SURPRISE, Ariz. – After a thrilling matchup against Arizona Christian on Thursday, Vanguard men's soccer entered Saturday knowing they needed a win to ensure a second-place finish in the Golden State Athletic Conference.  Goals from Aidan Doherty and Stewart Alvayero in the second half gave VU that result, as the Lions end the regular season at 9-2-5 overall and 5-1-1 in conference play.  OUAZ drops to 7-8-2 overall and 1-6 in the GSAC.  Vanguard will get a bye to start the GSAC Tournament, which begins next Saturday, and the team will head up to Menlo to play in the second round.
 
What Happened?  The Lions gave up a couple of early fouls, leading to a shot from OUAZ that had to be punched away by Edwin Monterrosa, resulting in the Spirit getting the first corner kick of the game.  The cross was good, but an OUAZ head sent a shot wide, allowing the Lions to finally move up the field.  Nathaniel Gomez unleashed the first Vanguard shot in the 15th minute, but it was blocked, and a header by Sidney Dina in the 21st minute just went over the crossbar. 
 
The Blue and Gold grew into the game and slowly turned the possession timer in their favor, with Cooper Clark forcing the first save of the contest by Yu-Liang Chu in the 28th minute.  Both Alvayero and Edwin Gonzalez had shots that Chu gloved, but despite outshooting the Spirit 5-2 in the period, the half ended 0-0. 
 
That set up a second half with a lot on the line and the Spirit again generated the first attempt on goal, but Monterrosa batted it away from the goal.  Two straight corner kicks for the home side went by without a shot, but the Lions would not record a shot themselves until Donald Kiernan's rocket in the 63rd minute, which Chu held on to. 
 
As in the first frame, the Blue and Gold got better as time went on and the Spirit tallied just two shots from the 65th minute through the end of the contest.  But that did not ensure a victory, as the hosts presented a stout wall for most of the half.  But things opened up and Doherty took advantage in the 72nd minute.  The Spirit made a bad pass and Anthony Medina picked out Doherty on the far wing.  He dribbled toward the box, beat the OUAZ left-back, and unleashed a laser into the top-right corner of the net for his second goal of the season.
 
The Lions had the lead but quickly put themselves in danger, as Joseph Hernandez was given a red card in the 73rd minute on a sliding challenge.  Down to 10 men, the Lions could have turtled and focused on defense, but they continued to hunt down an insurance goal.  Alvayero forced Chu into a save in the 79th minute and the graduate student pocketed his ninth goal of the year two minutes later. 
 
Getting the ball on the near side of the field, Alvayero wormed his way through some defenders until he got to the top of the box, where he got fouled.  Getting off the turf, Alvayero lined up the free kick from 20 yards out and sent his shot through the wall and into the left side of the net to double the Vanguard lead.
 
The Spirit had one final attempt on goal in the 87th minute but it sailed high and the clock ran out to give the Lions a 2-0 road victory.
 
Vanguard outshot the Spirit 11-6 and had a 7-2 lead in shots on goal in the game.  The Lions had a slim 3-1 lead in corner kicks in the contest and Monterrosa made two saves.  Alvayero led all players with three shots with all three on target.  Clark and Kiernan each had two shots and one on target.
 
Why is it Important?  The Blue and Gold have won all six matchups against the Spirit all-time and have won the past two games by similar 2-0 scorelines.  Hernandez will miss the opening game of the tournament for the Lions.
 
What was Said?  After finishing the victory, Head Coach Jesus Miramontes said, "We knew it was going to be a tough trip.  We were down some key players and found a way to win.  It was a team effort and these guys kept fighting.  They got the results we needed to secure second place and we will be healthy and ready for the playoffs.  I'm proud of these guys."
 
What's Next?  The Lions and the Oaks will get the opening-round byes, while Hope International will take on Arizona Christian and The Master's will face Jessup on November 4.  GSAC coverage of the tournament can be found here.