GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Vanguard men's soccer team twice erased a one-goal deficit and ultimately settled for a 2-2 tie at Arizona Christian on Thursday, picking up a point in a Golden State Athletic Conference game.

The Lions (8-2-5, 4-1-1) took over sole possession of second place in the GSAC standings with 13 points, while the Firestorm fell to 6-7-1 overall and 1-4-1 in conference action.

Vanguard overcame a brace by Arizona Christian's Cornelis Miller, countering with goals by Robert Ronco in the 45th minute and Sidney Dina in the 63rd minute.

The two teams were practically even statistically with VU holding a 19-18 advantage in shots and each side taking four corner kicks.

Stewart Alvayero led all players with six shots. Ronco had five shots while coming off the bench. The Firebirds were led by Jose Garcia with four shot attempts.

Edwin Monterrosa stopped five shots for the Lions, while the Firestorm's Carlos Gallardo made three saves.

What Happened?: The Firestorm struck first in the 18th minute as a long through ball from beyond midfield latched onto Miller, who beat a charging Monterrosa and poked the ball into an empty net for the 1-0 lead.

Nathaniel Gomez had a solid chance in the 26th minute as his header looked to equalize but went high. Shiloh Perez offered a header of his own for ACU in the 31st minute, but that attempt veered right.

Vanguard was the busier of the two squads, owning a 13-7 shots edge over the first 45 minutes. It was the 13th attempt that provided the equalizer with just 32 seconds before intermission.

Cooper Clark dribbled to the endline and lofted a backwards cross to Nicolai Dejbakhsh. Dejbakhsh let the ball bounce once, and half volleyed a pass into the box where Ronco buried his shot into the center of the net. 

Ronco notched his team second-best seventh goal while Dejbakhsh collected his second assist.

The sophomore forward nearly posted his second goal just a minute and 40 seconds into the second half as he rocketed a shot over the crossbar on a breakaway.

The Lions fell behind again in the 54th minute, although the officials initially ruled the play offside by ACU. Aiden Abbitt steered a free kick into the box, with the ball pinballing off one player to Janne Hintze. Hintze headed the ball across the box to Miller, who buried his attempt to the right side. The officials conferred that Miller was actually onside and awarded the 2-1 lead to the Firebirds.

VU waited just nine minutes to knot the score a second time. Ronco was involved again, taking a long throw-in that landed among a crowd of players inside the box. Austin Tubbs took a quick touch to Sidney Dina, who laced a shot to the lower right corner for the equalizer. 

Dina tallied his fourth goal of the season – third-best on the team – while Tubbs earned his third assist.

ACU had the majority of dangerous chances in the final five minutes. Monterrosa came up big in the 88th minute as he punched Garcia's header over the crossbar. 

Why Is It Important?: The Lions control their own destiny in locking down one of the top two seeds in the GSAC Tournament and assuring themselves of a first round bye. VU will clinch the No. 2 seed with a win at OUAZ on Saturday. A loss or a tie opens the door for Hope International to snag the bye. The Royals visit Jessup on Saturday.

What Was Said?: "We are dealing with some adversity right now and are finding a way to get through it," said Head Coach Jesus (Chuy) Miramontes. "The hard work was there. We have to take care of the small details. We knew this roadtrip wasn't going to be easy. We have to find a way to win Saturday."

What's Next?: The Lions travel to OUAZ on Saturday for the regular season finale at 12:30 p.m.