COSTA MESA --New field. New turf. New landscape.

That's the situation for Vanguard Men's soccer, which enters the 2026 season with a brand-new turf field at the VU Soccer Complex and renewed aspirations for the year ahead.

Despite an injury-riddled year, the Blue and Gold took full advantage of their first season as full members of NCAA Division II in 2025, posting a 9-5-4 record (7-1-2), earning a second-place finish in the Pacific West Conference and securing a ticket to the program's first PacWest Tournament.

Now, the onus resides with Head Coach Jesus (Chuy) Miramontes and his side to build on the lessons of the past and navigate their third season of DII soccer.

"Hopefully this can be our year to battle for another conference championship," starts the fifth-year skipper. "We were pretty close last year, and I think we've put in the work over the summer to bring in the right guys to hopefully put it all together."

Roster reconstruction and organization will certainly be at the forefront of the early preseason priorities, with VU facing 13 departures from last year's squad. The exodus included two-time PacWest Goalkeeper of the Year Aidan Hay, who led VU to a top-two league defense in back-to-back seasons. VU is also without Adan Alvarado, the 2026 PacWest Player of the Year and the program's first DIICCA All-American, who produced more than a quarter of the team's total points last season (nine goals, four assists).

Fortunately, Miramontes still has plenty of tools at his disposal, with 20 returners still on hand from last year's group in addition to four transfers and 10 freshman debutants.

Miramontes has four goalkeepers to contest for control between the sticks. He lists Mario Floriano and Caleb Johnson as the strongest frontrunners to emerge from the preseason. "Mario is going to do well in goal," starts Miramontes, "He'll battle it out with Caleb, a freshman, and I think those two guys being pretty different, both experience and playstyle-wise, is going to add a lot, you know."

Much like his predecessor in Hay, Floriano comes to Vanguard with a wealth of experience under his belt, as the Anaheim native enters his sixth year of collegiate soccer. The 6-4 keeper started his journey at the DIII level, kicking off his career at Whittier College before his two-year stint and All-Conference nod with JC powerhouse Fullerton College. Floriano's most recent program was a two-year stay with Westmont, appearing in eight career matches. His goalkeeper counterpart, Johnson, hails from Kingsburg, California and was awarded Goalkeeper of the Year during his three-year varsity tenure with the Vikings of Kingsburg HS. Eyan Liwag and Adam Siapin also hope to cast their die in helping rebuild the anchor of the Lion defense.

With two of last year's four starting defenders gone, 2025 First Team All-PacWest member Alex Martinez will be a centerpiece in VU's efforts to retain its defensive prowess. The Saddleback College transfer was a pillar of consistency last season, stepping up as a center back in mid-September due to team injuries to enlist order and assurance in the backline. Martinez also tabbed three goals during the season, including October's screamer against Concordia on the road.

Martinez is joined in defense by Shaun Im, who played and started in all 18 games last year to source over 1,000 minutes for the Blue and Gold. Miramontes expects the "lock down left back" to remain a vital piece at the flank of the formation. Leonardo Villacorta could also be a key returner to the Vanguard defense, though the graduate student saw much of his 2025 season stolen by injury.  He broke into the lineup in October, made his first start of the season at the PacWest tournament, and the Lions' impressive 5-0-2 conference record with Villacorta on the pitch offers promise for his role in the upcoming campaign. Sophomores Michael Coury and Ashton Ta-Tran also make for quality options for VU at the back. The pairing played six games each last year, with Coury offering minutes through the middle and Ta-Tran earning his keep at right back. They both proved to be key contributors off the bench in the fast-paced 5-2 win over Dominican in early November.

The middle of the park remains a wealth of talent and versatility for the Blue and Gold, with its sharpened nucleus featuring returning Third-Team All-PacWest performer Luke Parker. Parker made his presence felt in his freshman campaign, flaunting the second-most points on the team (11) with four goals and three assists, including a match-winner at CUI. His midfield partner Sidney Dina is also ready to command the center of the park after a career-best 17 starts in 18 games last season. The senior saw improved form playing in a more reserved pivot alongside Parker, and Miramontes believes the now three-year starter is ready to be that mainstay once more.

Henry Garcia and Kevin Abarca also make their return to the VU midfield. Garcia continues his role as a tempo-sustaining substitute; his 2025 campaign saw him feature 15 times and clock his first career assist in the 2-1 road win against Hawaii Hilo in October. Abarca is a much-welcomed returner, with the junior being "everywhere" for the Lions in his 2025 debut season. Abarca eclipsed 1,000 minutes, started the season as a winger where he scored two goals in five games, and then dropped as far back as left back in a position he made his own to help VU withstand a wake of injuries. This season could present the San Diego State transfer with a distinct opportunity to display his talents from the heart of the midfield.

Closing out the midfield are Xavier Alcantar and Javier Camargo, two enticing DI acquisitions that make up half of VU's transfer haul. Miramontes is confident that Alcantar can hit the ground running, with the Glendora native coming off a redshirt year with UNC Asheville. Meanwhile, Camargo was part of the nation's #1 recruiting class in 2022 when he signed with San Diego State. The now-graduate student featured in 14 games over three seasons with the Aztecs and was a teammate of Abarca in his final season with SDSU in 2024.

The frontline features the largest sample of candidates for VU, with 11 total forwards, the most since 2023. Graduate student Robert Ronco has the most loaded resume of the bunch, with 18 career goals tied for 15^th all-time in program history. He posted three goals and two assists last season and has hopes on closing his career with more silverware in hand as a Lion. Miramontes hopes sophomore returners Juan Vazquez and Tyler Williams can replicate their electric form upfront from their freshman campaign a season ago. Vazquez stashed four goals and one assist that all came on a lethal five-game streak from late September to mid-October. Williams was a technician from the wings, carving three goals on the year which included a brace in just his third career start.

Anthony Medina is also back after successive seasons with two goals, with his two in 2025 coming when he scored a brace in a historic thrashing against rivals Westmont to close October. The now-senior has plenty of experience filling out the flanks or operating within the gaps around the 18-yard box. Alan Leon returns after playing in a career-best 14 appearances last year. He is joined by Anthony Hernandez-Perez and Kyle Nelson to round out the returners. Josiahs Palacios is the only transfer to enter the frontline grouping, but the 2025 OEC Second Team selection could offer the Lions much needed size with his 6-3 stature. Palacios offered 12 goals and one assist in his two seasons with Fullerton College and makes for a competitive addition to a layered cast.

Closing out Vanguard's roster are 10 freshmen who balance out the 34-man squad and, according to Miramontes, could find ample opportunities to make their impact felt.

"I'm a guy that recruits freshman and lets them come in and grow and become more mature," shares Miramontes. "That's going to be their key to success."

Nico Pacelli and Jordan Le are two projected freshmen to claim potential minutes within the first team. Pacelli is a midfielder and Servite High School product who cashed a CIF Championship and First-Team All-Trinity League honors in his time with the Friars. Le operates as a fullback or winger and was an HBHS All-Turf Tournament winner his senior season with Fountain Valley High School. Miramontes shared that Le "is going to be phenomenal for [the team] and has already proven himself in practice and scrimmages that he's a guy that that can that can step in right away and not miss a beat."

As a collective, VU's freshman total two keepers, three defenders, two midfielders and three forwards.

The 2026 season will lay out another stacked nonconference slate for the Blue and Gold with six games set against top-tier CCAA competition. Miramontes views the period as a key opportunity to test his team's resilience, but more importantly to build maturity and game management in highly contested matches.

"I think we showcased some immaturity in some of our preseason results last season," admits Miramontes. "We've learned some lessons, however, from last year. We all know the CCAA is one of the top conferences at the DII level; we don't shy away from anybody. The hope for this preseason is to learn how to close out some games and build from the mistakes to be better for the PacWest as well."

With three teams leaving the conference from last season, the PacWest is set for another chaotic championship race. Voters pegged the Lions as this season's runners-up in the PacWest preseason poll, with their 82-point total (two first-place votes) trailing only Point Loma.

"Point Loma has been at the top for the past few years. They've lost some big names, sure, but Phil [Wolf] is a great coach who is going to have his guys ready to reload. I think for us to be getting some first-place votes alongside them just shows hopefully where our program is going and the hard work that my staff and I have been putting in throughout this offseason."

The Lions cross paths with the three-time defending PacWest champions Point Loma to end their nonconference slate in mid-September. The PacWest slate takes off September 23 with VU hosting Westmont, and the Blue and Gold lock onto three more home matches to finish out the month (Hawaii Hilo - Sep. 28, Chaminade- Oct. 1, Hawaii Pacific- Oct. 3), marking out nine consecutive home games. The conference run continues with a vital four-game road trip, starting with CUI (Oct. 10) and a busy week north at Jessup (Oct. 14) and Dominican (Oct. 16) before closing with a rematch against the #7 team in the nation, Point Loma, in San Diego. The regular season ends at home to Biola on Oct. 28, with the potential for a PacWest postseason berth on the line.  The conference tournament is hosted by Dominican this year, and the event runs Nov. 5-7.

Miramontes is more than wary of the potential lapses in such a lopsided schedule, but he has an aim on fixing VU's home form, as the Blue and Gold have gone just 5-4-5 in Costa Mesa compared to 11-4-2 on the road over the past two seasons.

"It's always going to be tough on the road, but we haven't done too well at home, especially," answered Miramontes. "So, we're changing some things up, some pregame stuff that we can use to shift the mindset of how we are and how we play at home. I know with us having this brand new field as well--we're excited."

The Lions have the chance to officially kick off on their new field on August 27 at 4 p.m. when they host #20 CSU Dominguez Hills, and the fifth-year head coach is eager for a new stage to set new standards.

"This season, I'm hoping we just bring it," reflects Miramontes. "That's one of our mottos around here is that we're never going to make it easy, and nobody likes to play us because they know what we're going to do and how we're going to go about our business and really pull our socks up and get after it, you know. That's really my main expectation from our group, especially in such a tough conference. But I know that when it's time to compete, we'll be ready for it."