COSTA MESA -- The end of the season for Vanguard men's soccer was already set for Thursday, but a win against the Golden Eagles of Concordia University Irvine would have guaranteed VU a finish in the top third in the Pacific West Conference. But those hopes were dashed by a surging CUI, who tallied a 3-1 win to put a damper on the end of an otherwise good season by the Blue and Gold. CUI goes to 6-6-2 overall and 4-4-2 in league play, while Vanguard finished its first PacWest season at 8-4-3 overall and 6-3-2 in the conference.
What Happened? The two schools are separated by nine miles and VU had won the last two encounters, which were back in 2014. The Blue and Gold played well in the first half and could have been on for a goal ove the first 20 minutes.
Sidney Dina had the first shot of the match in the 11th minute, as he worked with
Adan Alvarado and
Ben Sieber to create space, but his shot rolled across the face of goal and off to the right. He had another chance a few seconds later off a turnover but CUI blocked the attempt. VU looked creative and had a good offensive flow, but the Golden Eagles slowly swiped control of possession and Vanguard switched to attacks off the counter as the half progressed.
The period seemed destined to end 0-0, but Tyler Oakson of CUI unleashed his right foot into the ball with 56 ticks left on the clock and it found the top corner of the net to, shockingly, put CUI ahead 1-0. The Golden Eagles entered the break with a slim 5-4 edge in shots and the only corner kick of the frame.
Down but certainly not out, the Blue and Gold returned to the field and saw
Markus Garcia pepper the first shot of the period towards the net, but it just missed the frame. The Lions were able to keep CUI at bay until the 54th minute, when things took an unfortunate turn. Hay leaped for a ball in the box but made head contact with a CUI attacker, with the referee awarding a PK. Rafael Espinoza pocketed the second goal of the game for the Golden Eagles off the PK, and the visitors then made it 3-0 in the 70th minute. A nice sequence of passes allowed Koa Markham to extend the lead, and the Lions could not recover.
However, the game got interesting in the 85th minute, as
Austin Tubbs found a loose ball in the CUI penalty area. The CUI keeper, Andre Flores, grabbed Tubbs to keep him from scoring, which resulted in a straight red card. Tubbs converted his PK to make the score 3-1 and with CUI at nine field players to keep a goalie in the net, there was a surge in intensity from VU. But it was too late, and CUI worked the clock smartly to win 3-1 at the final horn.
The Lions ended with a 16-13 lead in shots in the game, though both sides had five shots on target. VU had a 3-2 edge in corner kicks and Hay made two saves in net. Alvarado had a very good match, leading VU with three shots, two on target, and showcased his play-making ability throughout the contest
Anthony Medina,
Anthony Hernandez-Perez,
Connor McCoy, and Dina all had two shots.
Why is it Important? The Lions go to 21-10-1 all-time against CUI. The game is the final contest for the senior class and VU will finish in the top half of the league, but will have to wait until the end of Saturday to find out their final spot.
What was Said? "This has been a great transition season into the PacWest," said Head Coach
Jesus (Chuy) Miramontes. "Our seniors led us and the younger players followed. We competed in every game and were very tough to break down. Thank you to all the seniors, you all changed the culture of the program for the better. We wish you all the best."
