ATHERTON, Calif. --- Halloween day saw Vanguard men's soccer survive a scary second half to cement a scoreless draw against Menlo College. Though the Lions kept pressure on the Oaks for intervals of the first half, they were outshot 12-2 in the second as they fought to keep Menlo at bay. Aidan Hay continued his run of form, claiming his sixth shutout of the season to place him in a tie atop the Pacific West Conference.

The Lions (7-3-3, 5-2-2) were the second team to take points off the Oaks in PacWest play. Menlo (9-4-2, 7-1-1) remains a spot above VU in the conference at second place, but was shut out at Wunderlich Field for just the second time this year.

Ben Sieber and Connor McCoy came closest to scoring for the Blue and Gold, as both forced crucial saves from Menlo in each half. Aidan Doherty had a team-high in shots and was responsible for two of VU's six first-half efforts. MC had a season-high 19 shots compared to VU's eight. The Oaks also led 5-2 in shots on goal.

What Happened? With two of the top three defenses in the PacWest squaring off, the match saw few pockets of space for either team to play into, especially in the first half. Sieber earned the first sliver of space for VU in the 10th minute, as his shot from the right side of the box warranted a save to the near post. Shaun Im's strike soon after came from the left side of the box, as the left back crept toward the penalty area but saw his strike blocked. It was a similar story for Adan Alvardo and Doherty, as the VU attackers worked well to move the ball in the final third but couldn't get their chances on target.

Menlo's best chance of the period came through a set piece from the right wing, as the ball dropped in the box for a moment of mayhem. Hay's hand to the bottom left saved the initial attempt from MC, but a left-footed second try from David Stuber required a clip off the goal line from Cooper Clark to keep the game goalless.

While the final 45 minutes offered little for the Blue and Gold going forward, Menlo themselves also struggled, as the Oaks could only put one of their 12 shots in the half on target. McCoy, who played as the lone striker for parts of half, created and nearly finished VU's final opportunity of the game in the 83rd minute.  The junior flicked on a header through the middle of the pitch and rifled the rebound on goal, but the strike from distance was kept out by the Menlo keeper. Just three minutes later, Menlo responded through Andres Maldonado, as the graduate student cut in from the left and targeted the bottom right corner of the net. Hay hurled himself to the ground to guide the effort away and give his team a draw on the road.

What's Next? Men's soccer will finish their last road trip of the season in San Rafael as they take on Dominican, on Saturday, November 2 at 11:30 am.