COSTA MESA – Vanguard men's soccer played its long awaited home opener on Saturday afternoon against Cal State San Marcos, and an 84th minute goal by Cougar forward Brooklyn Baker spoiled the festivities in a 1-0 Lion loss.

The Lions fell to 0-1-1 on the season, while the Cougars improved to 3-0-1.

Vanguard had a solid defensive effort throughout the match, but the Coyotes linked up late. Stefano Brunetto dribbled through traffic on the right side and offered up a perfect cross into the middle of the box, where Baker waited and headed the ball into the upper left corner. 

The Lions went on the offensive in search of the equalizer, and Austin Tubbs almost scored a sensational goal. His bicycle kick with about a minute remaining was pinpointed toward the right side of the net, but a diving Tony Flores punched the ball out of danger for the Cougars.

Flores made four saves for Cal State San Marcos, while Hay stopped five shots for Vanguard.

Cal State San Marcos owned the statistical edge in shots (12-7) and corner kicks (5-1), while both teams each had 10 fouls.

What Was Said?: "Once again we defended well," said Head Coach Jesus Miramontes. "We kept a clean sheet for 84 minutes and made it difficult for them. We worked hard and games like this build character. Every game is going to be tough. All of these games are preparing us for conference play. We are a little disappointed, but we will learn from this and get better."

What's Next?: Vanguard heads up the 101 to square off against San Francisco State in a neutral site match in Santa Barbara. The two teams play on Westmont's Thorrington Field next Saturday at 3:00 p.m.