SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- The first victory as a provisional member of the NCAA Division II for Vanguard men's soccer came today against the Gators of San Francisco State.  The Lions led 3-0 after the 74th minute, and despite SFSU scoring twice in five minutes, VU would preserve the lead and improve to 1-1-1 on the year.  The Gators fall to 0-2-2.  Ben Sieber had his breakthrough moment as a member of the Blue and Gold, as the transfer picked up his first VU goal and assist.  Adan Alvarado and Niko Ochoa also opened their VU goal-scoring accounts.
 
What Happened? The opening 10 minutes of the game saw shots by both teams, though neither troubled the starting goalies.  Aidan Hay made his first save easily in the 18th minute and after that, the Lions made their game plan work.  A strong high press was rewarded with a turnover in the attacking half, as an SFSU defender did not feel Sidney Dina coming from behind him.  Dina took the ball to the middle of the pitch, Sieber cut in between two defenders, and Dina played it right to #3, who slotted his shot into the far side netting to give VU a 1-0 lead. 
 
Hay had to make a save in the 31st minute but besides that, VU dictated the tempo of the contest.  The Lions had two corner kicks and four shots over the final 15 minutes, and though they did not increase the lead, Vanguard took a comfortable 1-0 into halftime. 
 
The Lions were able to string a chain of passes together in the first 30 seconds of the second half to give Dina the first shot of the new frame, though he could not hit the target.  The direct pressure on the Gators led to the second VU strike of the day in the 59th minute.  A long ball over the SFSU defense forced them to concede a throw-in.  The throw quickly went to Alvarado, who was uncontested at the top corner of the box.  Dribbling right on the line of the penalty area and moving towards the middle, Alvarado unleashed his shot and bent it into the side netting past the diving SFSU keeper to put Vanguard up 2-0.
 
The Blue Gold continued to stymie the Gators and the squad turned the pressure up offensively after the 70th minute.  Dina tested the Gator's keeper, but he made the save just past the 70th minute.  A shot by Michael Salazar just missed over the bar in the 73rd minute, but the persistence was rewarded just over a minute later.  Sieber took down a long pass from the VU defense and swept the ball with a great touch in front of Ochoa.  Ochoa put on a burst of speed to keep the defenders behind him and slammed his shot into the top part of the net from just outside of the box.
 
Ahead 3-0, it seemed the win was in the bag, but the Gators had a final lunge left in them.  Goals for SFSU in the 84th and 89th minutes brought the lead down to 3-2.  But the Gators could not get the equalizer in the final minute and the Lions were able to claim the 3-2 victory.
 
The Lions outshot the Gators in each half and held a 15-10 advantage for the match, with a 7-6 lead in shots on goal.  Each goalie made four saves and the Lions held a 3-1 edge in corner kicks after 90 minutes.  Ochoa paced VU with three shots, two on target.  Sieber, Im, Dina, and Markus Garcia each had two shots, with Sieber putting both of his on goal.  The Lions played 61% of their possession in the SFSU half of the field.
 
What was said? "We played a great game today offensively," said Head Coach Jesus (Chuy) Miramontes.  "We controlled the rhythm of the game and created a ton of chances.  We need to finish games out and not let teams back in the game.  In the end, it was great getting our first win of the season."
 
What is Next? The Lions will now attempt to win their first Pacific West Conference game in program history, as the team will travel to Fresno Pacific on Thursday, September 26th, at 5:00 p.m.