COSTA MESA -- Vanguard men's soccer faced Westmont at home Thursday afternoon but despite an aggressive second half, the Lions were unable to overcome an early WC goal, falling 1-0.  The Lions outshot WC 14-3 for the game but had a slim 2-1 edge in shots on goal in the contest.  Aidan Doherty, Austin Tubbs, and Adan Alvarado had two shots apiece and the home side racked up an 11-2 advantage in corner kicks in the match.  Westmont improves to 5-3-3 overall and 2-2 in the Pacific West Conference, while VU drops to 3-3-1, 2-2.
 
 
What Happened? The Warriors pressed the Blue and Gold to open the match and that early attack paid off in the ninth minute for the visitors.  A cross from the side of the penalty area was flicked towards the six-yard box by an attacker and the ball then bounced off the head of another Westmont player.  Erik Guerreo found the loose ball and finished it off into the net to collect the only tally of the contest. 
 
The goal put Vanguard behind, but the squad countered quickly and the confidence in the lineup grew as the first half moved along.  Tubbs had his second shot of the half just miss over the bar and Slater Hammer had a chance off a corner kick, but his header also rose too high.  Doherty and Lucah Flores each let shots go as the half came towards a close but Westmont goalie Brady Highfill did not have to make a save in the first 45 minutes.  Aidan Hay also did not have to make a save as Westmont did not record another shot until 50 seconds before the halftime whistle.
 
The shots piled up in the second frame, as VU put nine on the board in search of an equalizer.  However, none of them could find the twine.  Doherty picked up the first attempt of the new half off a corner kick, but it was wide to the left.  The Blue and Gold had four corner kicks in the first 15 minutes of the second, but the Westmont defense contested every shot and kept the Lions from striking back. 
 
Vanguard dictated the tempo and direction for a majority of the remaining time, but despite their best efforts, the squad only had one shot on goal.  Tyler Miramontes fired a shot from deep with 50 seconds left in the match that Highfill stopped before he launched it deep into the VU end, which allowed Westmont to escape with a 1-0 decision.
 
 What's Next? The Lions will have one day to prepare for their road trip to Azusa Pacific, with VU taking on the Cougars on Saturday, October 12, at 5:00 p.m.