COSTA MESA – Women's soccer erupted on their opening day of the Pacific West Conference with a 5-0 win over Jessup Saturday morning at VU Soccer Field. Their five-goal tally was the highest in the NCAA DII era and best since a 5-0 win against Antelope Valley in 2023.

The Blue and Gold improve to 3-3-1 and 1-0 in the PacWest, claiming their 12th win in the 13 tries over Jessup since the pair first met in 2014. The Warriors sink to 1-5-2, 0-2-2 in league play.

VU's five goals came from five separate sources, with Sydney Powell scoring her first goal with the Blue and Gold from the penalty spot in the fifth minute. Rachel Penick tacked on her third of the season in the 17th minute with a tidy finish in the box, and Kate Burns made it 3-0 VU just two minutes later.

The fourth goal of the match came from Hailey Garvin in the 70th minute, off a graceful assist supplied by Megan Charley. Lindsey Hiraki set up Kaitlyn Currier for the final goal of the match in minute 81, for Currier's second goal of the campaign.

Vanguard sported a season-high 17 shots with seven on frame. They only allowed four from the Warriors, with just one shot conceded on the target throughout the 90 minutes.

What Happened? VU were pulsing with a forward momentum from the opening whistle, committing bodies high up the pitch to whittle mistakes from the Warriors early. They took two shots within the opening four minutes from Abby Grabowski and Powell, before Powell was brought down in the box 30 seconds later. Powell's spot kick from 12 paces was placed in the bottom right corner, sending the Jessup keeper the wrong way and sending Powell onto the scoresheet for her first Lion goal and third career point with VU.

The trio of Garvin, Burns, and Penick came alive after the restart, dominating the midfield rhythm and working their way into dangerous areas in the Jessup half. That was the template for VU's next two goals, as the Lion midfield won the ball and released Powell down the right wing. Powell ripped in a cross to the heart of the box, as Garvin and Burns collapsed on it. Jessup blocked the first two attempts, but the ball fell for Penick, who buried the ball bottom left to pin her seventh point of the season.

Burns took little time to find the third Lion goal, with the chance coming two minutes later. Once again, the Vanguard midfield won the ball high up on the field, this time off a Jessup goal kick. Garvin punched the header forward as the ball broke for Burns. Staring down the mouth of the goal, Burns struck at the edge of the box, cushioning her effort bottom right for her second career goal.

VU won the first half 3-0, topping the Warriors on shots 10-0.

Jessup snuck up to four shots in the second half but never truly tested Olivia Weidner in net. Like the first half, VU had the stronger start in the second period, rolling out three shots unanswered before breaking through for their fourth goal.

The move started with Charley, who was positioned a few paces past the halfway line into Jessup territory. Standing on the left flank, Charley waited for options to pass forward until ultimately deciding to create her own off the dribble. The sophomore dribbled square, shooting past three Warriors with ease before sending the through ball into Garvin. The midfielder met the ball in stride and tucked it away to the bottom corner.

Despite the forgiving lead, the Lions maintained the energy through the latter stages of the half. Their sustained aggression was embodied by Hiraki in the 81^st minute, who charged toward the ball from center midfield to win it in the Jessup half. The freshman kept moving forward,  sliding through the gap on the left side of the box before sending in the cross. The ball greeted Currier at the back post, who skipped the strike under the keeper's hand to cap off the win on the PacWest opener.

What was said? We're very proud of all the hard work the team has put in since January to prepare for this conference season," said Head Coach Emily Reynolds. "The team played with a lot of courage and confidence today."

What's Next? The Lions embark on a challenging road trip, facing three of the top four finishers in the conference from last season. They'll start with a trek to Honolulu to play Hawaii Pacific on Thursday,  October 9, at 3:30 pm.