COSTA MESA – Vanguard's 2025 season concluded Saturday morning in a 2-1 win against the Menlo College Oaks. The final match of the season also came with Senior Day celebrations, as the Blue and Gold honored seven seniors prior to kickoff: Abby Grabowski, Moriah Whorton, Rachel Penick, Francesca Lindstrom, Sydney Powell, Kennedy Cypher and Samantha Pellettera.

Menlo (3-6-7, 1-4-5) was organized in the first half and opened the scoring to lead at the halftime break 1-0. VU were reenergized with two corner kick goals in six minutes, as the senior pairing of Penick and Powell produced the equalizer, and Kate Burns supplied the winner in the 68th minute. MC's effort to fight back was hindered by a straight red card in the 71st minute, as the Lions took the win in the last match of the year.

The Blue and Gold finish their second season in NCAA DII play with an overall record of 6-7-3, adding three more wins from their debut season in 2024. The Lions go 4-4-2 in the Pacific West Conference, finishing seventh out of 13 teams and going undefeated at home in league play.

Penick closes her career with 47 career points (16 goals, 15 assists). Her assist in today's win caps off her season with six goals and three assists, putting her goal tally fourth-highest in the PacWest.

What Happened? The first half saw both teams nearly tied in shots, with a narrow at 6-5 MC lead, but the Oaks had a firmer grip on the collective run of play. The Oaks took the first shot of the match two minutes in, but it was comfortably caught by the PacWest Defender of the Week, Josselyne Navarrete, in goal.

Lindstrom, who acquired her 12th career start, earned the opening chances for VU, with two shots, including a forced save to the near post in the 15th minute.

Hannah Caira stood over a free kick 22 yards out positioned in the middle of the park in the 19th minute. The four-man Menlo wall was ignored, as Caira pelted a fast-paced shot past the wall, as the strike just glanced wide left of the top corner.

The Oaks' structured, gritty midfield play made it difficult for the Lions to come any closer in the remainder of the half. The Lions struggled to stretch the game out, and MC earned a steady supply of set pieces to slowly gain control.

VU were eventually punished in the 40th minute, after MC's Aaliyah Alatorre lined up for a long throw-in from the right wing. It was her third of the match, and proved to be the charm as the ball bombed well past the front post and into the cluttered penalty area. With the ball bouncing in front of the Lions' net, Aaliyah Grigbsy was ready to pounce as she nodded in the header at the back post for the 1-0 halftime advantage.

The second half started with more VU energy, but Menlo still appeared the more settled of the two, as they charged up three shots in the opening eight minutes, two of which required a stop from Navarrete.

Appearing in the full 45, Megan Charley helped slow down the Oaks with her defensive work at left back. Once she began connecting with Burns, Penick, and Grabowski through the left wing, however, the game truly started to open up for the Lions. The trio's combined efforts led to the first VU corner kick of the match in the 61st minute.

Stationed at the left corner flag, Penick whipped a lethal cross toward the Menlo box, which completely left the keeper out of the equation to come out and punch it away. Powell was positioned perfectly at the near post and nodded the header to the bottom corner for the 1-1 equalizing goal.

It only got better from there for the Lions, who added Lindstrom back into the fray, which proved key in the next goal just five minutes later. VU earned another corner kick, this time from the right-sided corner flag. With Penick off, it was Hailey Garvin who stepped up to take the corner kick, floating an inviting ball to the middle of the box. MC tried to clip it away, but Lindstrom covered the angle and poked the ball across the Oak defenders. Burns was on waiting at the back post as she knocked the deflection into the back of the net for the game's final goal.

It was Burns's third career goal and first career game-winner. The freshman finishes the season with nine points overall (three goals, three assists).

Menlo tried to rally back, but their fortunes only got worse after a straight red card was issued to Allison Canchola, leaving the visitors at 10 players. MC still managed to outshoot the Lions 4-0 in the remaining 19 minutes of game action, forcing a delightful Navarette save to the bottom left corner in the 82nd minute.

The Lions, however, rode the wave of a boisterous crowd, providing their fans with an emotional, passion-driven win to end the season.

What Was Said? "I am so proud of the growth of this team from start to finish," reflects Head Coach Emily Reynolds. "They put in so much hard work since January to maximize our potential this year, and we saw that translate on and off the field. Most importantly, they worked to raise the level of our team values and standards, and that will continue to impact the program for years to come."