The Warriors had a flurry of offensive activity to start the match, with a corner kick five minutes in and two shots over the next six minutes.  But neither shot really challenged Edwin Monterrosa (FR/Los Angeles, CA), who made the saves.  Another blast by WJU in the 13th minute sailed wide and after that, the Blue and Gold got going on the attack.  Both Stewart Alvayero (SR/Los Angeles, CA) and Austin Tubbs (SR/Long Beach, CA) had shots blocked, as Vanguard started to take impress its will on the game.  A couple of corner kicks were whipped in but only one shot could be generated off the opportunities, with Gerardo Perez Plata making an easy save. 

Each side had a good 10 to 15 minutes of positive play but the final 15 minutes of the half were marked by less-flowing play and more chances coming off of free kicks.  Despite the set pieces, no one could get a high-quality shot away, taking the teams to a 0-0 score line at halftime.

Vanguard held a 6-5 edge in shots at the break.

The Lions were charged up from the discussion during the intermission, as the team took ownership of the match right from the opening kick.  Alvayero got a decent look at goal and put his right foot through the ball, but it bounced wide of the goal.  He then had two more shots blocked in quick succession, as the crafty forward kept finding lanes to shoot from.  Ronco, who made his debut to start the second half, forced Plata to make a save in the 55th minute, as the WJU goalie directed Ronco's shot from the post.  The Warriors were prepared to use the counterattack as their main weapon and the team almost made it count in the 58th minute.  A quick break gave an open look for Luis Castillo, whose shot went past the high-diving Monterrosa, but dinged off the crossbar to the relief of the VU faithful.  Vanguard buckled down after that and made a good sequence of passes to give Tubbs a chance, but his shot just went past the post.  A foul by WJU gave VU a free kick a few minutes later and this time it would be Lucah Flores (SO/Frisco, TX) who kissed the post, as his effort from the side of the box hit almost everything, but did not go in.

The Warriors were feisty on defense and got some good goal-tending, as Plata made a superb diving save to deny Markus Garcia (JR/Corona, CA) in the 73rd minute.  The Lions kept applying pressure but Plata and the rest of the squad seemed to have the required answers. 

But fortunes changed as the sun sank lower on the horizon.  The Blue and Gold got a corner kick in the 85th minute and Alvayero launched in a deep cross.  Andrew Robles (SR/Tustin, CA) arrived at the back post and headed the ball back across the face of the goal.  Ronco charged in and headed it down but it hit off of Plata, so he followed his shot and used a little toe poke to push the ball into the net, with Ronco running to the bench to celebrate with the team.  Alvayero had two more shots over the next few minutes but WJU made the stops and got the ball quickly up the field.  However, nothing came at Monterrosa and Vanguard completed the 1-0 victory.

The Lions outshot the Warriors 20-7 for the game and 7-3 in shots on goal.  VU also had a 10-5 edge in corner kicks.  Monterrosa made three saves as part of the shutout.  Alvayero had six shots, one on goal, and picked up an assist on the goal.    Garcia had four shots and two on target.  Tubbs had three shots.  Robles got an assist on the goal and the entire backline, despite a couple of miscues, played well all game, denying the Warriors despite the pressure early in the game.

Why is it Important?

Vanguard is now 10-0-1 against WJU all-time.  The Lions also got their second shutout in a row over William Jessup.  VU is second in the standings, one point behind Arizona Christian.

What was Said?

"I am honestly over the moon, and I did not expect it to start this way so early in the season", said Ronco on having three goals on the year.  He then added, "We are working really hard on and off the field with our set pieces and how we approach different opponents with formations, and our set pieces finally paid off today."

Said Head Coach Jesus Miramontes, "Our guys worked hard from the opening whistle.  Things weren't going our way at times, but we continued to work and we were rewarded in the end.  I'm very pleased with the shift they put in."

What's Next?  The Lions will welcome Menlo to campus on Saturday, October 8, for a 1:30 p.m. match.