GLENDALE, Ariz. – Fifth-seeded Vanguard lost 2-1 to Hope International in the Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals on Thursday afternoon, ending its women's soccer season with an 8-5-4 record.
Junior All-GSAC selection Alyssa Fong cut into a 2-0 deficit with an 82nd minute goal, countering an HIU strike that occurred just 29 seconds earlier. However, the Royals also connected in the sixth minute.
The second-seeded Royals improved to 2-1 all-time against the Lions in GSAC Tourney play.
Vanguard stepped up its intensity and aggressiveness in the second half, getting off nine shots after being held to just two attempts in the first half.
Fong led the Blue and Gold with three shots. Francesca Lindstrom and Kennedy Cypher fired off two shots apiece.
VU's Jordin Holmquist-Wilder and HIU's Haley Slouka both made six saves. The Royals took 19 shots, led by six from Ashlyn Edwards and five more by Christiane Sundstrom.
HIU improved to 13-3-2 and advanced to Saturday's GSAC Tournament championship match against the winner of top-seeded OUAZ and No. 6 seed Menlo.
What Happened?: The Lions fell into an early 1-0 hole at the 5:45 mark. The Royals intercepted the ball around midfield and played a long ball over the top of the VU defense. Edwards got possession on the right side and hit a cross near the far post where Olga Luna banged her shot off the crossbar. Sarah Ralston followed the rebound and hammered home the scraps for the 1-0 lead.
VU played a mostly quiet first half. Lindstrom had a decent chance in the fourth minute and Jena Howard got off an attempt in the 10th minute, forcing Slouka to make a pair of saves.
The Lions became more active to start the second half and Kaitlyn Currier offered up an attempt on goal following a nice pass from Cypher, but Slouka smothered the shot.
The Royals threatened to double their lead on a few occasions as Edwards just missed wide right in the 64th minute, while Holmquist-Wilder came off her line to stop a laser from close range by Ryley Candelario at the 75:18 mark.
Nearly 30 seconds later, the Royals presented another scare on Sundstrom's pass to Shelbi Payne on the back post. Payne had a wide open net, but her touch sailed over the crossbar.
The Royals continued to seek the insurance goal and succeeded at the 81:09 mark. Edwards beat a Lion defender and dribbled toward the left side of the box, shooting at an angle toward Holmquist-Wilder. The VU goalie deflected the shot into the air, but the backspin propelled the ball toward net and it trickled across the line for the 2-0 HIU lead.
The Lions did not concede as they waited less than a minute to respond. Hailey Garvin weaved her way into the box and slid a backwards pass to Fong, who struck her shot to the lower left corner. It was her fifth goal of the season, tying her for the team lead.
VU took three more shots with Fong, Rachel Penick and Cypher searching for the equalizer, but Fong's went wide and Slouka made saves on the last two.
Why Is It Important?: VU's last hurrah through the GSAC and NAIA left the Blue and Gold with an all-time GSAC Tournament record of 12-8-3.
What Was Said?: "Tough loss for us today," said Assistant Coach Courtney Rocha. "Reflecting on the season, our team put forth a great effort and showed tremendous growth. I'm very proud of this team for their fight and resilience."
