COSTA MESA – Vanguard men's soccer reversed a loss on Thursday to put Jessup away on Saturday with a 3-1 victory.  The Lions were dangerous on set pieces all afternoon and got tallies from Stewart Alvayero and Robert Ronco to take a 2-0 lead in the first half.  Donald Kiernan's strike in the second half sealed the win, as two of the three VU goals came off corner kicks in the match.  The Lions go to 8-2-4 overall and 4-1 in Golden State Athletic Conference play, while Jessup falls to 7-5-4 overall and 2-2-1 in conference play. 
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Before the game, the Lions acknowledged the contributions of four seniors, as Joseph Hernandez, Kade Mikkelsen, Markus Garcia, and Nathaniel Gomez were given loud ovations by the crowd.  All four started the game and Gomez ended with one shot in the match.
 
What Happened?  The first half was controlled by VU, as the Lions outshot the Warriors 9-4 and Edwin Monterrosa did not have to make a save in the opening 45 minutes.  The Blue and Gold got a corner kick within two minutes and Slater Hammer's shot a few seconds later just hooked left past the post.  A second effort by Hammer off a corner kick in the 7th minute was blocked but two minutes later, the Lions opened the scoring.
 
A foul gave Vanguard a free kick that was about 28 yards away from the goal and left of the center of the field.  Alvayero sized up the situation and perfectly lashed the ball over the wall and into the right side of the net to put Vanguard ahead 1-0 on his eighth goal of the season.  The senior almost had déjà vu two minutes later, as another foul set him up in a spot not too far from where he scored his first goal.  Alvayero again cleared the wall, but the ball thudded off the crossbar and JU ended up with a goal kick.
 
The pressure mounted on Jessup, as two more corner kicks delivered good chances for VU, and the quality deliveries finally paid off in the 27th minute.  Cooper Clark dropped his corner kick cross onto the head of Ronco, who flicked it to the left side of the net to increase the lead to 2-0 on his sixth tally of the year.  The Lions continued to own a better share of the possession as the half came to a close, but Jessup did have a couple of good chances that they could not direct on the target. 
 
While the first period was mostly in favor of the Lions, the second half was almost evenly contested and the two teams produced an up-and-down half that saw 16 total shots.  Monterrosa had to make his first stop within the first minute of the half, as Jessup put together a chain of passes that looked right out of practice that led to a good shot.  The visitors would rack up 11 of the shots in the half and they showed speed in their buildup that put the VU defenders in a few binds. 
 
But while Jessup attacked, VU exploited gaps as well.  Christopher Sanchez did not miss by much on a shot off a corner kick in the 58th minute and VU got another one in the 73rd minute.  Anthony Medina booted a ball right into the six-yard box and in flew Kiernan to mash the ball into the top-right corner of the net to make the lead 3-0 on his third goal of the campaign.
 
Ronco had a good shot saved by JU goalie Gerardo Perez Plata a minute later, but that turned out to be one of the final three shots that Vanguard took.  Though mostly out of the game, the Warriors did not quit and spoiled the shutout bid.  A shot from 22 yards was thrashed under the dive of Monterrosa by Eduardo Guillen to make it 3-1 in the 76th minute.  The goal was well earned for the work JU did in the half, but a red card on Chris Hackney on a tackle ended any thoughts of a dramatic comeback.  Alvayero almost picked up a late goal in the final minute of play after outmaneuvering a few defenders, but he just rolled the shot past the far post.
 
The Warriors outshot the Lions 15-14, but VU had a 5-4 edge in shots on goal in the game.  The Lions had an 8-3 lead in corner kicks and Monterrosa made three stops, all in the second half.  Alvayero had five shots to lead all players and both Hammer and Ronco each had two.
 
Why is it Important?  Menlo beat Hope International on Saturday to all but clinch the regular season title, but the win also helps the Lions, who now sit second in the standings and are still mathematically in the hunt for first.  VU owns the tiebreaker against HIU (who are tied with VU with 12 points) and finishing first or second would give the Lions a bye to start the GSAC Tournament, while finishing third or fourth would mean hosting an opening-round game.  The win also keeps the Lions undefeated against Jessup all-time, with Vanguard winning the past four contests.  
 
What was Said?  After the game, Head Coach Jesus Miramontes said, "I want to thank the seniors for four or five amazing years.  We were missing some key players today and others stepped up today.  We found a way to come out strong and score some great goals.  It was a nice win for our seniors."
 
What's Next?  The Arizona trip will close out the regular season for the Blue and Gold, who will first take on Arizona Christian on Thursday, October 26, at 5:45 p.m. Pacific Time.