AZUSA, Calif. -- Shaking off two defeats in a row, Vanguard men's soccer collected its third shutout of the season as part of a 1-0 victory against Azusa Pacific on Saturday night.  Austin Tubbs tallied the game's only goal in the 42nd minute to keep the Lions tied for third in the Pacific West Conference standings.  VU improves to 4-3-1 overall and 3-2 in the league, while APU drops to 2-6-1 overall and 1-2-1 in PacWest play.
 
 
What Happened? The Blue and Gold were on par with the Cougars for most of the match and VU picked up the first two corner kicks of the contest.  Even though APU had the first two shots of the night, neither forced Aidan Hay to make a save.  Adan Alvarado made APU goalie Alexis Rodriguez make a stop in the 24th minute and after that, the Lions pressed the home side for the rest of the half. 
 
Anthony Hernandez-Perez put a shot on goal that made Rodriguez dive to cover the bottom of the net in the 38th minute and the Cougars struggled to bring the ball up the field  The persistent attack paid off over the final five minutes of the frame for Vanguard, which started with Connor McCoy launching a shot towards goal in the 41st minute.  His shot was blocked, which led to VU picking up two corner kicks in a row.  The second time that Cooper Clark swung through the ball from the corner flag, his delivery expertly found Tubbs, who flicked his head towards goal to guide in his first strike of the season.
 
The Cougars held a 6-5 edge in shots in the first half, but VU had a 5-1 lead in corner kicks.  Hay did not have to make a stop in the first 45 minutes.
 
APU peppered the Vanguard defense in the second half, as the Cougars held a 12-6 edge in shot attempts in the final period.  Hay had to make three stops in the period but his entire team worked well as a unit to force a majority of the APU chances to miss the target.
 
In addition, the Lions countered smartly and the squad could have extended the lead on two occasions.  The first was from Markus Garcia, whose shot in the 64th minute clanged off the pipe to the relief of the APU fans.  Both Anthony Medina and Niko Ochoa forced Rodriguez to make saves in the 78th minute and while APU had more possession in the second frame, it did not produce a goal.  VU claimed the 1-0 win with a 5-3 lead in shots on goal in the match despite being outshot 18-11 overall.  Vanguard had a 9-6 lead in corner kicks at the end of 90 minutes.
 
Hay made all three stops that he was required to make and Alvarado, Tubbs, and Hernandez-Perez each had two shots to pace the lineup. 
 
What was Said?  "We knew it was going to be a dog fight," said Head Coach Jesus (Chuy) Miramontes.  "It brought back some great memories.  Our guys fought all game long and they sacrificed themselves and we were rewarded for it in the end.  Three huge points on the road.  I'm proud of these guys.  Awesome win."
 
 What's Next? The Lions will return home for the first of three home games in a row on home soil, beginning with a contest against Providence Christian on Wednesday, October 16, at 3:00 p.m.