SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Men's soccer rallied together on a hot day at The Cage to claim a 2-0 victory over CSU San Marcos on Saturday afternoon. In the first half, VU dispelled a downpour of pressure from the Cougars and walked away with a 1-0 lead thanks to a picture-perfect penalty from Adan Alvarado. The Blue and Gold looked a different side in the second period, while the Cougars maintained lethality with various threats on the counterattack. VU finally shut the door on the Cougars with a belter of a goal in the 79th minute from the freshman debutant Tyler Williams.

The Lions win their first match of the season, improving to 1-1 and avenging last year's early-season defeat to the Cougars. CSUSM loses on senior day, as their record slips to 0-2.

VU were outshot on the day overall, but built on their shot totals in the second half. They were led by Alvarado with three shots and one shot on goal. Kevin Abarca and Williams each had two shots apiece. Alex Martinez, Nolan Tubbs, and Brian Silva each added a shot as well. The match also saw a high level of physicality, with a combined 25 fouls between both teams, including seven yellow cards, and a straight red for CSUSM's Manny Solis in the second half.

What Happened?
The Lions applied a press early in the match to catch CSUSM playing out the back. They nearly found a quickfire goal from it as well, as Robert Ronco whipped a low-driven cross toward Abarca in the fourth minute, who steered it just wide.

The half slowed down from there, after an injury scare and a lengthy stoppage for video review by the referee, Alex Guerreo, halted proceedings. The Cougars were the sharper of the two out of the restart, as they would play the remainder of the half as the primary aggressors. They found various pockets of space to cause problems, forcing a critical block from the Lions' defense in the 11th minute. Their best chance of the half came in a furious storm of an attack in the 17th minute. CSUSM slipped a clever ball between the VU defense to put Jesua Espinoza Castillo through on goal, but Aidan Hay threw a hulking palm to his right to clear the open look. VU weren't out of danger yet, however, as the follow-up cross nearly scuffed off a Lion shin for an own goal, but the ball glanced past the post for a corner kick instead.

Connor McCoy's cross onto the head of DJ Kiernan in the 32nd was Vanguard's next time high up in CSUSM territory, but their attempts were well watched by the Cougar back four. The Lions found their opener with just nine seconds left in the first half, after Alvarado collected a bouncing ball near midfield and pushed the pace through the heart of the defense. His sneaky pass to Anthony Medina opened up the space in the box, as the midfielder was brought down late to hand the Lions a penalty kick.

Though CSUSM's Tony Flores attempted to throw off Alvarado, the sophomore was unfazed, taking his first spot kick for the Blue and Gold. Eye to eye with his fifth career goal, Alvarado unleashed a rocket to the top left corner to hand VU the lead.

VU raised the level in the second half and looked much more fluid in the CSUSM attacking third. They almost had their second goal within five minutes of kick off after a beautiful cutback from Ronco and a crisp cross from Ben Sieber set up Alvarado for a prime opportunity. Positioned near the corner of the box, the midfielder struck the ball well but had his effort blocked by the Cougars.

CSUSM were not without chances, and continued to create gaps from the wide areas, but none of their attempts seemed to truly trouble Hay in goal. Their best-looking shot came from a short free kick into Andrew Valencia in the 69th minute, but the redshirt junior buried his chance into the side netting. The Cougar momentum officially dampened after an eager sliding challenge in the 76th minute from Solis brought them down to 10 men.

Williams took little time to capitalize on the extra space in midfield. Just under two minutes later, the freshman found freedom as he settled the ball a few paces inside the CSUSM half. Then, nearing the edge of the 18-yard box, Williams lashed one from the laces, rifling a belter into the bottom right corner for his first collegiate goal and first win of the season for the Lions.

What was Said? "San Marcos took it to us and we weathered the storm," said Head Coach Jesus (Chuy) Miramontes. "We worked hard defensively and found a way to manufacture a goal late in the half. Some of our freshmen stepped up and played some good minutes. The whole team elevated the level in the second half and found a way to win."  

What's Next? VU makes a brief return to Costa Mesa for the home opener against CSU San Bernardino on Wednesday, September 10, at 4 pm.