SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – For the second year in a row, Vanguard women's soccer squared off against The Master's Mustangs in the opening round of the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament.  TMU had won the past two games against Vanguard, but the Lions redeemed themselves after last year's defeat in the GSAC Tournament with an emphatic 3-0 victory on the road.  VU improves to 8-4-4 overall and will take on Hope International next Thursday in Glendale, Arizona.
 
What Happened?  The Blue and Gold got the first couple of shots away, as the squad opened the half with some great tempo and passing.  All-GSAC selection Alyssa Fong and Francesca Lindstrom fired shots on goal, but Mustang keeper Autumn Jensen saved both shots.  Fong again tested Jensen in the 21st minute but she was once more able to make the save.

The opening tally was well worked between Fong and Cypher on the left flank just shy of 30 minutes played.  Cypher made the initial run and then dished to Fong, who drove down the left side of the box and returned the ball to Cypher above the penalty area.  While still over 20 yards from goal, Cypher had no one in front of her, and she wound up and blasted a beautiful curling ball towards the net.  Jensen realized too late it was falling in on goal, and by the time she started to backpedal, the ball sailed over her and into the far side-netting to make it 1-0.
 
The rest of the period saw the Mustangs step up to the plate in search of an equalizer, but Jordin Holmquist-Wilder made two saves and the defense did enough to keep VU in the lead at halftime. 
 
The second half saw the hosts come out with that same purpose and TMU controlled a lot of possession as the half moved along.  Holmquist-Wilder made a nice stop in the 53rd minute, as a TMU attacker snuck through the backline, but the VU goalie read it well and scrambled off her line to deflect the ball away from the net.  The Mustangs did not generate much off the resulting corner kick but the Mustangs kept piling numbers forward.
 
However, the defense and Holmquist-Wilder remained steadfast and Vanguard was able to counterattack a couple of times, with one of those occasions paying off smartly with 15 minutes to go.  A throw-in from Avery Collins found Fong, who cut to the middle of the field.  She then spotted Macee Okey to her left and rolled the ball into her path inside the box. Okey was able to beat the defender to the ball and lash it into the back of the net for her first collegiate goal and a 2-0 advantage.
 
Vanguard survived another scare just five minutes later, as a free kick for the Mustangs allowed Cynthia Ramos to drive in on goal all alone.  Holmquist-Wilder again came off her line but Ramos pushed it just wide on what should have been a goal for the Mustangs.  Despite the scare, the Lions started to come up the field more.
 
The Blue and Gold could have put the game away with five minutes to go on a nice breakout started by Fong, who then offloaded to Jena Howard on the near side.  Her cross back into the box found Rachel Penick, but she just pushed it wide left of the target.  But VU would not make the same mistake in the 88th minute.  A similar play saw Penick dish it to Howard again on the near channel.  She once more whipped in a beautiful cross but this time, Cypher arrived on the doorstep and finished it off into the net to make it 3-0.
 
The final whistle sounded, and the Lions completed their vengeance and acquired their ticket back to Arizona for the GSAC semifinal.  VU was outshot 18-13 but equaled The Master's in shots on goal at 9-9.  The Mustangs had a 7-2 edge in corner kicks.
 
Holmquist-Wilder made nine saves to keep a clean sheet for the fifth time this season.  Both Cypher and Lindstrom each had three shots, with those two and Fong collecting two shots on goal to lead the Lions. 

Why is it Important?:  The Lions broke a four-game streak of no wins against TMU, having gone 0-3-1 after a seven-game winning streak. It was also the first two-goal game for Cypher in her career.
 
What was Said?: "What a great win today.  The back line did a fantastic job of holding the game defensively and our front line put away fantastic opportunities.  I'm very proud of their hard work," relayed Assistant Coach Courtney Rocha.