COSTA MESA -- On the verge of Golden State Athletic Conference action, Vanguard men's soccer snuck in one more nonconference match on Saturday against Stanton University.  The Lions pounced on the Fighting Elks in the first 45, leading 3-nil at the half before picking up a 4-1 victory at home.  Stewart Alvayero picked up two goals on the day and the Lions outshot SU 18-11.  VU improves to 4-1-4, with Stanton dropping to 0-7-2. 
 
What Happened? The first shot for the Blue and Gold came just 1:13 into the contest, as a corner kick allowed Markus Garcia to whip a decent-looking shot on goal, but SU goalie Jafar Chelade made the stop.  Alvayero powered a long-range effort on target three minutes later but Chelade was there to make the save and keep things scoreless.  However, Alvayero would not be denied and two minutes later, he got his chance.  The Lions made a quick turnover and poured forward with some tidy passing.  Garcia dragged the back line towards him and then dumped the ball through their rank to Alvayero, who had remained onside on the wing, and he rushed in on net with no one but the goalie in front of him.  A few dribbles later, the senior blasted his shot into the net for his third goal of the year to put VU ahead in the seventh minute.
 
The Fighting Elks got their first shot of the half away in the 12th minute, but Edwin Monterrosa made the routine stop.  The VU goalie made another stop in the 23rd minute and Vanguard then moved from defense to offense for an extended period of time.  Alvayero and Robert Ronco each had shots blocked, with Jared Subarsky poking a shot toward the net only to see Chelade scoop it up.  The pressure mounted on the SU side and a pair of corner kicks helped spring goal number two of the day.
 
The second CK was launched in by Alvayero and Donald Kiernan made the jumping kick at the near post to pocket his first collegiate goal and put the Lions up 2-0 in the 29th minute.  Nine minutes later, Lucah Flores would strike to make it 3-0 off another set piece.  Kade Mikkelsen delivered the cross this time and the ball pinballed around until it landed just in front of Flores, who snared his first tally of the season in the 37th minute.  The Lions cruised into halftime in great form and ahead 3-0, having also outshot Stanton10-4 in the first period.
 
The second frame still favored Vanguard, though the offensive stats were more even between the two opponents.  VU gave up the first corner kick of the second but defended it well.  Stanton then collected a shot in the 52nd minute but it was blocked, and the Lions got back to pressing up the pitch.  The forward group was effective all day at putting the SU defenders at risk, which led to more chances as the half moved along. 

Mikkelsen had a shot blocked in the 58th minute and Flores drove a shot towards goal two minutes later only for Chelade to pick it out of the air.  The attack continued and Kiernan almost made it 4-0 in the 68th minute.  He found a loose ball just outside the box and walloped it straight on goal, only for the shot to hit the crossbar.  The ball then went straight down and the spin took it away from the open net, denying Kiernan a brace. 

Alex Felix had replaced Monterrosa in net to close out the game and while he was not super busy between the pipes, he did concede a goal to the visitors.  Stanton got on the board in the 68th minute on a nice passing play, as a chip into the six-yard box was finished off by Max Hartbaum.
 
The response from the Blue and Gold came just 10 minutes later and was almost a repeat of the first goal.  Garcia again aptly touched a pass through the SU defense and Alvayero picked his spot and finished with poise, as VU went ahead 4-1.  Felix made two saves down the stretch the Lions picked up the victory in the first-ever matchup against Stanton.
 
Vanguard had a 10-6 lead in shots on goal and earned a 6-3 edge in corner kicks in the match.  Alvayero had four shots to lead the Lions, with Flores next with three.  Kiernan was third with two shots.  Monterrosa made three saves and Felix made two.
 
What was said?  Head Coach Jesus Miramontes said after the game, "We played really well today.  Our leaders stepped up and worked hard to set the tone.  If this team can put in this type of performance and continue to score goals, we will be dangerous moving in conference play."
 
Why is it Important?  Vanguard is the last team to start conference play and will look to take the offense from today's match into the GSAC slate.  Jessup and Menlo are both 2-0, with Hope International and The Master's at 1-0.  OUAZ, Arizona Christian, and Life Pacific are all 0-2.
 
What is Next?  The opening GSAC game will be on the road against Life Pacific on Wednesday, October 4, at 9:30 a.m. in La Verne, CA.