ATHERTON, Calif. – Vanguard scored three first-half goals to silence Hope International, 3-1, in a Golden State Athletic Conference men's soccer semifinal matchup on Thursday morning at Wunderlich Field on the campus of Menlo.

In a physical match featuring 42 fouls, 12 yellow cards and one red card, the third-seeded Lions got goals from Robert Ronco (FR/San Diego, CA) and Stewart Alvayero (SR/Los Angeles, CA) in addition to an HIU own goal. The Lions improved to 10-3-3 and reached double-digit wins for the second straight year and eighth time in the last nine seasons. The No. 2 seed Royals fell to 11-3-4 and lost to the Lions for the second time this season.

Vanguard's Edwin Monterrosa (FR/Los Angeles, CA) and Hope International's Oscar Sierra each made six saves in goal.

The Lions were outshot 20-12 for the game, including 14-3 in the second half, due in large part to playing defensively to protect their three goal lead. HIU played a man down for the final 29 minutes when the referee issued Diego Lopez his second yellow card.

What Happened?: The Lions took a 1-0 lead just 44 seconds into the match. Pressing the Royals into a turnover, Nathaniel Gomez (JR/Dominguez, CA) intercepted the ball and immediately found Markus Garcia (JR/Corona, CA), who dumped off a pass to Robert Ronco in the middle of the field. Ronco settled the ball and hit a hard strike for his team-leading seventh goal.

An inadvertent miscue by HIU's Cayden Carlson led to Vanguard's second goal. Carlson was called for a hand ball, leaving Andrew Robles (SR/Tustin, CA) with a free kick about 35 yards out on the left flank. The defender struck a bending ball into the box that deflected off the head of HIU's Jesus Vargas and past Sierra inside the near post. Sierra had no chance to react as VU went up 2-0 in the 33rd minute.

Aidan Doherty (SO/Huntington Beach, CA) nearly tallied VU's third goal as his shot landed just outside the right post in the 41st minute.

The Lions dug HIU an even bigger hole at the 43:45 mark, capitalizing on another error to extend the lead to 3-0. HIU's Dario Robles tripped Alvayero about 25 yards away from goal and in the center of the field. Alvayero blasted his free kick to the lower right, skipping off Sierra's hands and into the net.

Alvayero collected his fifth goal of the season – and the 22nd of his career. The forward's 22 goals tie him for eighth all-time in VU history.

"I had the confidence and felt right," said Alvayero. "I looked at the keeper's positioning. Tall keeper, so the floor is always better. Luckily, God helped me out on this one. I'm just grateful because I've been in a drought, but my teammates have been very supportive.

"We played together and kept our heads in the game."

The Lions outshot the Royals 12-5 in the first half to build the large cushion.

Monterrosa made a great save in the 54th minute as HIU desperately tried to make up ground. He deflected a Dario Robles free kick over the crossbar that otherwise was destined for the top half of the goal.

Moments later, Vargas hit a header off the right post.

Vargas was denied again in the 81st minute, as Monterrosa parried his shot away from up close, while the rebound attempt from Vargas went wide.

The Royals avoided the shutout with a goal coming with less than four minutes remaining. VU committed a foul in its own box for an HIU penalty kick. Joao Vitor stepped to the spot and scored to the upper left to cut VU's lead to 3-1.

VU did not allow a shot the remainder of the game to extend its winning streak to four straight.

Why Is It Important?: The Lions reached the GSAC Tournament final for the second straight year, and earned the opportunity to win back-to-back tourney titles for the first time in school history.

What Was Said?: "We came out firing on all cylinders from the opening whistle," said Head Coach Jesus Miramontes. "We are unified as a unit on both sides of the ball. We defended very well and this team is peaking at the right time. Proud of this squad."

What's Next?: Vanguard takes on No. 4 seed OUAZ in Saturday's final at 1:00 p.m. in Atherton. The Spirit toppled top-seeded Arizona Christian, 1-0, in Thursday's second semifinal.