COSTA MESA – A Saturday morning set the stage for Senior Day celebrations, as Vanguard men's soccer claimed its first home Pacific West Conference victory, with a 2-0 win over Hawaii Hilo.
VU honored nine seniors for their dedication to the program, including Zachary Miramontes, Cooper Clark, Chris Sanchez, Aidan Doherty, Lucah Flores, Alex Felix, Michael Salazar, Aidan Scott, and Edwin Gonzalez.
Connor McCoy scored his first career goal for the Blue and Gold to give VU the 1-0 lead at halftime. It marked the junior's fourth career point, and 10th different scorer for the Blue and Gold this season. A surgical strike on the counterattack allowed Austin Tubbs to set up Niko Ochoa for the second Lion goal, as the freshman netted his third goal of the year. The assist for Tubbs was the fifth of his career, as the graduate student has now provided a goal or assist in each of the last three games.
Vanguard took the first meeting between both programs, and improved their record to 6-3-1, and 4-2 in the conference. Hawaii Hilo fell to 7-5 and 2-4 in league play, and lost for the third time in four matches.
UHH had a 14-11 lead for shots, but both teams found five shots on target for the match. Aidan Hay made a game-high five saves, with three vital first-half stops to keep the Vulcans at bay.
What Happened?: Hawaii Hilo led in shots 5-3 for the first half and was particularly on the front foot in the opening 20 minutes of the game. The Vulcans fired three times in five minutes, as each shot required attention from Hay. The keeper's best save came in the 16th minute as Hay eyed down a bending shot through traffic and stabbed a hulking hand to keep the ball out of the bottom right corner.
Vanguard's influence in the half increased as time passed, and the Blue and Gold finally broke through in the 38th minute. VU strung together eight passes as an excellent ball from Hay opened space for an attack down the left side. Anthony Hernandez-Perez found room in the box to force a UHH save, and it was McCoy's trailing run at the back post which saw him smash the deflected shot into the goal for the 1-0 lead.
The Lions were refined in their second-half approach as the Vulcans could not find answers for VU in transition. The home side dispatched five shots unanswered, as Ben Sieber forced a UHH save in the 56th minute and nearly crept one in the top corner in the 61st. The Vulcans regained momentum after committing more numbers forward and emphasizing their press in the midfield. They earned three straight corner kicks and flashed their best chance wide in the 78th minute, as the Lions would not surrender an equalizer.
VU put the game to bed in the 80th minute after McCoy made a sliding challenge from the right side of the field and sparked a dangerous counterattack. McCoy passed to Tubbs, who exploited the thin numbers in the UHH backline with a ball to the left side for Ochoa. From there, the freshman made no mistake, as a positive first touch set him into stride, and he slotted the ball to the bottom right corner.
What Was Said?: "The whole team definitely put in a great shift," noted Head Coach Jesus (Chuy) Miramontes. "Aidan Hay was big time for us in the net. We created some great chances and scored two great goals. This was a team effort, and I am proud of the team's performance."
What's Next?: The Lions return to action on Monday, October 21 against Chaminade at the VU Soccer Complex. Kickoff is at 11:00 a.m.
