COSTA MESA – Goals from Stewart Alvayero in the 13th minute and Robert Ronco in the 62nd minute gave the Vanguard men's soccer team all the offense it needed in a 2-1 victory over Whittier on Saturday at VU Soccer Field.

The Lions improved to 1-0-3 on the year while the Poets lost their season opener.

The Poets outshot the Lions 13-10. Both teams had six corner kicks and Whittier committed slightly more fouls (17-16) than Vanguard. The Poets were assessed four cautions to VU's one.

Alvayero notched his first goal of the season with Ronco tabulating his second. Both VU forwards led the team with three shots apiece.

Edwin Monterrosa tallied four saves and appeared headed for a shutout until the Poets collected an own goal with around three and a half minutes left to go in the game.

VU's depth was on display as 22 players saw the field on a windy afternoon.

What Happened?

The Lions attacked early as Alvayero took three corner kicks in the first three minutes of the match.

None of those opportunities materialized. However, a Poet foul in the 13th minute created a free kick opportunity for Alvayero from around 30 yards out.

The graduate student bent a beautiful ball over the Whittier wall and into the upper left netting for a 1-0 Lion lead. It was his 22nd career goal.

Both teams had five shots in the first 45 minutes, but the Lions were creating the more dangerous chances. Nicolai Dejbakhsh nearly gave VU a two goal lead as his smash pinged the crossbar in the 42nd minute.

That trend continued into the second half. In the 50th minute, Alvayero's hard shot from point blank range was deflected away by Poet keeper Breckon Richards, who came off the bench to start the second half.

The Lions broke through 12 minutes later as Ronco got pulled down inside the 18 on a dangerous run toward goal. Whittier defender Ty Wilson earned the yellow card on that foul, and Ronco delivered from the spot as the Lions took a 2-0 lead.

The Blue and Gold almost delivered the dagger with just over six minutes to play in the game. Alvayero sent in a beautiful service to Donald Kiernan on the goal's doorstep, but his header clanged off the post.

The Poets capitalized on the near miss and halved the deficit in the 87th minute. Rowan Slater's offering deflected off a VU defender and skipped past Monterrosa for an own goal at the 86:25 mark.

However, Whittier managed just one more shot with Monterrosa making the easy save in the 89th minute.

Why Is It Important?: The Lions had scored just two goals over their first three contests, all resulting in ties. VU posted its first multi goal tally of the season.

What Was Said?: "I thought we were in complete control of the game for 90 minutes," said Head Coach Jesus Miramontes. "We played well and should have put the game away a lot earlier. We have to get better at managing the game and capitalizing on our opportunities. At the end of the day, a win is always good no matter how it comes."

What's Next?: The Lions play a doubleheader with the VU women on Monday. The VU men battle Antelope Valley at 1:30 p.m.